Bleach

[agoodman]

I just took the plunge with white towels instead of my "themed" and "colored" ones - for those of you that use white, do you bleach EVERY wash or only occassionally?

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Like you, we used to use "themed & colored" towels. We switched over to white a couple years ago and it's been wonderful! We bleach only when needed. We are on septic, so I wouldn't want all that bleach going down the drain. Also, I would think that over time the white would yellow with all that bleach.
We also started using the make-up cloths from Turkish Towels and they have really saved our wash cloths from being stained by makeup.

 

[agoodman]

Thanks, and talking about "stained by makeup" do I LOVE my Clorox Bleah Pen, gets those mascara stains right out even if I did not notice them before throwing them in the wash, I just use them before ironing

 

[KDMoonDance]

Thanks, and talking about "stained by makeup" do I LOVE my Clorox Bleah Pen, gets those mascara stains right out even if I did not notice them before throwing them in the wash, I just use them before ironing.

Instead of using bleach on our linens because of our septic, we use white vinegar in every load of white sheets and towels. There is never any scent on the fabrics and the white stays super white.

 

[scrambled_eggs]

I love the beach pen too. That is a life saver. I only bleach on occasion when really needed. I have found that athe Tide Orange Colored Stain Release Pre wash works very well to get stains out. You will have to set your washer to prewash and put the the Tide in the pre wash compartment. I usually do this if the sheets are really stained and then run it on a sanitary cycle. Works very well.

 

[agoodman]

I love the beach pen too. That is a life saver. I only bleach on occasion when really needed. I have found that athe Tide Orange Colored Stain Release Pre wash works very well to get stains out. You will have to set your washer to prewash and put the the Tide in the pre wash compartment. I usually do this if the sheets are really stained and then run it on a sanitary cycle. Works very well..

I love the beach pen too. That is a life saver. I only bleach on occasion when really needed. I have found that athe Tide Orange Colored Stain Release Pre wash works very well to get stains out. You will have to set your washer to prewash and put the the Tide in the pre wash compartment. I usually do this if the sheets are really stained and then run it on a sanitary cycle. Works very well.

GAWD I wish I had such a fancy washing machine .....

 

[egoodell]

Like you, we used to use "themed & colored" towels. We switched over to white a couple years ago and it's been wonderful! We bleach only when needed. We are on septic, so I wouldn't want all that bleach going down the drain. Also, I would think that over time the white would yellow with all that bleach.
We also started using the make-up cloths from Turkish Towels and they have really saved our wash cloths from being stained by makeup..

We only bleach when necessary - it's usually napkins not towels. I find that soaking in a stain remover works for us. But I like the idea of white vinegar. How much do you put in with the wash? Do you put it in the bleach cup or with the soap cup of the washer?
Riki

 

[Alibi Ike]

Like you, we used to use "themed & colored" towels. We switched over to white a couple years ago and it's been wonderful! We bleach only when needed. We are on septic, so I wouldn't want all that bleach going down the drain. Also, I would think that over time the white would yellow with all that bleach.
We also started using the make-up cloths from Turkish Towels and they have really saved our wash cloths from being stained by makeup..

We only bleach when necessary - it's usually napkins not towels. I find that soaking in a stain remover works for us. But I like the idea of white vinegar. How much do you put in with the wash? Do you put it in the bleach cup or with the soap cup of the washer?
Riki
.

If you have one, I put it in the rinse cup.

 

[Proud Texan]

Like you, we used to use "themed & colored" towels. We switched over to white a couple years ago and it's been wonderful! We bleach only when needed. We are on septic, so I wouldn't want all that bleach going down the drain. Also, I would think that over time the white would yellow with all that bleach.
We also started using the make-up cloths from Turkish Towels and they have really saved our wash cloths from being stained by makeup..

We are on septic, so I wouldn't want all that bleach going down the drain.

I used to think so too, but after some investigation, I found that's really not a problem. The bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is entering your septic system in dilute form and dissipates very quickly.
According to a study by Cornell University:
"[FONT= 'Times New Roman']Disinfectants are considered safe for both septic systems and groundwater as long as they are used in concentrations listed on the product labels. For example, more than 2 gallons of hypochlorite bleach or 5 gallons of pine cleaner would be needed to kill most of the bacteria in a 1,000- gallon septic tank. It would then take 45-60 hours for the bacterial populations to recover from a lethal dose of hypochlorite bleach..."[/FONT]

Since the concentrations that are used in a normal wash load are nowhere near the 2 gallon mark, there are still plenty of bacteria to go around.
To help replenish the bacteria cultures in the tank, occasionally flush a cup of sugar down the commode. They love it!