To whiten old linens, try washing them with a white cloth bag filled with broken up eggshells. If the collars and cuffs of your shirts have those typical dark marks on the inside, rub them vigorously with boiled potatoes; then clean them and scrub them again with a sorghum brush. Instead of potatoes you can use white chalk powder which can absorb fats well.

Be careful with bleach.

Also known as bleach, bleach is a sodium hypochlorite solution commonly used as a detergent, disinfectant and whitener in household cleaning. However, like ammonia, it can be harmful and irritating to the body, as well as polluting the environment. For these reasons, the use of bleach must be reduced, limited to cases of true necessity, and in the future with due precautions, always avoid direct contact with the substance. 

 

Once a month, try throwing a mixture of hot water and bicarbonate of soda (three tablespoons per half liter of water) directly down the sink drain, or a single large cup of very hot vinegar, finishing the operation with two liters of boiling water paid immediately afterwards.