dumb question about about how to use bleach

[thumper55]

I don't use bleach in my laundry, but I want to get some dirt stains out of some towels.

I use microfiber towels that are a pale yellow color,
these towels are fully utilized, so really dirty, and really smelly .

After they get washed, they will be used again in the same fashion.

I have a lot of towels and it will make a full loadl Not worth the effort to spot clean them.

I washed them with about a cup of vinegar with detergent. They don't smell anymore, but still are very stained.

Would you use some bleach? how much? and will it make the towels have white spots, since they are supposed to be yellow?

[emoflamingo]

If you dried them, they are possibly already set. If you wanted to try, you could use oxyclean or get some color-safe bleach.

[mrs.jacinthe]

Honestly, if they've been washed and dried, the stains will be MUCH harder to get out, but you might be able to help some.

I do a bleach load about once a month and always use the pre-soak setting on the washer. I fill the bleach receptacle to the "max fill" line. If you do this, they will probably come out a (possibly MUCH) lighter shade of yellow, TBH.

[tarheels]

Here's my thought: yes, bleach them, because they're kinda goners already, so what's it matter if they turn out funky colored?

When I wash old kitchen towels, it uniformly lightens them. Like I have some that used to be khaki that are now a pinky sand color. Not the greatest color, but meh, they're my old clean-up towels. I wouldn't bleach my pretty seasonal ones that go on the hanging bar.

I have, knock on wood, never had bleach leave spots on anything. If you think about it, your bleach will be diluted evenly in your washing machine water, not dropped on each towel.

As for how much, I don't use a measuring cup, I just pour however much looks sufficient for the amount of laundry I'm doing. My machine has a dispenser for it like for fabric softener - I use a little for a little load and a lot for a big load. Your towels won't be eaten through or anything if you fill up the dispenser for a full load - there's all those gallons of water in there to dilute it.