Everyone is trying to save money these days, on everything we buy. One place people don’t often look is at their laundry products. Most homes have a huge shelf of detergents, sticks, sprays, additives, sheets, and much more besides, and the expense can really add up. There is no shortage of other products that seem attractive at the store, and people keep buying them, one after another, in order to regain a sense that things are getting clean.
It is largely because the machines do not use enough water, the water is not hot enough, and the detergent itself is getting stuck in the clothes and dulling white ever further. Products alone will not fix it, especially not the endless multiplication of additives and sprays.
This problem has grown over the decades, due to ever tighter regulations, and it seems like many people have settled on a single solution. That is bleach. It’s not expensive. You dump in a quarter cup and it does seem to whiten the whites. The formula designed for colors seems to brighten the clothing. It’s not an illusion. It does work for that purpose.
However, there is a huge downside to using bleach. It weakens cotton and really all fabrics. In fact, it is even worse: it eats your clothes. If you have been bleaching your sheets and suddenly find that they are in tatters, you might not know why. The reason is before your eyes. It’s the bleach. It dramatically reduces the life of all your fabrics.
Lots of times, things like this happen and we are not sure why. We blame the manufacturer. We blame bad luck. We blame the machine, which mysteriously seems to be tearing the clothing. The actual reason is the bleach that people put in their clothing.
My strong suggestion is never use it in any machine, ever. Yes, it gives you the quick fix of brighter and whiter clothing. But it ruins them and costs you more in the long run as you end up replacing sheets, towels, shirts, and really everything, far more often than you otherwise would. So while bleach seems not expensive, it is probably the most expensive product of all once you consider all the replacement costs on clothing.
The key to avoiding all bleach is to pre-treat all stains at least 10-30 minutes before the wash. The sprays don’t work as well as they once did (I still cannot figure out what in the ingredients changed). You can use hydrogen peroxide and laundry soap for soaking on whites. Even the hardest stains will relent under that. Salt can also work wonders. Most stains just need a bit of pretreatment with detergent itself, which works far better than sprays. Rub them and let them set for a bit.
Hot water, detergent with TSP and some bluing for whites will accomplish most of what bleach does without wrecking your clothing. If it is an option for you, it is always better to hang dry all your wash outdoors in the sun. The sun itself has a magical effect on whites, seemingly bleaching them and certainly cleaning them. Our habit of throwing everything in the dryer is deeply entrenched but also highly regrettable. Even hanging things on a rack inside near a window is better.
The reason to avoid the machine dryer is that it too breaks down your fabrics. As I’ve written many times, the stuff they call “lint” in the lint catcher is not lint. It is simply your clothes. The machine dryer peels off a layer each time you use it. I get the convenience but there is no magic here and every cycle comes at a cost. Hang-drying is the best way by far if it is possible for you to do so.
Also many homeowners’ associations ban clotheslines and so do many subdivisions. I’ve never heard of a case in which these bans are reversed but I can see how it might happen. You can make a plea for more sustainable methods of drying clothes that are designed to lower your carbon footprint. Maybe appeal to Greta Thunberg. I don’t know. Maybe it works. In any case, if the result is that you get your clothesline back, it’s worth the effort.
To be sure, there are actual uses for bleach. It is perfect for bathroom surfaces and kitchen floors and other uses. The thing to avoid is putting it in the machine washer.
There are still some uses on fabrics and you have to resort to its use in a pinch. For example, nothing is better on cotton white tennis shoes. It can work on dingy towels. It can whiten other fabrics too. The key to using it is to avoid long soaking and exposure.
The answer is the sink. Fill it with very hot water and add some bleach and put in the shoes or towels. Let them soak for 10 minutes only. No more. Put a timer on it because this stuff eats your clothing. Drain the sink and rinse. Bleach does not rinse out very easily so you have to rinse two or three times until the slimy feel and smell is entirely gone. You cannot leave any in the fabric because the stuff will continue to break down fabrics if any remains in there.
So, yes, it works under these conditions but they are rare and you must tend to the process very carefully.
The main message here is: stop using bleach in your machine wash. I fear that the habit is so ingrained that manufacturers have even added a special cup in which to add it and it is often labeled bleach. This is a truly terrible idea. Americans are so used to following instructions and believing whatever manufacturers say that they go along without questioning the essential wisdom.
I hesitate to end this column with my best and strongest suggestion simply because it seems so implausible to most people. But here we go anyway. If you have a bathtub, consider using it instead of the machine wash. You will get a longer soak (soaking is the key to all cleaning), have more water available for cleaning, and end up with much cleaner clothing. Yes, it takes work. You need to do a rinse or two in cold water following the soaking and scrubbing. All that said, it is a wonderful experience. Just like growing your own garden, it feels like part of taking back control of your life. It is truly an exciting thing, in my view, and saves you on electricity bills and more. You can also better control the mixes of detergents.
There is something truly satisfying about looking at all the mucky water following a good washing, pulling the plug, and watching it all drain away, leaving only clean clothing that now can be rinsed. Yes, it feels 19th century but in a fun way. Warning: if your experience is successful, you might never go back to machine washers and dryers.
Even so, you don’t have to go that far. There are plenty of things you can do to bring back a better clean. Just please stop using bleach as your shortcut that ends up utterly wrecking your clothing. That’s not what bleach is for. It has plenty of uses but dumping it in your washing machine is not among them.
