Why white clothes turn yellow and how to stop it

We all love our white clothes, wearing them on special occasions to keep them from getting dirty. And yet, no matter how much you care for them we can never seem to escape the yellowing of these garments. Unless you already give them to premium dry cleaners like Spin N Press, chances are that you have seen many of your clothes go from white to a dull yellow. But why does this happen and is there any way to prevent it?

There can be many reasons for white clothes turning yellow. Environmental factors like the smoke in the air or the smoke from greasy cooking can be stored as residue on the fiber in your clothes and lead to yellowing over time. Underarm yellowing on shirts may also happen due to a reaction between your antiperspirants and bodily salts secreted naturally from your body. Clothes that are stored in your closet for extended periods of time can react to the wooden shelves and turn yellow over time. Laundry services generally use chlorine bleach to clean your clothes. Though this might be a good cleaning agent, when used in excess, chlorine has been known to cause yellowing in white synthetic fibers like nylon, microfibers or polyester. Bleach has a tendency of weakening fibers and returning them to their original colour which is slightly yellow and not white.

Apart from just preventing this, we will also be looking into the process of reversing this yellowing effect. Before storing your white clothes make sure that they have been washed. Just to be certain, you can also employ an online laundry service or dry cleaning service that could do the job for you. Also ensure that the clothes are completely dry before storing. Select a cool and dry place to store your clothes, and avoid extreme temperatures or humid spaces that have chances of getting wet. To remove the yellow from your clothes you can use a mixture of white vinegar and water. Spray this mixture onto the affected area of the cloth and let it sit for an hour. After an hour wash the clothing item in a bucket of water and leave to dry. Conversely, you may also mix a bucket of white vinegar and water and let the cloth sit in the mixture. Be sure to mix equal parts vinegar and water.
Most people love buying new clothes, but face disappointment as these clothes fade with time. You don’t always have to use commercial dry cleaning services to get your clothes cleaned. Sometimes all you need to do is check your kitchen cabinet.

Read more at http://www.spinnpress.in/blog/diy/why-white-clothes-turn-yellow-and-how-to-stop-it/