White woolen items: how to restore whiteness and get rid of grayness and yellowness
Even the highest quality woolen items lose their dazzling whiteness over time and acquire a yellowish or gray tint. Don’t be upset, the situation can be corrected.
But there is one subtlety – natural materials are often quite delicate. And you need to know exactly what products to use to bleach woolen items and return them to their original color, and not spoil them completely. There are many ways to do this using both household chemicals and folk recipes.
Bleaches
When using special products to restore whiteness to woolen products, you must strictly follow the instructions and not exceed the dosage or processing time.
Chlorine-containing products are best suited for pure white items. Chlorine will not only whiten and refresh the item, but also disinfect it. When using such bleaches, you need to be very careful, as they are quite aggressive. You should not use them often, as this can damage the fibers and cause premature wear of the material.
After the wool has been treated with bleach, the item must be rinsed thoroughly. To remove all particles of the chemical, rinsing should be repeated two or three times.
White items with colored inserts are best cleaned with oxygen-based products. They also provide an excellent bleaching effect, but do not harm the fabric. When treated with such bleaches, the pattern and color of the insert do not deteriorate. The disadvantage of this choice is the duration of the process, which takes from several hours to a day.
Folk remedies
To restore woolen items to their original appearance at home, it is not necessary to use expensive professional products. There are many affordable products for this, from those that are always at hand. The main thing is to know how to use them correctly.
Pharmacy antiseptic – hydrogen peroxide
A frequently used method that gives excellent results in bleaching woolen products. Peroxide is added to warm water in a ratio of 1:8 (for example, a bottle of 100 ml of the substance per 800 ml of liquid). It is enough for the water to be heated to 40°C, but in cases where yellowness is very pronounced, it can be heated to 50 – 60°C.
The items are soaked in the resulting solution for 30-60 minutes, making sure that they are completely immersed. For more uniform bleaching, they are periodically turned over. After this, the clothes must be rinsed thoroughly. Dry away from sunlight.
Ammonia
A small amount of the drugstore product will help restore the color and brightness of white woolen items. It is necessary to prepare a solution of 1 tbsp. of ammonia per 1 liter of water and soak the items in it.
If the fabric has acquired a slight yellowish tint, it is enough to keep it in the solution for 1.5 – 2 hours. If the color has changed significantly, more time will be needed.
When working with ammonia, you need to act carefully, trying not to inhale the strong smell. You can put on a gauze bandage. After bleaching, it is advisable to rinse the items in water with the addition of fabric softener to get rid of the unpleasant ammonia scent.
Salt
A solution of table salt is a safe and effective means for bleaching delicate materials, including wool. Soaking in a salt solution will not only help get rid of a gray or yellow tint, but will also be an excellent preventative measure against color change in the future. At the same time, there is no negative impact on the quality of the wool.
A glass of salt is dissolved in 5 liters of warm water. The items are placed in the liquid for several hours and then washed in the usual mode in a washing machine or by hand using powder for delicate fabrics and rinse aid.
Chalk
The chalk solution will help to absolutely safely reanimate light-colored items even from the finest and most expensive wool. To correctly calculate the amount of ingredients for the solution, you will need to pre-weigh the items that need bleaching.
For every 500 g of wool, add 3 liters of warm water and 1 kg of chalk. The duration of soaking is determined by the degree of contamination of the material, usually 40-50 minutes is enough. After bleaching, the product should be rinsed with conditioner or in acidified water (for example, with the addition of vinegar).
This method is suitable for bulky items, but it is much more convenient to use chalk to bleach small items: scarves, hats, sweaters or mittens.
Laundry soap or dishwashing liquid
- Another option for bleaching wool is to use a soap solution. Grate laundry soap, add to water at +30°C, dissolve. Soak the item in the solution for 30-40 minutes. Then rinse the item thoroughly in water with vinegar added (1-2 tbsp. per 10 l of water).
- Make a soap solution by mixing a little colorless dishwashing detergent in water. Place the items in it for 10-20 minutes, then start washing, preferably with a powder with a bleaching effect. But if you add a couple of drops of ammonia to the soap solution, you can use regular powder for washing.
Acetylsalicylic acid, milk or soda
- Grind the acetylsalicylic acid tablets and dissolve the resulting powder in water. The concentration depends on the degree of contamination of the items (from 1 to 4 tablets per 1 liter of water). Add detergent to the solution, stir, then soak the woolen items and leave for 2 hours.
- Warm low-fat milk to room temperature and bleach items in it for 30 minutes to 2 hours. This method is most often used for baby items and delicate fabrics.
- Dissolve baking soda in warm water (about half a glass per 3 liters of water) until completely dissolved. Place yellowed woolen items and wait 2 – 2.5 hours. Be sure to rinse the item several times to wash out all the soda without residue.
This may be useful: Caring for wool socks : the nuances of bleaching, how to wash by hand or in a washing machine so that they do not lose their shape.
Heavy Duty Cleaner
A rather labor-intensive method for home use, but an effective method for bleaching woolen items consists of several stages:
- Rinse items in a solution of water (6 l) and ammonia (10 ml).
- Prepare a soaking solution (10 ml of hydrogen peroxide and 2 ml of ammonia per 2 liters of water). Place the clothes in it and leave for 30 minutes.
- Rinse items thoroughly in warm water with the addition of 1 tbsp. vinegar per 10 liters of water.
Of all the listed methods, there is sure to be one that will be the most convenient and will help return woolen items to their original marketable appearance.