Top Tips for Keeping All Those White Shirts Clean

We’ve got a collection of tips that can help you eliminate the stains and keep the shirts bright. 

If you have men or boys in your life, chances are you have a fair amount of white shirts in your closets. Some of the most frequent questions we get are about caring for these shirts, so we decided to put it all in one place.

  1. Always wash your white shirts with white only and NEVER with anything else.
  2. If you put white shirts in the dryer, dry them alone. They are much lighter than t-shirts and undershirts and will dry much more quickly. If they’re combined with other items, they will get worn out much sooner.
  3. Always spray the collars and underarms with an OxiClean type of spray whether you see a stain or not.
  4. Add White Revive into the load.
  5. Always wash whites in hot water unless there is a blood stain. Hot water sets blood. If there is a blood stain on white fabric, rinse as much as you can out with cold water. Then, hold the item over the sink or a bucket, and pour hydrogen peroxide on the stain and rub. Repeat until the stain stops lightening. Then wash as usual.
  6. If you find mildew spots on a shirt, treat with bleach. Usually, we don’t like to use bleach as it yellows shirts, but for mildew, you want to kill the spores. Dilute Clorox Bleach in water (1 part bleach to 4 parts water). Use a Q-Tip if it’s a small spot or a toothbrush if it’s a bigger spot and work it until it gets lighter. Hang dry in the sun and the sun will take care of the rest of the stain. 
  7. Drying in the sun is always good for white shirts as the sun will bleach them without yellowing.
  8. To get rid of yellow underarm stains, see this post.

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Between Carpools

Between Carpools is a collaboration between five talented friends who like to get a lot of stuff done “between carpools.” Since 2016, we’ve been sharing home and organizing tips, parenting insights, activities, how-to’s and DIYs, and of course, entertaining ideas, recipes, and inspiring reads both on the site and app.

10 responses to “Top Tips for Keeping All Those White Shirts Clean”

  1. BD Avatar
    BD

    Note that if your oxiclean spray isn’t totally rinsed out, the sun will make the whole spot bright yellow!
    Also, do these tips apply for non-iron shirts?
    Thank you, just in time!!

  2. Leah Avatar
    Leah

    White Brite (sold in Walmart and in most jewish supermarkets) is THE best kept secret for white shirts!! I wash shirts for my husband and 8 sons KA”H using white brite with incredible results. I very rarely pretreat shirts, and they all come out sparkling clean after using white brite!

    1. Miri Avatar
      Miri

      Can you share how exactly you use it?

      1. Leah Avatar
        Leah

        Sure. I fill my washer with the shirts, add regular detergent and about a cup of white brite (yes, I am generous with it, but it works!) I run either the oxi sanitize cycle or the whites cycle on the machine, using the deep fill water option if available. I also do an extra rinse. Shirts come out sparkling white 99% of the time!

        1. gila Avatar
          gila

          front loader?

          1. Leah Avatar
            Leah

            I actually have a top loader…

  3. g Avatar
    g

    I tried everything recommended… and still not good. Some turn entirely yellow… Also, AI Stone recommends only washing on cold. Any data points on that?

  4. D Avatar
    D

    I don’t want to mention Jewish brands but there are some that turn yellow no matter what! It’s the non iron finish on the shirts I think that causes it. It’s gross. I do everything you listed and they still turn yellow. I spray the collars and underarms with dawn powerwash spray bc it’s tough on grease. ‘Tis what it is…

  5. Baila Avatar
    Baila

    For blood stains and even shoe polish stains I’ve been successful using LestOil to scrub out (I use a toothbrush) even if it’s been washed already. Blackened collars and wrists have also been able to get a new life using this cleaner. Note- get the unscented as the original is very strong smelling.

  6. P Avatar
    P

    Any solutions for collar and cuff stains? No matter what I do, those don’t come out.

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