Have you ever had clothes which became yellow or lost their colour after some time? You are not alone. It is a widespread issue with clothes. The global conglomerates have addressed this issue in the past by introducing something called ‘Optical Brighteners’ more commonly known as ‘Laundry Brightener’ or “Laundry Booster”.


What is Laundry Booster? 


Laundry Boosters are synthetic chemicals added in the detergent or separately while washing clothes. They make your clothes appear white and shiny bright. Thus, it seems that the clothes are cleaner. Decades ago, blue dye was added to clothes to make them brighter. This is a modern-day simple but much popular alternative.


Laundry booster actually alter UV (ultraviolet) light waves to boost blue light and minimize the amount of yellow light to make things appear whiter. This definitely will not make your clothes any cleaner, but to the naked eyes, it will make the clothes appear whiter and brighter.


If you use a UV or black light on clothes that are washed with optical brighteners, the clothes will glow! This is because of the chemical residue left on the clothes. You will be surprised to know the people in the military working on covert operations are not allowed to wash clothes with them as it can cause glow-in-black light.


Hence, these brightening agents are also called by many names, such as Fluorescent Brighteners, Fluorescent Optical Brighteners, Fluorescent Whitening Agents (FWAs), Fluorescent White Dyes, and Organic Fluorescent Dyes.


Is Laundry Booster safe?  


This is a trick question. Laundry boosters are approved in every country for sale, but there has been no study on their long-term effect on the skin. It is difficult to say that it is harmful in the long run. However, the chemicals used in brightening agents cannot be very great for human skin.


  1. For starters, the chemicals used in laundry booster are used in the manufacturing processes of paper, textiles, plastics, paint, printing inks, and cosmetics. In some instances, they are also used as pest killers.
  2. Laundry boosters are designed to bind the clothes and remain for a long time. It cannot be rinsed off easily. If you are having a harsh reaction to the skin, your best bet would be to get rid of your clothes!
  3. They are non-biodegradable and are reported to cause environmental damage, especially to marine life and plants.
  4. They will make your clothes feel stiff, and you must use laundry softeners to remove the stiffness. If you use boosters a lot, the quality of the clothing will deteriorate over time.

Are There any Alternatives Available?


Gladly, yes, there are! Skin-friendly chemicals like hydrogen peroxide and water solution are very effective alternatives. Another popular product is made with non-chlorine oxygen-based bleaches, which are also environmentally friendly.

It is the mission of SOVI® to provide the best environmentally friendly products for you and your family. You can check out our Bleach Alternative Laundry Booster, which is made with skin-friendly ingredients like Oxygen based bleach and salt. This booster works like a charm without harming your clothes.  


Our Laundry booster does not just make clothes brighter but better. Unlike other Laundry Booster products, SOVI® Laundry Booster uses oxygen-based bleach that removes stains and added fragrances remove odour. It is 100% eco-friendly and uses no chlorine, dyes, sulphates, or formaldehyde.


Home Remedy of a DIY Laundry Booster: 


You can try a few home remedies. They often work but may not be as effective.

For that, you will need lemon juice and water.


  • Prepare a mixture of lemon juice (a third cup) with boiled water (two-thirds of a cup).
  • Soak white clothes in the solution overnight. The recommended time is for at least 40 minutes.
  • Machine wash them using detergent. (For a softer touch, use this detergent made with natural ingredients)

 

You can also use the same method with distilled vinegar if you don’t have a lemon handy. Vinegar is a natural brightening agent that can make things sparkly clean, like this glass cleaner made with natural ingredients. 


Whatever you choose, make sure that you choose a laundry booster which is not made with skin-itching harmful chemicals. After all, you don’t want to throw away your entire wardrobe just because of the small mistake of choosing the wrong booster.