The Top Reasons Why Your Laundry Turned Green In The Wash

Have you ever noticed that after you wash your favorite white button-up or cozy t-shirt, it seems to have a hint of green in the color that it didn't have before? Or maybe you're folding your laundry, and you realize there are some strange green streaks or marks on your garments that you can't believe you missed before popping them in the wash. Don't worry, it's not an optical illusion or an oversight on your part, and no, your washing machine isn't broken, either. In fact, that mysterious green hue could be the result of different components in your laundry washing routine. From the quality of water in your home to the detergent itself, your laundry may be turning green because of some unwanted (or perhaps unknown) materials that are present.

Hard water, for instance, is a big culprit in turning your laundry green, as are photobleaches in detergents. Both are the top reasons why you're likely seeing green in your sheets and shirts. But how do you tackle these problems? From using laundry detergent substitutes to simply utilizing your pre-wash cycle on your washing machine more often, there are a number of ways to banish that unwanted green sheen.

The most likely reason your laundry is turning green may be due to the detergent you're using. Many modern detergents contain substances known as photobleaches — chemicals designed to add an extra boost of cleaning which makes your clothes look brighter and even whiter via an optical brightening process. While this may sound good in theory, these photobleaches continue to react post-wash, and when exposed to sunlight, for example, the resulting "cleaning" effect is actually a strange green cast on your clothing items. Some detergent makers, like Unilever, use photobleaches to create a water-soluble barrier on clothes to reduce staining on the fabric during wear. Proctor & Gamble and Ciba Geigy are other manufacturers known to utilize photobleaches in their detergents as well. This same barrier that prevents stains may ultimately turn your garments green when reacting with your environment. The effects of photobleaching ingredients can further be exacerbated by the amount of detergent you use as well. 

Another sneaky additive that may be contributing to the problem is the water in your home. Many homeowners believe the elemental composition of hard water may be to blame, specifically the copper in your water supply. Green laundry can possibly be indicative of either old copper pipes or even corrosive water. For the most part, copper in your water shouldn't be terribly alarming as it's naturally occurring in water supplies, but an excess of copper can result in physical symptoms like headache, intestinal discomfort, and adverse muscle issues. Your now-green shirt could be foreshadowing such hard water concerns.

To address photobleaching concerns, a solution is to use all-natural, rather than regular, laundry detergent. Alternatively, this is an opportunity to DIY your own detergent. You can stock all sorts of natural cleaning ingredients in your home, not just for laundry, but to make an all-natural cleaning product for your clothes. It's as simple as mixing a one-to-one solution of borax, washing soda, and liquid castile soap with 15 cups of distilled water. First, boil six cups of water, then add the rest of the ingredients, including the remaining nine cups of water. When the solution cools, pour it into your chosen container. This will yield a gallon of homemade detergent, and you can add essential oils to the mixture if you want a scented finish. As for hard water concerns, upping the amount of borax in your natural detergent solution can cancel out coppery greenness.

If you still want to use regular detergent, particularly if your clothes get quite dirty, then the best way to prevent a green cast is to utilize the pre-wash cycle of your machine, rather than adding more detergent. While it may be your instinct to add more cleaning products for soiled clothing, this will only continue those staining effects. To reverse said effects, soak your clothing items overnight in a warm water bath with soap flakes. In the morning, wash the laundry as normal to banish the green. Whether you go the natural route to prevent green stains or choose to tackle them when they appear, now you know the potential root causes of your green garment problem!