Wimbledon Worthy Whites

With it being Wimbledon fortnight, I couldn’t let it all pass without talking about Wimbledon Whites – and the inevitable grass stains.

Wimbledon - or The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club to give the tournament’s host its correct title - is the world’s oldest tennis tournament and it’s the keeping  of its long observed  traditions that help keep it so special.  One such tradition is that Wimbledon requires all of its competitors to wear an outfit that’s predominantly white (although you may have notice the odd pop of colour, such as Serena Williams’ tangerine shorts this year – shame they are no more as she has just bowed out) and this has been the rule since the tournament began in 1877.

The white kit rule was officially set down in the 1960s with a few extra guidelines requiring “almost entirely white” with exceptions for “a preference to pastel” and other minute deviations. For the most part, players are following the guidelines to this day—it’s up to the match referee to make the final call on decorum. And it’s made for quite the handsome array of on-court style over the years. Who can forget  Anne White’s 1985 all-in-one lycra number more suited to a Winter Olympic’s luge competition, or Andre Aggasi’s white headband holding back surely the most impressive of highlighted mullets ever?  Luckily there’s nothing too shocking in 2013  and Brit designer superstar, Stella McCartney has been dressing several of the ladies, including the nation’s new sweetheart, Laura Robson.  Actually there IS something shocking; Serena’s nails!  How does she play with those multi-coloured talons?  Rumour is that she is planning to open a nail bar in her post playing days……

Of course the big question for anyone with interests of all things laundry – which I assume anyone reading this blog is – how on earth do they keep everything so dazzlingly white?

One suspects that tennis stars differ from us mere mortals in that they don’t have to bother about getting their kits clean themselves but for those of us that do. How do we keep those whites white? 

Getting laundry sparkling cleans to lead to two camps – those of us happy to use bleach and strong chemical detergents and those of us who aren’t.  Here is not the place to argue either case, but merely to offer advice.

In General

• Wash white clothes in hot water. Provided the fabric can handle hot water, this is the best setting for white clothes.
• Use a colour remover on your white clothes if they discolour, become dull or look dingy, as they can remove the unwanted colours from whites. If you don't want to purchase a colour remover, mix boiling water with oxygen bleach and let the clothes soak in the mixture for the same effect.  If colours bleed during the wash, do not allow the garments or items to dry. Add colour removers to the wash and do the whole wash again. Once the wash has dried, the colour transfer tends to set.
• Consider adding a laundry booster to your wash. Adding washing soda, oxygen bleach or borax will increase the efficacy of your detergent. These boosters work best with soft water
• Make sure that clothes are completely rinsed. This removes all traces of dirt or grimy water that can dull the look of whites.
• Select an appropriate load size. The clothes or other items should be able to move freely around in the water.
• Clean your washing machine regularly to ensure that your white clothes are actually being cleaned and that any remaining dirt in the washing machine isn't being transferred onto them.

Going Green with your Whites

Going green means trying to avoid harmful chemicals in every day cleaning and laundry which means no bleach.  There are, however, a number of more natural ways to whiten your dingy laundry:

• If you spill something dark, pour salt on it to absorb moisture from the spill.
• Apply white vinegar or lemon juice directly to stains.
• Soak whites in a solution of water and lemon juice.
• Pouring 1/2 cup of lemon juice or 1 cup of white distilled vinegar into your washing machine with your clothes can keep your white clothes white.
• Wash whites with washing soda, similar to baking soda but with a lower pH.
  After washing, hang whites to dry in the sun. Sunlight naturally bleaches without setting stains the way a dryer does.

 Bleach Boys

  

• Dilute hydrogen peroxide with water and add to a stain. This can also work with colours too, although I would recommend a patch test first
• Dilute 3-percent hydrogen peroxide into your washing machine with your clothes can keep your white clothes white.
• Vanish Oxy Action Crystal White is a readily available product that has excellent reviews (not the pink tub, as this is better with colours)
• A decent bio powder - will do a good job BUT you must follow the instructions to the letter.
• Pre-treating with a liquid detergent may well help as well as they have optical brighteners in them that should help. 
• Napisan (the nappy soak liquid) is an excellent stain remover (think about it!) and it keeps the whites white. Use as a soak for stains or in the machine
• Boil using soap.  The key is to use only a little and then boil it gently for hours. It preserves the fabric and will get it spotlessly white without using any bleach. (This was my grandmother’s method of choice and my mother assures me that she and her siblings always had dazzlingly white clothes!)
• Add bleach to your clothes as a last resort. Bleach will keep clothes white and can act as a disinfectant. Make sure to use the appropriate amount of bleach as recommended on the packaging or else you may damage your clothes

 Removing Grass Stains

·         The golden rule is patience and not to dry the article as that will set the stain  Grass juice contains chlorophyll which is the green pigment  - known as a dye stain – that we see in grass stained clothing.

·         Synthetic (manmade) fabrics are generally easier to treat than natural fabrics such a cotton. The reason for this is that the grass stain, being a natural stain will form a stronger bond with natural fibres.

·         Wherever possible, keep the stain wet until you can treat it.

·         Often grass stains are accompanied by dirt. Rinse the item for the back with cool water to remove as much of the dirt as possible before treating the grass stain.

·         After flushing with water you're ready to treat the grass stain. The best method of removing grass stains is a simple paste of baking soda and plain vinegar mixed into a spreadable paste the consistency of toothpaste

·         Gently work it into the stain with your fingers, working from the backside of the fabric. Working from the back of the fabric pushes the stain back out rather than working it in deeper. Allow the paste to sit on the clothing for 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water, again from the back, until the water runs clean.

·         If it appears that the stain has been removed, launder with your normal detergent and then allow to air dry.

·         If the stain is still visible you can repeat the above method or buy digestive enzymes from the chemist, available in a powder or pill form  - make a paste with enough water to again get the consistency of toothpaste. Spread the paste on the top of the stain and leave for an hour. Flush the stain with cool water.

·         Depending on the severity of the stain and the amount of time that has elapsed before treatment, it may be necessary to treat multiple times before the stain has been completely removed.

There you go – no excuses now.  Gleaming, grass stain free whites on all occasions.  Or you could always call the experts………the Iron Maids will ensure you dazzle!