How to Whiten & Brighten Laundry

Whiten and brighten your laundry using these must-have laundry aids. Select the laundry product that gives your clothes the fresh and bright look you want.

Product Glossary:

laundry room

Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda)

What It Does: Sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, helps deodorize and soften your clothes. Add 1/2 cup of baking soda along with your regular liquid laundry detergent at the start of the wash cycle. If you are using a powder detergent, add the baking soda during the rinse cycle. Use less for smaller loads.

Sodium Carbonate (washing soda)

What It Does: A chemical compound similar to baking soda, washing soda has a higher level of alkaline that makes it a powerful cleaning agent. Add 1/2 cup to your laundry as a detergent booster.

Warning: Washing soda can cause skin irritation. Rinse the area thoroughly if the product comes into contact with your skin.


Most bleaches, such as chlorine bleach, oxygen bleach, and hydrogen peroxide, break up stains through a chemical action called oxidation. Detergents remove stains while bleaches turn stains colorless by chemically altering their molecules. 

Use chlorine bleach only for whites and bleachable colors. Before using check for "nonchlorine bleach only" labels. To use bleach, start your washer and add 3/4 cup chlorine bleach to the wash water with your regular detergent, then add your load of laundry.

Nonchlorine bleaches, such as oxygen bleach and hydrogen peroxide, are also good at whitening. These products are gentler and less toxic than chorine bleach, making them safe for most fabrics and dyes.

Hydrogen peroxide will whiten and brighten clothes, disinfect laundry, and remove stains. Pour it directly on stains such as blood. Add 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide to whites in the washing machine to brighten them. Add one cup to a load of diapers to whiten, deodorize, and disinfect. Take care when using the product on darker colors; test it on a swatch of fabric before using.

Warning: Chlorine bleach can produce dangerous fumes when combined with vinegar, ammonia products, or other household chemicals. The combination can be hazardous to your respiratory system.

White Distilled Vinegar

An excellent fabric softener and deodorizer, distilled white vinegar works in the rinse cycle. Pour 1/4 cup into your washing machine during the last rinse cycle. Continue the cycle as usual. White vinegar can also be used to eliminate soap residue. Add 1 cup to the washer's final rinse cycle for that purpose.

Warning: Never combine vinegar with chlorine bleach as this will result in harmful fumes. Do not use vinegar on silk, acetate, or rayon clothing. 

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice is a natural laundry whitener and freshener. Add 1 cup to your washing machine water along with your detergent. Add your laundry and wash as usual. Only use lemon juice on whites as it can bleach certain colors.

Sodium Borate (borax)

A naturally occurring mineral, borax helps remove stains, and it deodorizes and brightens clothes. Borax also breaks down the minerals in the water so detergent can work better. Add 1/2 cup of borax at the beginning of the wash cycle. As a presoak, add 1/2 cup of borax and a small amount of detergent to soak away coffee or perspiration stains.

Bluing Liquid

Bluing liquid (Prussian blue, or ferric ferrocyanide, and water combined) helps keep whites sparkling white. The liquid adds a subtle hint of blue to the fabric to make it appear whiter and brighter. Bluing liquid can be added to the wash or rinse cycle during laundering. Mix it with clear, cold water before pouring, using 1/4 teaspoon in the wash water or less than 1/8 teaspoon if adding to the rinse cycle. 

Enzyme Presoaks

Enzyme presoaks are great for getting out tough protein stains. But they are also helpful with whitening and brightening because they remove stains that cause yellowing. Add them to the wash cycle to help laundry detergent do its job better.



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