Why clothes in the closet become yellow and how to avoid unpleasant stains

When taking clothes out of the closet after a long time, you can face unpleasant situations. Your favorite white shirt may turn yellow, and dark spots often appear on the laundry that has been stored in the drawer.

In addition, fabrics can lose color saturation and become duller. Read the OBOZ.UA article on how to prevent stains and yellowing.

Why do yellow spots appear?

Experts say that yellow spots on clothes appear as a result of oxidation of organic materials of fabrics.

However, the most common cause of yellowing is a violation of basic washing rules:

• incorrectly selected temperature regime;
• insufficient rinsing and soap residues between the fibers;
• use of strongly alkaline soap for hand washing;
• use of a powder that is not suitable for white fabrics by chemical composition.

Rules for storing clothes

To reduce the risk of yellow stains, you should follow a few important rules.

First of all, don't hang used clothes together with clean ones even if you've worn a shirt or T-shirt only once.

Experts advise trying to store some items in vacuum bags to prevent fiber oxidation.

In addition, you can cover the shelves in the closet with plastic wrap and ventilate them periodically.

How to remove yellowing

Bed linen can be washed using oxygen bleach.

Soak cotton, linen, and synthetic fabrics in soapy water and add a little ammonia and hydrogen peroxide. It is better to test this method on an inconspicuous area of the garment first to check the reaction of the fibers.

Woolen items can be soaked in a solution of water and citric acid before washing.

Experts suggest leaving silk fabrics and viscose items for 5-10 minutes in a very weak solution of hydrogen peroxide, and then rinse thoroughly.

Earlier, OBOZ.UA told you why you need to regularly clean the rubber in the washing machine and how to do it.

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