Spring is now here, so most of us will be going through our wardrobes to look for white socks and t-shirts to wear in warmer weather. However, many people can be weary of wearing lighter fabrics as they can be incredibly difficult to keep clean. 

White clothing can be difficult to wash as it can easily turn yellow due to sweat, and these stains will not budge unless you use the right product. It may seem common sense to try and use bleach to clean your laundry but can break down fabric fibres if used too often which will lead to your clothes turning a grimy grey colour. 

Instead, Thomas Bird, a textiles expert and owner of Fabric Online, has shared that the best way to remove stains and restore white clothing is with simple lemon juice. 

Thomas said: “Lemon juice is a natural and affordable solution to making your whites even whiter. Lemons contain citric acid, a natural bleaching agent that effectively breaks down even the toughest stains. Unlike chemical whiteners, such as bleach, it lifts stains from your clothes without the risk of damage, making it the perfect alternative for brightening your whites.”

The acid in lemon juice can react to stains like sweat to break them down and will also loosen dirt to help clean your whites. 

Lemon juice also has natural antibacterial properties that can remove odours from clothes. It is also a natural whitening agent, so it will make white clothing look even brighter. 

However, since lemon juice is a natural bleaching agent, it should not be used on dark or colourful clothing as it will lighten the fabric. 

Thomas added: “Whilst lemon juice works wonders on whites, its bleaching effect can fade coloured fabrics. So, to avoid unwanted damage, be sure to only use this trick on your white clothes.”

How to use lemon juice to brighten white t-shirts and socks

All you need to do is juice three fresh lemons and squeeze the juice into a glass, which should be roughly half a cup. 

It is better to use fresh lemons instead of bottled lemon juice as it has a higher concentration of citric acid, which is the ingredient needed to break down stains. 

Next, pour the lemon juice into the detergent drawer of your washing machine and also add your regular laundry detergent. 

Thomas said: “Set your washing machine to the normal spin cycle and let the magic happen. After the wash, let your clothes dry as usual, and watch the noticeable difference appear as they dry.”

Once you take your clothes out of the washing machine they should be bright, fully cleaned and stain free. 

However, if you can try hanging your white clothes outside in the sun to dry as the ultraviolet in sunlight will react to the citric acid which will also boost the cleaning power of lemon juice and help lighten the fabric.