This Is Why We Don't Buy White Things...

June 27, 2011 5:54 AM

White stretch denim cotton/spandex pants. Best practices to keep them clean?

I've pretty much avoided any white clothing due to my tendencies to spill things/ease of laundry. But I found a pair of white pants at the thrift store in pristine condition (close approximation) and fell in love.

What are some great tips on maintenance? I have a lot (a LOT) of black clothing and am scared of bleach residue ruining them. Does color-safe bleach work as well? Any brand recommendations?

Additional spill tips would be great as well.

posted by amicamentis to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (5 answers total)

Use a Shout Color Catcher sheet (buy at Target or wherever you buy laundry supplies, should be widely available) every time you wash your whites. I rarely use bleach, I do use oxy clean type oxygen crystals and Tide in wash boosters, and that is enough for me. If you want to bleach, you might look into whether it makes sense/works to make a bleach solution in a bucket or wash tub and briefly put that pants in that and then rinse and wash - that keeps it out of your washer, but puts it closer to kids and pets, so I'm not sure about it.
posted by mrs. taters at 7:03 AM on June 27, 2011

Also, you might want to keep a Tide To Go pen or purse sized bottle of Oxy Clean stain remover in your bag or desk so you can hit the stain as soon as you spill.
posted by mrs. taters at 7:06 AM on June 27, 2011

Unless you are the mythical one-in-a-million person who can walk through puddles without splashing the backs of your legs, never wear them outside when the pavement is (or might be) wet.

Inspect the pants each time you take them off so you can treat any spills or spots right away, while they're still fresh.

Nthing the color catcher sheets, although if you have a front-loading HE washer the reusable color catcher from Carbona doesn't get trapped in the gasket. And it's a good idea to wash them only with other light-colored clothes, just to be on the safe side.
posted by DrGail at 7:31 AM on June 27, 2011

I only wash whites with whites. Even colour-fast clothes will eventually make your whites gray and dingy looking if you mix your loads.

If they do get gray, the best thing I've found is an overnight soak in Oxy-Clean powder.
posted by Dragonness at 8:14 AM on June 27, 2011

If you're a red wine drinker, get some Wine Away. Wine seems to be magnetically attracted to my white pants, and it really works!
posted by magicbus at 8:20 AM on June 27, 2011