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Whites turning greyish yellow after one wash


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From the looks of your blog, I think you might have well water? (I spent years battling laundry with well water.) Yellowing in your whites is usually a sign of iron. There can still be residual iron even after running through a softener. Do your toilets also stain? If it's iron, you can wash your whites with Iron Out or Whink. Unfortunaltely, these chemicals are strong and will take color out of anything that isn't white.

 

Gray is often a sign that your clothes aren't getting completely clean or rinsed. I have this problem with my HE front loader, and I end up pre-soaking in Oxy-Clean. Minerals in the water (even if it's softened) can also cause this.

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I've tried bleach, I cycle through detergents as they go on sale. We do have a well but the iron test I did last night came out fine.

 

I had this problem at our city house in Ontario as well. We do have a HE frontloader.

 

I'll try presoaking in oxyclean. I've been looking locally for the iron stuff but nothing. Just regular laundry soap, a couple of brands of stain remover and bleach.

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In my case, it was my stupid washing machine. It literally ruined all our whites. When we got a new machine....problem solved.

 

I also agree with the phosphate issue. I buy bootleg Cascade for my dishwasher at the local janitorial supply warehouse (the phosphate laws don't apply to institutions and restaurants, because, you know, they need CLEAN dishes and laundry). It works great. The new stuff is garbage.

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I just tested Lemi-shine (for the dishwasher) on a load of whites because we have the same problem. It worked! I used a tsp for a small load. I think a TBS for an extra large load would be plenty. It's basically super concentrated lemon juice crystals, so it will "bleach" colors. Only use it on whites. You can get it at Wal-mart, and our local grocery carries it now too. It's worth the price, because a little goes a long way.

http://www.lemishine.com/

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I think Lemishine is citric acid, isn't it? If so, it can be bought MUCH cheaper on ebay. I use it in the dishwasher - a half-teaspoon makes a huge difference.

 

Never occurred to me to try it in the washer - thanks!

 

Yes, it is. I tested it on a very small load, just in case, and it worked great.

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