bluing will not whiten. It can also make things duller. Mrs Stewerts seems to be all I see in the stores now days... I read that it's used as ink...regardless this stuff will cause permanent staining and must be well diluted and added to the water in the washer not dumped onto clothing.
As color experts would explain it, the proof can be seen in the spectrographic comparison of the two whites — the one with blue added will reflect more light, making it appear whitest. This is why homemakers looking to return their white clothes to their original sparking white color use Mrs. Stewart's Bluing.
Create a solution of baking soda and water to soak your white garments in for approximately an hour. Then proceed to wash them using a dedicated "whites" wash cycle. Notes: Baking soda is safe for most fabrics, but it is always best to test a small, inconspicuous area of the garment before use.
If your sheets look dingy, stripping will help remove buildup and restore brightness. Note: the stripping recipe of Borax, washing soda, and detergent is not a bleach.
Baking Soda and Distilled White Vinegar
Sodium bicarbonate or baking soda whiten clothes and helps break down stains and odours by cutting through the soil of your cotton clothing, while distilled white vinegar acts as a fabric softener and deodoriser to freshen your clothes.
Add half a cup of baking soda to the detergent compartment of your washing machine. Pour half a cup of white vinegar into the fabric softener compartment. Wash your towels using hot water and run a complete cycle.
Pour 1 cup of distilled white vinegar into a gallon of hot water. Add clothing and let soak overnight or for at least an hour. Hand wash or launder clothing on the appropriate wash cycle. Line dry the clothing or put it in the dryer on a heat level appropriate for the fabric.
Bluing is not permanent and rinses out over time leaving dingy or yellowed whites. A commercial bluing product allows the consumer to add the bluing back into the fabric to restore whiteness. On the same principle, bluing is sometimes used by white-haired people in a blue rinse.
Submerge the item that has been stained with bluing in the liquid and close the lid tightly. Let it soak for 24 hours. If the stain remains, make a new batch of ammonia water and try again. Finally, launder the item in a regular cycle in the washer with laundry detergent only.
Stewart's® Bluing with Mixed and Color Loads. YES! — MSB is very safe for colors.
If the drawers on your washer lock, we recommend that you dilute MSB as directed on the bottle and then put as much diluted bluing as will fit into the bleach dispenser (to use with your wash cycle) or the fabric softener dispenser (to use with your rinse cycle).
Bluing gun parts can preserve the appearance and performance of your gun. However, since bluing does not last forever, you will need to reblue your gun occasionally. High-quality bluing can last for decades, especially if humidity is low in your area and you keep your weapon dry and clean.
A: Oxi clean is a powder and boosts cleaning power in general. Blueing is a whitener.
Dirt and oils further the discoloration, which no amount of bleach can combat. Used for centuries, old-fashioned laundry bluing is the most effective and environmentally friendly way to whiten your whites.
Bluing is most commonly used by gun manufacturers, gunsmiths, and gun owners to improve the cosmetic appearance of and provide a measure of corrosion resistance to their firearms. It is also used by machinists, to protect and beautify tools made for their own use.
Why blue? Well, when whites fade, they also yellow. Blue and yellow are complementary colors, so when you add just a trace amount of blue to the yellowed fabric, it will appear whiter. Savvy washer folks have been using this technique for centuries, often using indigo.
Borax increases the stain-removal ability of your detergent. For super-stained items that have become dingy gray, pre-soak them for 30 minutes in a solution of 1 tablespoon of Borax per 1 gallon of warm water, or add 1/2 cup of Borax to a pre-soak cycle.
Use a solution of 1/2 cup household ammonia to 1 quart cold water. make enough of this strength solution to submerge your clothing — your clothing should be floating in the solution. Make the container as airtight as possible to keep the ammonia in solution and to keep the fumes contained.
Regular Sorting and Washing
Hotels separate white towels from colored or soiled linens, preventing color bleeding. They use hot water and gentle bleaching agents to maintain the towels' white appearance and integrity. Most towels come with laundering instructions.
Use as a Presoak to Brighten Dingy Whites and Remove Odors
To whiten dingy washable items, add 1/2 cup of borax for every gallon of water. Add the white clothes and allow them to soak for at least one hour (longer is better). The clothes should then be washed as usual.
Hard Water: Hard water contains high levels of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. These minerals can bind to the fibers of your towels, causing them to appear yellow or dingy. This is a common issue in areas with hard water.