White Nylon

White nylon sometimes turns creamy after repeated laundering. This is not because of improper care—it is because the white fluorescent dye used to cover the natural ivory color is being washed away. Nylon whiteners or brighteners are available among packaged dyes at your grocer. Follow directions on the package carefully.

Nylon picks up colors from other fabrics, even pastels, so always wash nylon fabrics with whites. Some stains in nylon will come out with chlorine bleach if it is used as directed, but dyes absorbed from other clothes will need a dye remover.

Exposure to sunlight weakens nylon fabric and also deteriorates the white fluorescent dye.—Margaret Childs, Brigham Young University Department of Clothing and Textiles