I have taken part in my first challenge from the Vanish Blogger's Club. I received a box containing a pot of Vanish Gold for Whites along with a white shirt, which has been aged to give that characteristic dingy grey colour, that can come from washing and wearing whites. The challenge was to restore the white shirt back to its dazzling glory with the help of Vanish Gold for Whites!
To help monitor the restoration of its original white colour, we were given a white colour chart. The shirt matched the greyest of the whites on the chart. As Kezia wears white shirts as part of her school uniform, the slow decline of bright whiteness to dinginess is a laundry problem that I am all to familiar with.
The Vanish Gold for Whites powder comes with a scoop and can be used three ways:
1: As a pre-wash by adding one scoop to 4 litres of warm water and soaking for up to six hours, thoroughly rinsing then washing as per the garment's washing instructions.
2: As a pre-treat stain remover by mixing a quarter of a scoop of powder to three quarters of a scoop of water to make a smooth paste, which can be applied directly to the stain for 30 seconds (up to a maximum of five minutes) and then rubbed in, before washing.
3: As a boost to your detergent, by adding one scoop in with your normal detergent to boost its stain removal power.
Vanish Gold for Whites is safe to use on cotton and washable synthetic blends such as polyester. For delicates there is a gel, and colour/fabric testing is recommended before use, by pre-treating in an inconspicuous place.
I used the Vanish as a boost to the whites wash, adding it straight into the drawer, to enhance the effectiveness of washing with my usual detergent alone. To get three shades whiter, five to seven washes with the Vanish Gold boost is recommended.
I used a 1 hour 40 minute wash at forty degrees to wash my loads of whites washing, which is the usual programme that I use for my laundry. So my challenge was not assisted by using a hotter or longer wash. The only change made to my usual laundry routine was the addition of the Vanish Gold for Whites powder.
Vanish Gold for Whites has a RRP of £5.75 for a 470g tub of powder or a 940ml bottle of gel. This is a small price to pay to preserve the pristine look of white garments. I hate it when pure white tops start to look dingy and grey, so to avoid that would definitely add to the long term wearability of favourite items.
The results are in...after just five washes with the Vanish Gold for Whites there is a distinct improvement in the whiteness of the shirt. Using the colour chart, the colour is indeed between two to three shades whiter. The shirt's colour has definitely been restored. Kezia's school shirts, which were starting to look slightly grey have had their whiteness lifted too, especially around the collar and cuffs. They look brighter and smarter.
I was slightly sceptical as to whether the Vanish Gold would live up to its claims, but was genuinely pleasantly surprised by its results on discoloured white laundry. I haven't tested it on heavily soiled whites washing, but I am definitely impressed on the results on lightly soiled and well worn whites.
