Stop bleaching, start bluing ... keep whites white

[HavocXphere]

2 steps ahead of you...

I bought blue towels.

 

[Gordon_R]

My mother has been using this bluing stuff for yonks. A lot has changed over the years but she swears it's better than chlorine bleach.

Takes me back to when I was growing up with a penny-wise mother! Chlorine bleach used to weaken the fabric, sheets would tear...

Modern washing powders include all kinds of additives, including enzymes, and small amounts of blueing agents. The difference is that few people nowadays bother to separate their whites and colours, so you can't just add masses of blue to the mix.

2 steps ahead of you...

I bought blue towels.

One more step ahead, all my sheets are blue!

 

[Magandroid]

You doing it wrong, use Omo

[video=youtube;RWPweHUAdeo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWPweHUAdeo[/video]

 

[Vorastra]

@Ockie just me or can you not find bluing blocks in stores anymore?!

 

[DapperDanMan]

keep whites white

Keep in mind that this sort of ideology resulted in decades of sanctions against our great nation ...

 

[FiestaST]

The last part of the thread title has aged well

 

[longboy]

The local small Bangladeshi/Pakistani shops still sell those bluing blocks. Chinese imports.

 

[Gordon_R]

The last part of the thread title has aged well

A blast from the past! This thread was before Trvmp suggested injecting bleach for C0vid...

 

[Ockie]

@Ockie just me or can you not find bluing blocks in stores anymore?!

Not sure. Have not done this for a long time. I will have a look at my local Spar where I bought mine when I started this thread.

 

[Vorastra]

The local small Bangladeshi/Pakistani shops still sell those bluing blocks. Chinese imports.

But where in Durbs.

 

[longboy]

But where in Durbs.

Most of the Asian or Indian areas have them in stock. Chatsworth, Westville, Malvern etc. Even some of the China malls stock them.

 

[longboy]

I actually found them by accident there - I was looking for snooker chalk, and they gave me bluing cubes lol.

 

[Vorastra]

A blast from the past! This thread was before Trvmp suggested injecting bleach for C0vid...

 

[Sinbad]

The last part of the thread title has aged well

haha this thread re-delivers

 

[ManVee]

I actually found them by accident there - I was looking for snooker chalk, and they gave me bluing cubes lol.

I actually found them by accident there - I was looking for snooker chalk, and they gave me bluing cubes lol.

Hi Brother, Which store did you get it at specifically? I have a lot of white towels that are frustrating the life out off me and I just can't seem to get this bluing stuff anywhere. Also did the one you bought work?

 

[ManVee]

So, I really love white towels, bedding and certain items of white clothing such as shorts etc. What I hate though is that after a year or so, they start going grey or yellow etc. Constant bleaching can make the yellowing even worse after constant use of bleach. I have tried various whitener additives to the wash, but nothing really seems to make whites white again. A few days ago @ my local Spar, I saw "Robin Blue" on the shelf instead of my normal Becketts whitening additive. Not thinking about it, I grab it and put it in my basket. I get home and inspect it and see it is some kind of hard block. Now I really dont know what it is or what to do with it and start reading up on it. So, it turns out it is something that is used in "bluing". Essentially, you disolve this cube of very blue compressed powder into water and then you rinse your whites in it. From the internet, it seems this is a very very OLD way of keeping whites nice and white. The way it works from what I understand, it leaves a very light tint of blue which makes white cloth appear whiter. Important thing to note though is to not make it very conentrated, especially in our front loading washing machines. You essentially want a tint...not a dye. If you want to add blue back to washed out jeans, then yes, you can use a very concentrated blend. Anyway....never heard of this before and found it rather interesting.....specially seeing it is such a age old way of keeping whites white. Thought I would share it.

View attachment 516723



View attachment 516725

Hi Ockie, Do you know which store chain I can still get this product? I really need it. Thanks

 

[longboy]

Hi Brother, Which store did you get it at specifically? I have a lot of white towels that are frustrating the life out off me and I just can't seem to get this bluing stuff anywhere. Also did the one you bought work?

I get them now from the Pinetown / New Germany / Kloof Spars.

They still work very well - better than bleach for white towels.

 

[ManVee]

I get them now from the Pinetown / New Germany / Kloof Spars.

They still work very well - better than bleach for white towels.

You're a star and a half... Will drive there this afternoon. Do you have a picture of what the container looks like so that I can quickly identify it when I get to the shop?