Vinegar Soak for Stubborn Yellow Stains Fill a large bucket or basin with warm water. Add one cup of distilled white vinegar to the water and mix well. Place the yellowed garments into the solution and let them soak for 3-4 hours. After soaking, rinse the clothes with cold water and wash them as usual.
Sprinkle some baking soda over the stained area. Let the shirt sit for one hour. Use the brush to gently scrub in baking soda. Rinse, then machine wash in cold water with your regular laundry detergent for one washing cycle, then dry as usual.
Sodium Perborate in powder form (from Amazon). I dissolve 1/4 cup in hot water, mix in with a washer load of whites, and soak overnight. Run as a regular load of washing next day. This stuff is great for whites that have yellowed over time, and for removing stains. I have never had any damage from using it.
4. Distilled white vinegar. Distilled white vinegar is another remarkable option to make yellowed white shirts white again. Not only does it have brightening properties, but it also neutralizes odors in fabrics.
Mix equal parts of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and dish soap. This should create a thick paste which will be used to break down the stain. Take a dollop of your paste and apply it directly to any stubborn yellow stains. Use gentle circular motions to work the mixture into the fibers.
Lemon juice breaks down stains, brightens whites, and provides a fresh result. Whereas vinegar and baking soda stain remover are quite effective for light-colored fabrics and for removing detergent residues.
If your sheets are crisp white and you end up with yellow or brown sweat stains on them, OxiClean™ White Revive™ Laundry Whitener + Stain Remover is your best bet for removing the stains and reviving whites. One scoop of OxiClean™ White Revive™ filled to line 4 per gallon of water.
For other fabrics, Cotter says a mix of hydrogen peroxide and water “can work wonders on those yellow stains.” Be sure to keep your hydrogen peroxide stored in its original dark bottle to maintain its efficacy; otherwise, hydrogen peroxide that loses its extra oxygen molecule is just plain water.
Hydrogen Peroxide and Water – Mix ¼ cup of each, soak the clothes for 45 minutes, wash in cold water and hang to dry. Baking Soda, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Water – Mix equal parts of each, apply to the affected area, and rub using a bristle brush. After 30 mins to an hour, wash thoroughly.
Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide are natural, non-toxic products that clean many surfaces in your home. The two products can be safely combined to form a paste or used separately to whiten laundry, remove odors, disinfect surfaces, and much more.
For instance, you can massage a paste of baking soda, salt and hydrogen peroxide into stained fabric and let it sit prior to washing. For grease, oil or oil-based makeup stains, gently work dish soap into the stain, allow it to sit, then rinse it out before washing.
Use vinegar as a bleach-free alternative to whiten your whites. Add 1 cup of vinegar to a gallon of hot water, add white clothing so it is fully submerged, and soak overnight. Run the clothing through the appropriate wash cycle with laundry detergent as usual.
Hydrogen peroxide is a mild bleach that can spread through multiple layers of a surface and tackle staining properties such as yellow stains on your white clothes.
Nothing can be more irksome than removing underarm perspiration and yellow stains on clothes or removing mildew stains. White vinegar helps you there! Simply adding a cup of distilled white vinegar when giving the final rinse to the clothes will leave the cloth clean, fresh, and soft.
Hydrogen peroxide is not an effective treatment because it actually irritates the skin and inhibits wound healing. The advice about using it has changed because new research shows that the irritation it causes is not worth the antiseptic effect.”
The length of time taken to whiten teeth with Hydrogen Peroxide will depend on the concentration of the peroxide and the desired result. It can vary from 1 hour in the dental chair with a high concentration to brushing twice a day for 2 weeks with a low concentration.
Soak clothes in 1/4 cup of chlorine bleach per gallon of water for five minutes. Wash the clothes in the hottest water recommended with regular detergent and 1/3 cup of chlorine bleach. Use the bleach dispenser or add the bleach five minutes after the wash cycle has started.
OxiClean™ MaxForce™ is not designed to be used on dry clean only fabrics and should not be used on wool or silk items.
Don't mix OxiClean with vinegar.
Mixing OxiClean and vinegar is not safe. OxiClean breaks down into hydrogen peroxide, which forms peracetic acid when combined with vinegar.
Soak whites in a basin filled with very hot water and a generous amount of lemon juice overnight. Remove from the basin and wash as usual the next day. Another option is to add 1/2 cup to 1 cup of lemon juice to washer during the rinse cycle.
Is vinegar or hydrogen peroxide better for stains? Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide work differently to remove stains. Vinegar is more of a general stain remover. Hydrogen peroxide may have a slight bleaching effect on fabric so it's best to use it on white or light-colored items.
The only difference is that baking soda takes a bit longer to show effect but it's definitely a “greener” option. When using baking soda, all you need to do is mix it with water (maybe a bit of apple cider vinegar, if you have some at home) to create a paste-like texture.