Why can't I get my whites, well, WHITE??

Not really. Sounds like you're doing everything right. Liquid Tide is highly rated; you might try Liquid Tide with bleach. Consumer reports likes it a bit better. If you're not using the hottest water available, go in that direction.

If nothing else works, I might suggest buying cheaper tee shirts. Sorry, I had to stick that in there.

In Australia, we use Napi-san.

There's probably some equivalent product in US. Something that is used to clean babies nappies, or whatever they're called over there? Diapers?

Yup - Actually... that IS what I am using... Tide with Bleach... yeah... just not sure how to get them white and WHAT is causing them to discolor?? All I wear them for is an undershirt under my work clothes... Do you think my washing machine isn't working right? (maybe my darks are actually discolored to a degree like my whites, but I just can't tell b/c they are dark clothes... dunno, just thinking outloud). OR does natural gas do that to white clothes? Do you think it's my water? I would think if it were my water and now having a water softener and bleaching them with the soft water, it would have brightened them up... but it didn't.

I am unsure of a diaper cleaner since I don't have kids.... maybe there is... will have to look!! Yeah, nappie = diaper

Thanks for any input.

I am wondering if the phosphate level in the detergents in Idaho is less than in Chicago. I remember when they removed the phosphates in the detergents in NY. The clothes came out appreciably less white.

Have you considered a water filtration system?





http://www.uidaho.edu/wq/wqu/wqu23.html

We have hard water and we have both a water softener and a filter system and I'm wondering if pheonix may be on to something there.
I remember when we moved here, we had the same problem and I couldn't figure out why since we had the water softener, but then when we had a filter system placed, problem gone :-D

Good luck with that and welcome to A2K :-D

No need to have kid to buy diaper cleaner (see how easily I can translate to Murrican!). It 's used very commonly here to whiten clothes. A friend found it removed a red wine stain very well from his brand new beige-y trousers

Sounds like a type of Borax, Margo.

I can't use bleach in my washing machine, but the technician told me
that powder detergent is better than liquid, and I have no problem with
discolored whites.

Perhaps either a pre-wash cycle and/or a longer wash cycle would
help additionally.

Is the water hot enough?

Yup - the water is definitely hot. And I have even run it on the Super White cycle - a much longer cycle on the machine that uses hot water.

Have there been any studies done on powder being better than liquid? I have pretty much always used liquid but if powder is truly better, then I would be fine using powder.

I have no idea if there are studies made, but I can tell you that my
wash is white, and I don't use liquid detergent. On the other hand,
my wash cycle goes for over one hour.

I think Montana might be on the right track with the filter. It sounds like you might have an iron (or some other mineral) problem. Have you tried using softener salt with "Iron Out"? I have hard water with 3ppg of iron and I have to use this salt in my softener or my whites get dingy. When they installed your softener did they test your water? If so what were the results?

I was going to suggest an iron problem, too. Iron and manganese are common components of water supplies. They're not regulated as a contaminants. I would suggest you contact the city where you live and ask them if there is in in the water. Filtering the water is the only way I know of to remove iron. Here's some information http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/h2oqual/watsys/ae1030w.htm

Getting clothes white
Water chemistry is the root of most all problems. I'd recommend you take a water sample to an independant testing lab. Like most other reponders here you are probably dealing with suspended iron, That is iron in the water but notvisible to the eye when you poor a glass of water, but it is there and shows up especially in white laundry.

After you get the lab results post them here and I'll give you some sugestions. I'm in water purification and treatment in Maryland.

If your water is discoloured at all and you are using a liquid 'softener' like 'Cuddly' or something during the rinse cycle your whites will end up discoloured too. Basically beige water = beige clothes

I learnt that very quickly and being on tank water it was very ugly

try Iron Out powder
We have that problem also. Our problem is iron in the water. A water softner does not remove iron. Some water treatment systems do, but very expensive. I tried bleach in my whites, but still did not work. This is what DID work for me -- Iron Out powder. When I wash my whites, I put 1 cup of iron out powder in my washing machine and let the clothes run for 5-10 minutes with just that. Then I restart the wash cycle and add my detergent. Do not use bleach with it also - bleach does not mix well with iron out.

Same problem here. Wondering if Montana saw improvement in all laundry. I feel like I have so much pilling that I never had before I moved to this home. I do have a water softener btw.