How white socks become white again: tips against gray bars

T-online tests

In the test: So white laundry is really white again

White socks look quickly gray or yellowed. Home remedies such as vinegar or baking powder promise. What really helps and what doesn’t? T-online tests it.

White socks have a significant disadvantage: yellow or gray quickly. The result: they not only look unaesthetic, but also unsanitary.

Again and again there is talk of remedial home remedies – but not everyone is recommended. T-online has found out which means and which even harm your washing machine.

Vinegar is often mentioned as an insider tip against the gray bar on white textiles. But the federal government for the environment and nature conservation Germany and the manufacturer initiative home equipment+ warn: the acidity can attack rubber and plastic parts of the washing machine. They become leaky, which can lead to water damage. It is also difficult to properly dose the vinegar. Those who use fruit vinegar as a precaution have another problem: they can discolor the laundry. If you still do not want to do without it, you should only put a maximum of five percent acid in small quantities (30 to 60 milliliters, depending on the drum size) in the fabric rinsing room.

T-online still tested the vinegar method. The result: the socks were not white afterwards.

Another popular trick for yellowing and gray -free baking is said to be baking powder. According to the Wash Dialog platform Forum, this home remedy has neither a bleaching nor a brightening effect. So gray breis cannot remove baking powder.

There is also carbon dioxide when contacting water. A gas that escapes as bubbles. However, the gases can only get from the machine via detours. The components of the baking powder can be deposited in the machine and thus lead to problems in the long term.

In a test, T-Online checked the baking powder trick. The result: the socks did not become white.

The tip is circulating on the Internet to put aspirin in the laundry. The drug is also said to have a brightening or even bleaching effect. Experts deny this. Because aspirin does not contain any bleach. However, aspirin contains salicylic acid. And that can dissolve horn cells and skin scales.

Accordingly, Aspirin would only have a cleaning effect.

There was no improvement in our test. The socks continued to have a gray bar.

In addition to home remedies, we have tested products that are offered in the supermarket or in the drugstore. Among them gall soap and laundry white.

Gall soap brought a barely visible effect. The laundry white, on the other hand, brought a little success, although the socks were not as radiantly white again as after the purchase. (The effect is difficult to recognize in the photo.)

So that white socks remain radiant permanently, the choice of the right detergent is primarily decisive- this is a full or universal detergent in powder form. Because this contains bleaching agents that remove discoloration and dark spots. The correct dosage according to the manufacturer is also important in order to avoid detergent residues.

Another tip that you should basically take for white socks: Wash them only with white textiles. This also avoids gray lodges.