SwanseaCity

How can I get my whites white? Should I be doing my laundry at 40C? 60C? 90C?

23-Mar-2023 07:00:02 | The Guardian

No one knows how to tackle mud, grass and blood stains better than the chaps responsible for looking after white football kit. So I headed to Swansea City

How does one get one’s whites whiter? I’ve washed at 40C and 60C and even 90C, with and without the pre-wash. And no joy. I have a friend from St Helens who runs a B&B in North Carolina and she swears blind she achieves perfect whiteness with a cold wash. Cold! I’ll believe it when I see it.

I’ve long wondered what it must be like to be in charge of a white-kitted football club’s kit. I had to find out. I paid Swansea City a visit, at their training ground on a windswept corner of the Gower peninsula. The car park, as is standard at these places, resembled the Geneva Motor Show. But the players’ marvellous motors were of no interest to me; I only had eyes for the kit room.

Adrian Chiles is a broadcaster, writer and Guardian columnist