The Genius Hack That Brightens Up Your Dingy Yellowed Whites

Over time, your white clothes are likely to develop unsightly yellow stains that stand out. This can be due to factors like deodorant stains building up, sunscreen sinking in, when an item has been in storage for a long time, or oxidation. However, with the help of Alka-Seltzer tablets (yes, the ones you take for an upset stomach), you can brighten your whites to make them gleam once again. Best of all, this hack doesn't require anything except Alka-Seltzers and water — not even a washing machine. 

Pre-soak your yellowed whites in a mixture of two Alka-Seltzer tablets to approximately four quarts of water — make sure that the tablets have stopped fizzing before you add your items in. Leaving your items to soak overnight is best if you can, but if not then leave them in the mixture for at least a few hours. The next morning or when you have waited as long as you can, put your items outside to dry (or in a warm room if it isn't sunny). Once dry, your yellowed items should be back to the brilliant white color they were before.

It may sound a little too good to be true, but the reason Alka-Seltzer tablets are able to banish yellow stains on white clothing is because of the citric acid and sodium bicarbonate they contain. This potent mix is not only good for cleaning toilet bowls, but will also banish stains like annoying deodorant marks. Plus, as you don't need to wash your clothes after you have soaked them, this hack is less time-consuming than other pre-soak stain removal products.

This hack seems promising, but as with any hack, it's always best to do a test run beforehand. You can do this by using old clothes or performing a mini patch test on a section of your item before going all in. Though it isn't likely that the Alka-Seltzer mixture will ruin your clothes, you should never test something for the first time on a valuable or much-loved item of clothing. Nevertheless, especially during summer when you're more likely to reapply deodorant or use sunscreen, it's more than worth purchasing a pack of Alka-Seltzers to give this hack a go.