The eye perceives the nearly undetectable amount of blue and sees the fabric as whiter.
Commercial bluing products are highly concentrated and must be diluted before use toprevent permanent stainingand streaking.
What Is Laundry Bluing?
The Spruce / Michele Lee
Bluing products in higher concentrations can darken jeans and other blue fabrics.
How Do Bluing Products Work?
Liquid bluing is a colloidal suspension of a very fine blue iron powder and water.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
Other ingredients include a pH balancer and a biocide to prevent the buildup of algae and bacteria.
you might also purchase bluing powder.
The good news is you’re able to add it back by using off-the-shelf liquid bluing.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
Never pour it directly into the machine because it can permanently stain fabrics.
Use a glass jar to prevent staining plastic containers.
Then, add the solution to the wash water.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
If adding bluing only to the rinse cycle, use 1/8 teaspoon dissolved in a quart of water.
That may work for some things, but not for bluing.
The mixing of ammonia and chlorine bleach causes toxic and dangerous fumes.
The Spruce / Michele Lee
Bleach will also set the bluing stains permanently.
You may need to perform this procedure two to three times, washing with detergent following each process.
Yes, laundry bluing is still used.
It can be used to improve the appearance of white fabrics and to darken jeans.
Yes, liquid bluing does work when applied properly.
There are different methods depending on your laundry and laundry machine.
Laundry bluing is made of a colloid of blue iron salt, giving it its blue hue.
If you have a top-load washing machine, add a diluted solution of bluing into the wash water.
Methods of Using Leuco Colorants as Bluing Agents in Laundry Care Compositions.National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2022.
