How to bleach a bra at home?

Snow-white underwear is always beautiful, but every owner of this beauty sooner or later faces the problem of losing its impeccable cleanliness: the fabric gets worn, washed and stale. But today, in the arsenal of a modern housewife, there is almost always a tool that can revive your favorite set. Let’s try to summarize our many years of experience and help you decide which whitening method is right for you.

Rules for bleaching delicate fabrics

The first thing to remember is that modern lingerie is usually made from delicate fabrics that require special care. You can determine the list of manipulations and acceptable care products by looking at the label on the underwear. By following the manufacturer's recommendations, you will extend the life of your favorite clothes.

White linen should be approached with special caution: it is worth knowing that before you start washing, you must study the composition of the fabric from which it is made. If the composition contains synthetics, then there are a number of prohibitions:

• Do not wash in hot water;
• Do not use chlorine bleaches.

If your linen is made of cotton fabric, then it is permissible to use chlorine bleaches, but this should be done with caution and infrequently, as the fabric quickly becomes thinner and becomes unusable.

In addition to industrial bleaches, you can use improvised means, which are almost always available in every home. They are safe and easy to use, in addition they are very gentle on delicate fabrics and are preferable for synthetics and lace.

What to do if your bra turns yellow?

A white bra is bought under transparent light or white blouses and dresses, but for various reasons it is not always possible to maintain perfect harmony. As a result, when worn with colored items, the underwear acquires an unpleasant yellowish or grayish tint. The same result is obtained with improper or frequent washing or long-term “passive” storage. In these cases, you cannot do without special bleaches.

Important! When purchasing bleach, carefully read the label to make sure it is suitable for your laundry.

What store-bought products can I use?

For example, stains on white linen can be removed quite well with ordinary laundry soap: you just need to wet the bra, rub the stain with soap, leave for half an hour and rinse. You can use special whitening laundry soap. However, stubborn stains cannot always be removed in such a simple way. In such cases, you need to resort to the help of industrial means.

There are many different bleaches that can be divided into 3 groups:

• optical;
• oxygen;
• chlorine-containing.

The choice of one or another type of bleach depends on the type of fabric to which it will need to be applied.

Important! To avoid accidentally damaging the item, aggressive agents should be tested in a small, inconspicuous area.

Optical brighteners

Optical means are those that do not “etch out” stains or undesirable shades of a thing, but rather “tint” it with the help of special components, visually making clothes whiter. This is the most gentle bleaching method, suitable for all types of fabric. Typically, these products include bleaching washing powders. They are convenient in that they can be used not only for hand washing, but also in the washing machine; however, to remove heavy stains, you still cannot do without pre-soaking.

Important! To achieve maximum effect, follow the instructions on the package.

White

Whiteness is a popular and inexpensive chlorine-containing bleach, with which you can not only whiten fabric, but also get rid of unpleasant odors and disinfect linen.

It is permissible to use only for bleaching natural fabrics, in particular cotton, if we are talking about underwear. Because the This product is quite aggressive, you only need to work with it with gloves and in a ventilated area, provided that you are not allergic to chlorine. To avoid fabric damage, follow these guidelines:

• dilute 1 tbsp. a spoonful of bleach in 3 liters of water;
• soak the bra for 20 minutes;
• Rinse the laundry thoroughly in cool water to remove as much chlorine odor as possible.

Use bleach only as a last resort, since frequent use of this product thins the fibers of the fabric.

Important! Remember that chlorine bleaches cannot be used in automatic washing machines or combined with other detergents.

Oxygen bleach

The product is universal, it can be used both in the washing machine and for hand washing, and it can be used to bleach fabric of any composition. The only disadvantage of this product is its price. It is usually significantly more expensive than other types of industrial bleaches. It must be used in accordance with the instructions on the package, in this way you can achieve maximum effect..

Whitening with home remedies

If you don't risk using industrial bleaches on your bra or are unhappy with the results of their use, try old time-tested "grandmother's" methods. They are not so aggressive, and are often as effective as store-bought ones.

Peroxide

This cheap product, which can be bought at any pharmacy, is great for lace or guipure and synthetics, and can return your bra to its original whiteness. The operating algorithm is as follows:

• 3% hydrogen peroxide should be diluted with water at the rate of 2 tbsp. l. products for 1 liter of water;
• soak the laundry in the solution for about half an hour;
• rinse thoroughly in cool water.

Important! When washing synthetic underwear, always use cool water, as in hot water the fabric not only turns yellow, but also becomes deformed.

Ammonia

This pharmaceutical product can remove unwanted shades and stains from a cotton bra:

• dilute ammonia at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. products for 1 liter of water;
• immerse the bra in the solution and leave for 10–12 hours;
• wash your laundry as usual.

Important! To get rid of the obsessive smell of ammonia, add a little conditioner to the water during the last rinse.

Soda

A simple, everyday product like baking soda is a staple in almost every kitchen. And experienced housewives find use for it not only in cooking. Using this “magic” powder, you can, for example, whiten your favorite bra.

To begin with, you should try a simple soaking. Dissolve in 3 liters of warm water:

• 3 tbsp. l. soda;
• 2 tbsp. coarse salt;
• washing powder with bleaching effect (about 1 tbsp.)
• Soak the bra for 30 minutes, rinse and wash by hand as usual.

Important! To avoid damaging the thin fabric, stir the solution until the components are completely dissolved.

If this method does not help, you can start boiling:

• prepare a solution at the rate of 5 tbsp. l. soda per 3 liters of water;
• some washing powder;
• pour a soda solution into an enamel basin or pan, immerse the bra in it and boil for about 30 minutes, stirring with tongs;
• Rinse the bra thoroughly.

Important! This method can only bleach cotton laundry. For synthetics, boiling is unacceptable.

Aspirin

You can bleach lace, guipure and synthetic underwear using organic acids that do this job well. For example, For synthetic bras, regular aspirin tablets are suitable. To get proper results, follow these instructions:

• Dissolve 5 aspirin tablets in 3 liters of water at room temperature;
• soak the bra for at least 7 hours;
• Rinse thoroughly and wash as usual.

Important! A similar effect can be achieved using white vinegar: dilute 1 glass of 9% vinegar in 2 liters of warm water, soak the laundry overnight and wash as usual.

Blue

The classic way to make linen snow-white is to use blue. This method has been known for a very long time; our grandmothers used it. For all its simplicity and cheapness, it is still associated with some difficulties that arise at the very initial stage: today blueprint is practically impossible to find on the open market.

However, you can try using the Internet. If you manage to find this shortage, buy more of it right away: this is a cheap product with a long shelf life, and can be useful at any time.

You can add this product to the machine compartment with washing powder and wash it on the cycle indicated on the laundry label.

Or you can soak an already washed bra for several hours in a slightly blue solution, and your linen will become pristine white.

Important! Before blueing your bra, test a small area to see how the fabric reacts to the pigment.

How to “fix” whiteness?

To ensure that your favorite bra lasts a long time and does not lose its whiteness, you need to follow just a few simple rules:

• wear a white bra with white or light-colored clothes, in this case it will not rub;
• wash white underwear separately from colored underwear so as not to “dye” your bra;
• if you prefer machine washing, set the delicate or manual mode and do not forget that the water temperature should not exceed 40 degrees, use a special mesh for washing underwear in an automatic machine;
• If bleaching is necessary, carefully read the label on your laundry and follow the recommendations of experts.