Why Vinegar will Make Your Clothes Sparkle

Would you like to make your whites white again without using bleaches and chemical pre-treatment sprays? We’ve gotten your washing firing on all cylinders again with these easy steps to naturally clean your washing machine, but what about pre-treating those items you love?

Here’s how you can whiten whites and treat nasty-looking sweat stains with just two ingredients. You don’t need to rush out and buy commercial products from the supermarket – these magic items should already be in your kitchen!

How do I naturally whiten my white clothes and linen?

Using vinegar is a winner in the laundry for a load of reasons - pun intended. Thanks to its acidic properties, it’s a great way to naturally soften up clothing and your towels too. Half a cup in the load is fantastic for the washing machine itself too, dissolving any soap scum or chemicals sitting in your pipes as the water drains out.

1. Just add ½ cup of white vinegar to the next load of white washing that you do. For whites that don’t even look white anymore, boil up some water, let it cool slightly, add a few lemon slices and then soak the clothes in there for half an hour or so.

2. Do a normal clothes wash as the final step. Vinegar is great to use in the laundry because its mildly acidic chemical make-up means it can break down soap residue and brighten clothing. Put simply, its acidity reacts with alkaline soap and detergent residue to balance PH levels.

How to Remove Sweat Stains and Odour from Clothes

They look unattractive, unprofessional and can ruin perfectly good clothing. But what causes sweat stains? Sweat, duh, I hear you say. You’d be sort of right in calling me out. However, sweat is actually colourless, and it is the bacteria and the chemicals in our deodorants that cause stains.

Here’s what you can do.

1. Soak the item in an equal parts mix of cold water and white vinegar for around half an hour. Use cold water because warm or hot water can set the stain and make sure you’re using white vinegar, not a coloured variety for obvious reasons.

2. Use an old toothbrush to agitate the stain mid-soak to ensure that the vinegar is working properly. Pop the item into the machine for a normal load with other clothes.

3. To prevent these stains in the future, make sure that high-quality deodorant is being used and that the deodorant is completely dry before putting your outfit on. For collared shirts, it can help to wear a singlet underneath to soak up any sweat and if stains occur, get onto them as soon as possible.