Leaving whites out in the sun - white or yellow?
Question:Does leaving whites out in the sun turn them yellow, or will they get whiter?
I have some discoloured white curtains & also some stained white towels that cannot be bleached, and I was thinking of laying them out in the sun.
Answers:
It should whiten them. It's actually a very popular way of whitening cloth diapers.
That wont work...what would UVA-UVB rays do to make them whiter?
Leaving them out in the sun will help. It also helps stained plastic such as rubbermaid. You can leave it out on a hot sunny day and the stains will disappear.
I think it depends on the fabric. Synthetic fibers might yellow, while I cotton might lighten. Still, I think it would take a pretty long time to work.
Soak in water & lemon juice, then dry in sun. It will whiten cottons & linens. Not sure about synthetics though.
They have used this method since the 1400s.
Sun is wonderful. I have animals that lay all over everything and the sun works nicely on keeping the yellow out of whites. I have also heard that soaking a white garment overnight in buttermilk will take the yellow out. I assume it has to do with chemical enzymes. I have not tried this method, but an ancient woman told this about 30 years ago. Lemon juice is another old method.
Using a chlorine bleach will cause them to yellow. An Oxygen bleach will give them a slight blue tint that makes the white brighter. Any soap or detergent residue left after rinsing will cause discoloration, also. Sunlight can enhance the effects of oxygen or chlorine bleach because they are mildly photo-reactive. You might want to check with a professional cleaner/shirt laundry.
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