How to Whiten a Bra at Home Quickly and Effectively

Women of all ages enjoy underwear of all possible colors. But despite this, the white classics do not give up their positions. Light bras are chosen both as everyday underwear and for special occasions. The whiteness of clothes is lost over time, and the question of how to whiten a bra at home sooner or later arises for every woman. To achieve results, you need to know many nuances.

Basic rules and precautions

Before washing a white bra, you need to carefully study the label on the product. Conscientious manufacturers indicate the temperature and mode on it, and give recommendations. An additional tag, which is usually torn off, may contain important information on how to effectively bleach underwear without harming the fabric.

General rules for washing bras:

1. A white bra should be washed more often than a colored one - after every second wearing.
2. You need to make sure that the hooks are fastened, the straps are straightened, and the bones have not pierced the fabric (in this case, it is better to remove them).
3. Do not wash with colored laundry - only with white.
4. Recommended water temperature is 30-40˚С.
5. You need to use special powders or gels for delicate white laundry.
6. When hand washing, do not squeeze the item too much - it should be soaked in water with cleaning agent, then rinsed under the tap.
7. For machine washing, use a delicate cycle and special covers to protect fabrics from tearing.

If the fabric does turn yellow, you need to use bleach. Preference should be given to the product that does not contain chlorine. It will easily restore the lost whiteness, but will reduce the strength of the bra during subsequent wear. You can use home methods that do not require the purchase of special products.

Basic methods

There are several ways to whiten a bra if it has turned yellow. There are three main methods:

• soaking before washing;
• boiling;
• adding bleach during washing.

The choice of bleaching method depends on the characteristics of the fabric, the duration of wear and the degree of color loss.

The most delicate way to restore your bra to its original appearance is to pre-soak it. The bra is immersed in water with washing powder or washing gel for 1-2 hours. This removes traces of sweat, which give things a yellowish color. The method is suitable for all types of fabric and any type of washing. It does not cope well with ingrained dirt.

The second way to whiten a bra is boiling. The method removes ingrained dirt, but can damage the fabric, spoil the fasteners, causing rusty stains on the surface. The bra is immersed in a pan of hot water, boiled from half an hour to 2 hours. The method is recommended for products made of natural fabrics with a minimum number of inserts. Push-up can lose shape, and metal parts can rust and deform. It is not at all suitable for situations when you need to whiten a synthetic bra, since this material cannot be boiled.

If you need to do without boiling and soaking, then washing with special compositions will do. Powders are used for this purpose, including delicate ones, as well as bleaches added separately. You need to choose one that is suitable for delicate fabrics, necessarily without chlorine.

Safe Home Bleaches

There is an opinion that using folk remedies that have been tested by generations is safer for the fabric. But you should take into account an important nuance - it is impossible to guarantee their effectiveness and reliability, these qualities completely depend on how the composition was mixed. You need to choose a suitable recipe based on the type of fabric and the features of the product.

For synthetics

A synthetic bra can be bleached at home using ammonia or hydrogen peroxide. The most effective recipe is based on mixing both products. It is necessary:

1. Prepare 3 liters of soap solution.
2. Add 5 tablespoons of ammonia and 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide.
3. Soak the laundry for half an hour.
4. Rinse under water.
5. Hand or machine wash.

Sometimes it is recommended to simply add 4-5 tablespoons of peroxide to the bleach compartment in the washing machine. This is completely harmless to the mechanism and fabric. Peroxide can affect the durability of the item for the worse.

For cotton

Cotton linen can be bleached in several different ways, for example, with soda. Folk remedies are effective if you follow the recommendations exactly. To choose the most suitable product, it is worth reading reviews and taking into account the features of the bras.

Means	How to use	When it suits	When it is not suitable
Peroxide	Add to water (5 tablespoons per 10 l), soak for half an hour	Rapid bleaching of fabric is required	For thin fabrics - they get damaged
Soda	A glass for 10 liters of water (warm), soak for an hour	When a lot of dirty laundry has accumulated	—
Soap	Lather problem areas, soak in cold water for 3 hours, repeat the procedure, leave in hot water for an hour	For thorough removal of stubborn stains	When a quick wash is required

When the question arises of how to whiten a bra at home, the choice is usually made in favor of the most gentle and fastest method. The optimal method is to use soda. Peroxide acts faster, but harms the fabric more than other means. Soap is the most gentle method, but it takes a lot of time.

For silk

To make a silk bra snow-white, sea salt (without dyes) is used. Perfumes do not affect the effectiveness. The only inconvenience is the duration of the procedure. The solution is prepared from 4 liters of water and 6 tablespoons of salt. The linen is soaked in it for about 3 hours.

Laundry soap and hydrogen peroxide are also used. The recipe for their use is the same as for cotton and synthetics. Peroxide can be added to the machine; when using soap, re-soaking is not required.

For lace

Blueing will help to whiten a lace bra. Its effect is similar to optical means against yellowness - it does not affect the structure of the fabric, but the particles reflect light. Correct use:

1. The powder is wrapped in cotton cloth.
2. Place it in water and hold it until it turns bluish, then remove it.
3. Soak the bra for 15 minutes.
4. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.

Before you bleach a white bra at home, you need to soak it in water and only then use chemicals. If this is not done, the lace may change shape. In addition to blueing, hydrogen peroxide and ammonia are used.

Special ready-made products

The best way to whiten your laundry is to use ready-made solutions. Household chemicals departments offer products for any budget. These can be powders for light-colored clothes, with bleach or whiteness separately. They are available in different types, suitable for hand and machine washing. It is recommended to use:

1. Chlorine-containing agents are based on sodium hypochlorite. Their advantages: high efficiency and low cost, disadvantages: significant reduction in fabric strength. Synthetics suffer more, but chlorine is not good for natural materials either.
2. Optical - contain small light-reflecting particles that remain in the fabric after rinsing. Advantage - the structure of the material does not suffer, disadvantage - does not affect the real cleanliness of things.
3. Oxygen - contains sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate. In water, it disintegrates into soda and hydrogen peroxide. In terms of effectiveness, it is inferior to chlorine bleaches, but is more gentle on the fabric of the bra.

How to wash a white bra at home is a question that every housewife will answer differently. Most people think that it is best to use oxygen-based industrial compounds. Often, they are combined with optical components in one product - this is effective and safe for the fabric. Chlorine-containing products for underwear are harmful - this will cause the bra to wear out faster.

Useful tips for drying and storing

To ensure that your underwear lasts a long time, it is important to handle it properly. Even the most delicate detergent will not correct storage and drying defects. Here are some useful tips for caring for your items:

1. A newly purchased bra should be washed before wearing it for the first time.
2. You need to wash your bra after every third wearing (for colored ones) or every second wearing (for white ones).
3. You can’t wring out a bra with your hands, especially one with a push-up or underwire, as this can tear it and ruin its shape.
4. The sooner dirty laundry is washed, the better.
5. Dry items on a horizontal surface or in a dryer; do not use hot air.
6. A lace bra cannot be hung on a drying rack with metal rods - it may tear.
7. Ironing underwear is not recommended.
8. Clean bras should be stored in a special drawer, it should be spacious enough.

Following these rules will extend the life of your items. You don't have to have a lot of bras at once - if you take care of them properly, you'll be able to enjoy good lingerie for a long time. Regular showering and changing clothes are also helpful - then your underwear will get dirty less often.

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