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Shea Simmons is an Atlanta-based writer who has written about everything from whether Crisco is a good moisturizer to how to KonMari your space. Her work has appeared in Bustle, My First Apartment, and Make It Grateful. Read more...

When you want to brighten your whites, you likely assume bleach is the only way. For those who want to avoid harsh chemicals in their laundry, though, there is an alternative.

You can use lemon juice to brighten your white sheets.

While lemon juice won’t give your linens the shock of white that a traditional bleaching agent would, it will help remove dullness and add some brightness back thanks to the citric acid. It acts as a bleaching agent when used on whites, but keep in mind that it’s not color-safe so stick to using this hack only on your white sheets and towels.

Snag a new set of sheets and use this hack to keep them pristine.

So, how do you use it? The easiest way is to add it to your machine. Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup lemon juice to the bleach dispenser (or to the wash water if there isn’t one) at the same time you add your detergent. Then add in your sheets and run your usual cycle.

If you have something smaller to wash—like a towel or two or a white shirt—you can also soak the item. Fill a bucket or a sink with hot water and add 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Then, allow the items to soak overnight.

If you don’t have any bleach on hand or just want to avoid harsh cleaner, lemon juice might be your sheets’ new best friend.

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