Ok folks, my youngest son has a job working in a grocery store and they require him to wear a white shirt and tie. Every day the shirt is heavily soiled around the pocket and the neck and under the sleeves, and often there are nice streaks of dirt ground in along the sleeves as well. I asked him if he was doing this on purpose, and he denies it. I have to hand wash the clothes as we still do not have a working washer and I'm too cheap/poor for the laundrymat. I use Ivory soap on the worst spots and rub them well, then wash the whole thing in Arm and Hammer detergent with bleach. The shirts are still getting dingier and dingier. Does anyone know a way to whiten the shirts without bleaching them to pieces? Thanks.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), April 10, 2001

Answers

Sun drying, maybe vinegar, how about bluing? Do they still make bluing?

-- Cindy (SE In) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), April 10, 2001.

You could try Barkeeper's friend, a cleanser found in the store, next to the Ajax and Comet. It will cost more than the others but it really works well. Wet the shirt and sprinle the powder on the dirty spots, and scrub them gently with something soft like a fingernail brush. I wouldn't soak the shirt with Bartender's friend, just spot treat.

-- Rebekah (daniel1@itss.net), April 10, 2001.

I don't bleach much of anything cept undies. I also wash by hand.

For spots I use either 409 or Fantastik and a veggie brush. I also use dish soap instead of laundry detergent... If I am out of that I grate my homemade bars. (the homemade bars eliminate the use of fabric softeners... hubby and I are soooooo spoiled!) Vinegar might help with whitening, but it will set any stains left in the fabric. A tiny amount of ammonia would help - but then you have to deal with the smell..........

I hang the clothes in the sun, but I am not too strong in my wrists, so they are still pretty wet when I hang them out.

Glad I'm not the only one washing by hand.... Neighbors think I am completely off my rocker!! I even hang them out in winter...

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), April 12, 2001.

Something that gets out ink fairly well and also does a good job on heavy soil is the gojo ceaner. Rub it in with a brush and let it soak then wash as normal. It might work....Good luck!

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), April 12, 2001.

I found some of the Barkeepers Friend and it helped a lot. Thanks.

Sue, you are not the only one that cannot do well wringing out clothes. My problem isn't my wrists though, it is my fingers. All that wringing makes my knuckles swell so much that it is painful and difficult to do much of anything for several days. My mother could wring clothes until they were almost as dry as the Sahara and it never seemed to bother her hands. I don't know how she did it, but wish I did.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), April 15, 2001.

I haven't heard of Barkeepers friend, but I've used Fels Naptha and it works well on stains, but wouldn't whiten. I'm pretty sure you can still buy bluing.

-- Nancy (sonflower35@icqmail.com), April 18, 2001.

OxyClean is the best whitener and stain remover I've ever run across. It canbe obtained at WalMart

-- Bill Kull (bill61k@charter.net), August 02, 2002.

hair spray works well on ink, tilex on stuburn stains. i am having the same whittening problem with my husbands tshirts. the ubderarm stains are horrible and bleach just eat them up.

-- cynthia grear (fvas404@aol.com), December 22, 2002.

i have a really needed question pls help me im 13 and im doin my science fair project and i need to know how it works or where i can find out where it works i already tried google and had no luck. sry i couldn't answer ur question!!!

-- Chantilly(lacey) Scott (chantilly_gingerlee@hotmail.com), February 25, 2003.

little box called rit whitener, it works really well.when my husband and son would fish in creeks thier clothes and underwear would be yellowed and stained, this would make them white, really white again, the only thing is you cant use it everytime you wash the items or it will wear fabric out. my whites are as white as the day they are bought when they finally wear out. everybody always wasks how I keep my whites so white, this is it.also once the store was out of the whitener and I tried rust remover instead and it was as good as the whitener.

-- cammie (ecedwards749542002@yahoo.com), October 21, 2003.