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    Home » HEALTH » Natural Living

    How to Whiten Dirty Socks Without Bleach

    Published: May 6, 2013 / Modified: May 28, 2020 by: Dr. Karen Lee / This post may contain affiliate links. As Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. /

    left picture dirty white socks in bathtub next to bowl of soapy water right picture clean white socks on towelMy daughter's softball season is ending. And if your kids play sports, you know how grateful I will be, with all the extra time I'm about to have, not having to do laundry daily, especially the dirty socks.

    These dirty socks, pictured above, came home in a separate bag, after she 'slid' to second base. Thank goodness she slid with her feet first and not her head. I'd have bigger problems then.

    Since I no longer use bleach, I had to figure out how 'on earth' I was going to wash these so she can go out there, and do it all over again. Lucky me.

    I remember one of you, emailing and asking me how to clean your kids dirty socks and I told you, 'I'm going to post about it, when I have some dirty socks to wash." Well, finally, you'll get your answer. Lucky you.

    How to whiten dirty socks without bleach

    You'll need:

    • ½ gal of luke warm water
    • 1 tablespoon of Liquid Laundry Detergent (I keep a small plant based Ecōs detergent for cases like this.)
    • 1 tablespoon Washing Soda
    • 1 tablespoon Hydrogen Peroxide (3%) (This affiliate link to Amazon will give you a page of all types of HP. I use 3% and the prices vary. But since I use so much of it, I buy them by cases. It's so much cheaper.)
    • Juice from one lemon
    • A wash basin or bucket

    Directions:

    • Shake off the dirt from the socks as much as you can. It works best if wash immediately after the socks were soiled.
    • Wash the socks in plain water to wash away the dirt as much as you can.
    • In a bucket or basin, pour about gallon of luke warm water.
    • Add all the ingredients and mix to dissolve the powder ingredients well.
    • Immerse the socks in the solution, making sure it's completely submerged.
    • Soak the socks overnight. I left these socks for two days (I forgot about them.) Hydrogen peroxide work with time so longer it has to work on the stain, the better.

    white socks soaking in water, liquid laundry detergent, washing soda, hydrogen peroxide, and lemon juice in a pink bucket in bathtub

    • This is how it looked after one day. So I left the socks back in the detergent solution one more night. See all that dirt that washed away from the socks? And heyyyy, how did those anklets sneak in??

    solution of  water, liquid laundry detergent, washing soda, hydrogen peroxide, and lemon juice in pink bowl between cleaned white socks in bathtub
    And after two nights in the soak, voilá! Not 100% out-of-the-package white-y whites but I think it's heck of a lot whiter than before sliding to second base, don't you think?

    whiten socks without bleach by ecokaren
    If I dried them outside, under the sun, they would be much whiter. Something about lemon and sunshine - they are a great duo for whitening laundry.

    I am also going to use this method for my dingy white towels. I will have to tweak the formula a bit to be able to use for a large load but you get the idea for the ingredients.

    If you don't want to use bleach, hydrogen peroxide is your go-to whitener. Just be careful when you are handling it as it will whiten your dark clothes.

     

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    About Dr. Karen Lee

    I am a food writer, recipe developer, and a cookbook author sharing my family’s favorite simple & easy, allergy-friendly recipes with you! Let's connect on Instagram || Facebook || Pinterest || YouTube Learn more about me on the ABOUT page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Grace Scott says

      May 13, 2016 at 12:49 am

      Hydrogen Peroxide IS a bleach. IS a bleach.

    2. deanaduck says

      May 27, 2013 at 6:38 pm

      I have a degree in Textiles and this is a constant search for me.  I have tried hydrogen peroxide before, but it has a bad habit of making rubber brittle.  Socks and underwear are prime places to find rubber.  My latest favorite is another Ecos product -- Oxo Brite.  I can soak in it, foregoing detergent until I'm sure the stain is out.

    3. Gabbie's Freebies says

      May 14, 2013 at 3:36 pm

      borax..?

    4. almostallthetruth says

      May 10, 2013 at 1:31 pm

      Luckily my baseball boy wears navy blue socks, but we have plenty of whites to give this a try. Not sure why I didn't think of it before! Thanks, Karen. 🙂

      • Karen Lee says

        May 10, 2013 at 8:47 pm

        If this formula can wash these dirty filthy socks, I think it'll whiten any whites. You just have to adjust the amounts. Good Luck!

    5. Marilo Puerta says

      May 06, 2013 at 5:38 pm

      you're very welcome.

    6. ecokaren says

      May 06, 2013 at 2:33 pm

      Thanks Marilo!!

    7. Marilo Puerta says

      May 06, 2013 at 1:29 pm

      Shared. Thank you Karen.

    8. TiffanyWashko says

      May 06, 2013 at 10:58 am

      Great tutorial! Gotta try it!

    9. ecokaren says

      May 06, 2013 at 9:28 am

      Washing soda is a laundry saver!

    10. greentalk says

      May 06, 2013 at 9:21 am

      Love this. I wonder if it will work on armpit stains.  (Or do you have a formula for that too?)

      • ecokaren says

        May 07, 2013 at 9:48 am

        greentalk Hmmm....armpit stains is a tough-y since it's mixed in with oil. I don't think this simple method will work. You can try it though and come back and let me know if it worked or not. 🙂

    11. Jennifer Wong says

      May 06, 2013 at 8:51 am

      Thanks for the laundry tip Karen. I just bought some washing soda from amazon too.

    12. CelynLilaNicholson says

      May 06, 2013 at 8:42 am

      Perfect timing  : I have some whites that could use some white eco tornado to  return them to their original splendor ! Merci  Karen ! 
      😉
      Lila

      • ecokaren says

        May 07, 2013 at 9:46 am

        CelynLilaNicholson LOL --> eco tornado. You're welcome! (How do I say that in French??)

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