Renaissance Bleaching?

Question

What did people during the Renaissance use to bleach white fabric/linen?

Answer 1

Good question!

Linen was of huge economic importance. It was mostly used and worn in its natural color, off-white with a yellow or pearl-grey tinge. Bleaching was a long process, and very expensive, so only the wealthy actually wore bleached fabric. Below is a link to the history of bleaching. It cites the Dutch method, and truthfully, that's the only one I know of. People did manage to whiten, somewhat, their fabrics by exposing them to the sun, using lye soaps to wash them first.

Answer 2

White fabric was primarily linen. If you see white in a painting or illumination it is typically linen or a fur lining.

Some whitening options for linen include the use of lye or of urine that was allowed to sit (bascially it was ammonia). Linen actually bleaches white in the sun as well. There is also a theory that in some areas known for their white linens that they were helped along unintentionally by the bushes/grass the linen was laid upon to dry.