Baking soda is an inexpensive substance that is easy to find in any grocery store and general merchandise store. It has a million uses in the home, but one of the most useful of these is likely its power to soften clothing and make white clothes whiter. If a home has hard water, baking soda is especially helpful in keeping clothing from becoming stiff from the hard water residue.
Baking soda is a mildly alkali substance, making it a perfect natural detergent. It doesn’t come with any harsh chemicals like artificial fragrances and it is generally safe to be used by people with sensitive skin. There are several ways that baking soda can be used in the washing machine to make clothing softer and to whiten whites.
One of the easiest methods of using baking soda to keep clothing softer and brighter is to add about half a cup of baking soda during the rinse cycle. This works in much the same way that a liquid fabric softener would work in the wash.
Another way to use baking soda is to use it as a part of the detergent. This is done in order to brighten clothes and keep the whites looking whiter. This can be done by simply substituting a cup of baking soda for the detergent you would usually use. This can also be done by using baking soda as a part of a homemade detergent. By mixing a ¼ cup of baking soda with ½ cup of white vinegar, you can make an effective washing liquid that will treat most stains but will leave clothes softer than if a regular detergent is used.
A pre-treat solution can also be used for whites that will keep them brighter. Mix ½ cup of white vinegar with ½ cup of ammonia and ¼ cup of baking soda. Mix in about two quarts of water and two spoonfuls of regular liquid hand soap and you will have an extremely effective pre-treat solution that can be used for treating whites before they are washed. To use this, the solution can be sprayed onto the clothing stains and left to soak for about 10 minutes before washing. Or, the clothing can be rinsed in the solution before being rinsed with water and placed into the wash. This will work to keep white clothes brighter than if they
If you are using bleach to whiten whites, it can make clothing somewhat stiffer than regular detergent. To counteract this effect, add a little baking soda into the bleach to keep the clothing softer. This will also give the bleach a little boost and will result in even whiter whites.
To work on tough stains on whites, scrub the area with baking soda. To do this, make a paste from the baking soda a little bit of water. Take the paste and scrub it into the stain with a small scrub brush or an old toothbrush. Avoid scrubbing too hard, however, or you may scrub a hole into the fabric. Once this is completed, wash the clothing as usual.