How do you keep whites white?

[Timmy!!!]

So how do you do it?

I've been washing clothes for years and my whites are really becoming quite dull. What's the secret to keeping those whites really white?

I've also just got a black shirt with a white stitched logo - how do I wash that and keep the white stitches white?

[WhiteGiant]

Spent the past two years keeping my Chef Whites white.

Bleach, then boil wash. Whites with whites only.

Now using Blacks, much easier to wash.

[mmh]

isnt the trick Daz?

[funke_munke]

It's good to dry them outside too, as I'm pretty sure the sun is a bit of a natural bleach. Apart from that, stick to JUST whites!

[r_j_k_p]

Spent the past two years keeping my Chef Whites white.

Bleach, then boil wash. Whites with whites only.

Now using Blacks, much easier to wash.

What kind of bleach?
And what ratio of water to bleach?

[oolon]

My problem is keeping my blacks black, 90% of our washing is black, most washing powders have optical blighters in them thats the white flecks you see under UV light, which is why I use dreft! I do have a few white shirts for work when I need them, but thats the only thing I have in white wash.

[Timmy!!!]

Thanks for the answers guys, just one more though.

How do you wash multicoloured clothes, for example white and black checks or red and white checks without the white bit becoming grey/pink?

[oolon]

If I were to own such a freak bit of cloth... (see above) I would use a biological power and wash it at as low as temperature (30C) as I could, that way hopefully the dye in the coloured area would not separate and contaminate the non dyed sections.

[MadduckUK]

[oolon]

MadduckUK, I am scared now.

[Dareos]

apartheid

[Vimeous]

Dealing with colour my missus uses ColourCatchers which TBH are pretty damn effective.
Personally rather than a mixed load I just wait until I've got one load of white/black/mixed. Then Persil non-bio and Comfort

As oolon says black is a nightmare these days with the bloomin' reflective stuff but I can't be hassled using dreft so I live with it

[kalniel]

Haven't we already had PHD this year?

[No.72]

national socialism

[WhiteGiant]

For my chequered trousers, I simply wash them on the lowest temp I can, they are a reasonable brand of whites though, and have been washed 2 or three times a week for the past 2 years without any colour bleeding, dunno about cheaper sets.

Keeping blacks black isn't too hard, keep em away from anything with white in it! Don't put them in the same drawer, or even next to whites if hanging up, white fluff really messes with black clothing.

Now do I order more bandanas with skulls on to pee my boss off, or do I order plain black like he wants, hmmm . . .