Bleach

My DH has rolled his eyes for the last time over the lack of "whiteness" in his whites.
In the US, you put in the load of laundry and add the Clorox diluted into the laundry.
40 minutes later, those clothes are WHITE.

When I ask my UK friends, MIL, et al about how they get their clothes white they point me to Vanish which IMHO is a bit of a scam.
It's a bit like that "detergent with whitening" stuff they sell in the states that doesn't actually make clothes WHITE.

My husband's socks and t-shirts get dirty and dingy when he runs and subsequently sweats. Also, our tea towels have been virtually disposable since I have tried washing them and just ended up soiling everything they were washed with instead of the other way around.

Is there a UK equivalent of clothing bleach?

Please help!
Mrs.Randall

I've wondered about this as well; we have alot of dingy sheets.  Whenever I look for bleach it's mostly toilet cleaner.  Is it something to do with the Bio/Non-Bio detergent?  Reading the packets, it's makes it sound like you need the Bio stuff to get out stains.  I never understood it when they came out with the Bio -- and still don't!

There's chlorine bleach and oxygen bleach.  Oxygen bleach is the one that's safe for colours... chlorine bleach is the one for whites.  The 'toilet' bleach is the chlorine one... same thing as the jug of Clorox you used in the US.  The viscosity/thickness of it doesn't matter... I've used both thick and thin bleach in my washing, and they both work just the same.

Dry things outside! The sun is a natural whitener! 

I use bio for whites and don't have a problem with dingy whites.  For lights and darks I use bio for colors.  I wash the clothes at 40 degrees, using 60 from time to time for the towels and sheets.   
Brands I typically use are Aerial and Persil.  I have used store brands on occasion. 

Thick bleach is found in all shops next to the laundry soap.  Every shop has it. Even the corner shops.  Is the thickness making you think that it's for the toilet? 

Exact same bleach as sold in the States.. except it's a smaller bottle and it's thicker so that it doesn't splash. 

The US has bio and non-bio, but they don't mark it on the bottle for some reason.

I know this because I have a super-sensitive husband who can only have non-bio.   

I know this because I have a super-sensitive husband who can only have non-bio.   

Me too. He itches like a dog with fleas if I use bio soap.

There's chlorine bleach and oxygen bleach.  Oxygen bleach is the one that's safe for colours... chlorine bleach is the one for whites.  The 'toilet' bleach is the chlorine one... same thing as the jug of Clorox you used in the US.  The viscosity/thickness of it doesn't matter... I've used both thick and thin bleach in my washing, and they both work just the same.

Amazing tips! Thanks