Kitchen towels are really useful because they allow us to dry the different surfaces and dishes, often collecting grease and grease stains.
For this reason , over time they tend to turn yellow and look old and always dirty despite washing .
But no fear! Today we will see together how to make yellowed tea towels look new again using these tricks !
What will you discover?
Bicarbonate
The first remedy we suggest is the use of bicarbonate, an ingredient known for its whitening, degreasing and stain-removing properties. So all you need to do is add 4 tablespoons of baking soda to a bowl of hot water and then soak the tea towels for a few hours or overnight (depending on how yellowed they are).
After that, rinse them and proceed to washing them in the washing machine . Alternatively, if you want to continue washing in the washing machine, add a spoonful of bicarbonate to the drum of your washing machine and start the cycle: no more stains!
Natriumpercarbonat
A similar but more effective ingredient to baking soda is sodium percarbonate , which is known as an environmentally friendly replacement for bleach. However, keep in mind that temperatures above 40 degrees are required to activate the whitening function.
Therefore, if you want to continue washing your hands, dip the tea towels in a bowl of hot water and two tablespoons of percarbonate and let them soak for a few hours before rinsing. However, when washing in the washing machine, all you have to do is add a portion of percarbonate to the detergent dispenser and continue washing at high temperatures.
Speaking of which, here’s a video where you can see how!
Note: Wear gloves when handling percarbonate as it may irritate skin.
Vinegar
Like baking soda, vinegar is an ingredient known for its whitening and stain-removing properties. We remind you that it was already used by our grandmothers to whiten the yellowed putty!
Therefore, to get white tea towels like new again, you need to pour half a glass of white vinegar into a bowl of hot water and let them soak for a few hours . Finally, proceed to washing together in the washing machine and…. they will be like new!
citric acid
As an alternative to vinegar, you can also use citric acid , which is more environmentally friendly and just as effective. Then add 150 grams of citric acid to 1 liter of warm water in a bowl and soak the tea towels in the resulting mixture for about 2 hours.
Finally, rinse them and proceed with normal washing by hand or in the washing machine! As if that wasn’t enough, citric acid in the washing machine also helps to remove limescale!
lemon
After vinegar, bicarbonate and citric acid, how could the popular lemon, the citrus fruit with many properties, be missing? In fact, this ingredient is popular not only for its brightening effects, but also for its ability to smell fresh laundry!
Then slice two lemons and place them in a bowl or pot with a liter of boiling water . Now let the tea towels to be bleached soak for about 30 minutes before washing them in the usual washing machine or by hand.
Your tea towels will be white, fresh and fragrant!
Caution: Be careful when handling the pan with boiling water as you could burn yourself.
Hydrogen peroxide
If the yellow spots are still there after the previous measures , then we have the solution for you: hydrogen peroxide , an ingredient that is not entirely natural, but is still ecological and with which you can make your tea towels white like new.
Simply add a spoonful of hydrogen peroxide to a basin of water or the washing machine and follow the instructions above.
Note: We remind you to only use hydrogen peroxide with white tea towels and to make sure there are no other items in the washing machine. Hydrogen peroxide could actually discolor them.
Warnings
Always check the labels to determine the optimal washing temperature.