How to Keep White Underwear White (and Stop It Going Gray)
Give me the short version
To keep white underwear white, wash it only with other whites, wash it after every wear, use cold water and a little less detergent than you think, and skip the bleach and the hot tumble dryer. Once a month, soak your whites in cool water with bicarbonate of soda, add a splash of white vinegar to the rinse and dry them in daylight if you can. Gray usually means dye or dirt has crept in from other clothes, and yellow usually means sweat and body oils have built up or been baked in by heat. If you want the full picture, read on.
There's nothing quite like a brand new pair of white briefs. Crisp, bright and very hard to ignore.
Then a few months go by. One wash with a stray red sock, a couple of hot cycles, a gym session left in the laundry basket over the weekend, and that brilliant white has turned a sad shade of "dishwater". Most guys assume it's just what white underwear does.
It isn't, mostly. At Bill and Brandon, white is one of our favorite colors to wear, so we've learned how to keep it looking box-fresh. Here's how to keep white underwear white, why it goes gray or yellow in the first place and how to rescue a pair that has already started to fade.
WHY WHITE UNDERWEAR GOES GRAY OR YELLOW
Knowing the cause tells you the fix, so it's worth thirty seconds.
Gray is usually a laundry problem. Dye from darker clothes and loose dirt in the wash water settle back onto white fabric a little more with every cycle. Too much detergent makes it worse, because the leftover residue grabs onto that dirt.
Yellow is usually a body problem. Sweat and natural skin oils build up in the fabric over time, especially around the waistband and pouch. Heat from a hot dryer or an iron then sets those stains in place, which is why a pair can look fine out of the washer and yellow after the dryer.
HOW TO KEEP WHITE UNDERWEAR WHITE: THE EVERYDAY HABITS
Wash whites with whites, and nothing else
This is the big one. Even a pair of black jeans that "never runs" sheds a little dye every wash. Give your whites their own load, or at the very least keep them with pale colors only.
Wash after every single wear
Sweat and body oils are easiest to shift while they're fresh. Leave a worn pair balled up in the basket for a week (we've all done it) and they start to settle into the fibers. Gym pairs especially should go in the wash the same day.
Go cold, and go easy on the detergent
Most guides tell you to wash whites hot. For underwear with stretch in it, that's bad advice. Our briefs, jocks and thongs are 92% cotton and 8% spandex, and the care label says to machine wash cold. Hot water wears out the elastic long before it gets the whites any whiter.
Use slightly less detergent than the bottle suggests, especially if you have soft water. Less residue means less dirt clinging to the fabric.
Skip the bleach
Chlorine bleach is the classic whitening trick, and it's the wrong one for stretchy underwear. It weakens spandex and can actually turn it yellow over time, which is the opposite of what you wanted. Our care labels say no bleach for exactly this reason. The natural options below do the job without wrecking the waistband.
Low heat, or no heat
Tumble dry on low or, better still, hang your whites to dry. High heat is what bakes yellow stains in, and it's also hard on elastic. Underwear dries fast on a rack, so this one costs you almost nothing.
HOW TO BRIGHTEN WHITE UNDERWEAR THAT'S STARTED TO DULL
Already seeing a bit of gray? Before you give up on them, try this once a month.
The bicarbonate of soda soak
Dissolve a few tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda in a sink or bowl of cool water. Soak your whites for a few hours, or overnight if they're properly dull, then wash as normal. It helps loosen built-up sweat and residue that a quick cycle leaves behind.
White vinegar in the rinse
Add a splash of white vinegar (around 100ml) to the fabric conditioner drawer. It cuts through leftover detergent, softens the fabric and takes stale smells with it. And no, your briefs won't smell like chips afterward. It rinses out completely.
Let the sun do some of the work
Drying whites outside in daylight gives them a gentle natural brightening boost. Long before bleach existed, people laid linen out on grassy "bleaching fields" to whiten it in the sun, and the idea still works. Just don't leave them out for days, and bring them in once they're dry.
Treat marks straight away
If a pair picks up a mark, rinse it under cold running water as soon as you can. Hot water can set sweat and other body-related stains rather than lift them. Rub gently with a little detergent, then wash as normal.
THE WHITES WORTH LOOKING AFTER
All this care pays off far more on a good pair than on a cheap multipack. Our Brandon Brief in white is the crisp classic, with a body-defining fit and a super soft waistband in soft cotton-stretch fabric. It's the pair that looks best when it's genuinely bright.
For something with a little more personality, Bill's Brief in white has a small but devoted fan club. Its one review so far is a rave from a customer whose only complaint was that it sold out before he could buy more.
White jockstraps need the same treatment, arguably more, since that open back leaves nowhere for a gray waistband to hide. Bill's Jockstrap in white comes out of the same 92% cotton and 8% spandex fabric, so every tip above applies. If you're new to jocks, our guide on how to wear a jockstrap covers the rest.
WHEN TO LET A WHITE PAIR GO
One thing worth admitting: no routine keeps white underwear white forever. Sweat, washing and time all add up, and eventually even a well-loved pair turns a shade you'd rather nobody saw.
If the waistband has lost its spring, the fabric has gone thin or a soak no longer brings the color back, it's time to retire them. Plenty of guys keep a couple of black pairs in rotation for gym days and save their whites for when they want to look sharp. That alone adds months to their life.
It's also why Bill and Brandon makes sexy menswear in bold colors as well as classic white. Some days call for crisp. Some days call for a pair that hides the evidence of leg day.
Choosing between styles? Our guide to men's underwear briefs walks you through fit, fabric and which pair suits which day.
KEEP YOUR WHITES BRIGHT
Keeping whites white comes down to a handful of habits. Separate them, wash them often and cold, skip the bleach and the hot dryer, and give them a soak when they start to dull. Do that and your favorite pair stays the one you reach for when you want to be noticed.
When it's time to restock the drawer, our full range of men's underwear has crisp whites alongside every color you could want, with most single pairs at £22.99.
We're a UK brand with daily dispatch, discreet eco-friendly packaging and more than 500 "Excellent" reviews. Have a browse of the full range, check the FAQs if you have a question or get in touch and we'll help you find your fit.