The best products for keeping your white shirts white

A classic white T-shirt is a staple in most wardrobes. It can be dressed up or down with the remainder of your outfit, no matter the cut or style.

However, buying white T-shirts can be a hassle. The higher-quality fabrics are more expensive, which ups the stakes when it comes to spills and stains. And lower-quality fabric is quicker to yellow and fade, meaning your white shirts have to be replaced quite often.

And don't get us started on other items of white clothing (men's shirts, we're looking at you).

To help you keep your white clothes white for longer, we've rounded up the best products and ideas to help you out. From fail-safe NapiSan to a technique called 'bluing', you'll have your shirts shining bright white in no time.

NOTE: Prices are accurate at time of publishing.

Laundry powder

Vanish Napisan Oxi Action Washing Powder Stain Remover

$18.99 for 3kg here

We're sure your parents swore by NapiSan throughout your childhood, and for good reason. It's a reliable laundry powder that promises to remove stains on all fabrics, not just white ones. It can be added to your washing load, mixed with water to soak your clothes, or used as a spot treatment on specific stains, again mixed with water.

This might already be a staple buy for your household, but you can save when you buy the 3kg tub on Amazon, which is currently $8 per kg at competing retailers.

You can save more with Amazon's subscribe and save model, which delivers products consistently to your home for a lower price.

Stain remover pens

While this isn't a permanent solution, stain remover pens can play a part in keeping your white clothes white by attacking the stain as soon as it happens.

With a stain remover pen, you can avoid over-washing your white garments. They need to go in the wash if they're dirty or smelly, however, a stain remover pen can cover up that spilled coffee or sauce much quicker than a wash cycle can.

Tide To Go Instant Stain Remover Liquid Pen 3-Pack

$36.99 for three

Although the most expensive of these stain remover options, we've tried and tested the Tide To Go Instant Stain Remover Pen and have deemed it the best. Check out our review here, and check out some similar options below.

Leonis Stain Remover Pen 3-Pack

$24.99 for three

Stain Remover For Clothes Pen

$12.79 on Amazon

Natural remedies

If you're not into chemical solutions or just want to try something different, much of the advice online will tell you to use bicarbonate soda and vinegar, or lemon juice and sunlight.

Bicarbonate soda naturally whitens clothes by breaking down stains, while vinegar can work as a fabric softener. However, it's not the most fragrant mixture. Try removing stains by spot-treating the fabric with a paste made from bicarbonate soda and water, or soaking the garment in a cup of water and dissolved bicarbonate soda. After, run it through the machine with a distilled vinegar rinse.

NatureFirst Bicarbonate Soda

$3.99 for 500g

Also grab one litre of vinegar here to create the perfect whitening concoction.

Monika Lemon Juice, 1L

$5.82 on Amazon

Lemon juice is another home remedy that has seen a lot of success, given the citric acid in lemon acts as a natural bleach. Apply lemon juice to the stain, and leave it in direct sunlight for an extra dose of whitening.

If you prefer squeezing lemons yourself, you may want to check out this nifty juicer.

Mrs. Stewart's Liquid Bluing

$23.97 here

Liquid bluing involves two ingredients – Prussian blue (also known as ferric ferrocyanide) and water. Mixed together, they're excellent at keeping your white clothes whiter for longer. This is because the blue pigment counteracts any yellowing that might occur on your white clothes.

This solution should be used as a spot treatment on the garment, rather than just thrown in the washing machine.

READ NEXT: An ode to the stain-beating pen that goes with me everywhere