Mum shares tips on how to keep white school shirts looking ‘out of the wrapper new’

When you see a child wearing a school uniform including white items, which actually somehow still look white, you may wonder how their parents do it – so one woman asked online for people’s tips

It’s a question on every parent’s lips – how do you keep your child’s whites so fresh when every day they come home looking like they’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards? We’re not sure how they manage it, but their socks are dirty, their shirts are dirty…if it’s white, nothing is safe.

One frustrated mum took to Mumsnet to ask other parents about the best way to keep white clothing as white as possible when it comes to mucky kids. She said she remembers in school that some of the kids had shirts that looked ‘out of the wrapper new’, and she wanted to replicate this for her kids.

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She wrote: “My eldest has just started secondary school and wears white shirts. How do you keep these shirts white and new looking?

“When I was at secondary myself I remember my shirts looking off white, the neckline faded, and the underarms on the shirt yellowing or stiff with deodorant.

“I remember seeing other children’s shirts looking like they had just taken them from the wrapper new, so please give me tips on this.”

Other parents were quick to give tips about how to keep whites looking fresh.

One wrote: “I soak them occasionally in Milton. Drying in the sun also helps.”

Another suggested: “Wash whites separately, and add a scoop of vanish white, plus a Dr Beckmann glo white sachet.”

Someone else said: “I put a scoop of oxy stain remover powder in the pre-wash drawer of the machine and set the machine to do a prewash before the normal wash. I also wash them with other whites. They stay white for years like that.”

One even claimed that they didn’t need to go to all that effort, commenting: “I don’t use any of that. Buy pure cotton ones, a fresh shirt daily, and wash whites separately. Mine were always pristine doing this.”

The mum also asked for advice on how often to wash other items of uniform, such as blazers.

One honestly wrote: “Blazer never. Jumper once a week. Shirts – hot wash and Daz.”

Another suggested: “Blazer when it looks grubby and/or every half term. My child doesn’t wear jumpers now but previously I would wash them every two or three days (if they lasted that long without spillages).”

A mum said as long as her son didn’t spill anything on his jumper, she’d wash it once a week, “and blazer only if noticeable marks on it.”

“Blazer washed when the armpits started to smell”, one added.

What washing advice would you give? Let us know in the comments.