HOW TO: KEEP YOUR WHITES WHITE & BRIGHT THIS SUMMER

I know I'm not the only one who has bought cute white dresses, pants, shirts, etc. and thought: "Great! Now how the hell am I going to keep this clean?" One too many bike rides, wine tastings and picnics can do any white garment in, so how do you guard the bright in your white? photo courtesy of Karla's Closet and also seen as the Styled to Wear Look of the Day

1. ROLL TIDE. Buy yourself a Tide to Go pen! Erase any evidence of an intoxicated accidental stumble and spill. The proof is in the check marks, ladies! I've used TtG pens during photo shoots, nights out, brunch and I vouch for their efficacy. TIP: Place a clean white paper towel underneath the stained fabric directly beneath the stain. Rub your cleaning solution into the stain in a circular motion. Continuously dab the stained surface from both sides, moving the paper towel so that you are only dabbing onto a clean surface beneath. The towel beneath will help draw out the stain's pigment leaving you with white lies to tell. What fall?

photo courtesy of: Mark Weiss

2. WASH IT OUT. Wash your whites after every use and as soon as possible. Body oils and perspiration may not be visible on whites immediately after wear, but boy will they become nasty, unwanted blemishes marking your crisp whites for disposal if you let them set. TIP: Lemon juice acts as a natural bleach for whites, and baking soda is a great fabric softener. Some people swear by Rit as a super stain remover, but you can read the reviews for yourself.

photo courtesy of: House to Home

2. IT'S DINGHY NOT DINGY. If you're toting around dingy whites instead of being towed to a yacht on the open water in a dinghy it's time to add vinegar to soften your water and/or rid your whites of soap residue. Minerals in hard water and soap residue can build up in your clothing and linens to make your pretty whites appear gray and or dingy. Vinegar will help remove unwanted minerals and residue embedded in clothing fibers. Add about 1/2 cup to the fabric softener tray or just throw it in at the beginning of a cycle. TIP: If your clothing has already turned 50 shades of Gray--for the love of...tell me you've read that trilogy and don't judge me--then rinse your machine by running the rinse cycle a few times to ensure it, itself is clean. Then run your whites in just water. Soak them if you have to pay to do laundry. Then use vinegar as suggested above.

photo courtesy of: Martha Stewart Living. Check out the article. It discusses bluing as a better course of whitening garments than bleach.

3. WHITE HOT. Wash your whites in hot water unless otherwise specified on the clothing label. The heat makes your soap more effective.

photo courtesy of: Pincookie.com

4. FOLLOW RECIPES. I've not tried this myself, but I read Lindsay Maxfield's endorsement for this recipe (below). It received an A- grade compared to a number of other methods that failed dismally. You'll need bleach, dishwasher detergent and water.

photo courtesy of: Agent Bauer (photo was cropped)

"Let your dirtiest whites soak for 30-60 minutes, then toss everything into the washer with the rest of your whites and run a cycle. I used a little less bleach than suggested and put everything into a bucket. While this method didn’t get the toughest stains out of my husband’s mud-covered socks, it still delivered."  

5. SUNSHINE. Not only does the sun supply our skin with much needed vitamin D, but also it brightens your white Rag & Bone jeans. Don't ask me how, but it does.

photo courtesy of: Andie Edwards

6. SHOES. To clean white shoes, I recommend using a tooth brush applicator and mild cleaning solution like dish soap and water. Dab wet sections and if you've used a fair amount of water stuff shoes with dry towels to absorb the water. Place shoe stretcher in shoe for shape once dry. Buff with white shoe polish.

photo courtesy of: 3.1 Philip Lim. White shoes and more are trending for spring/summer 2013.

Which tactics do you employ to keep your whites their whitest? Please share them in the comments section.