I have a rust problem.  There just might be more RUST molecules in my water than hydrogen.  Unless hydrogen is orange.  Is hydrogen orange?  Maybe it’s the hydrogen that’s ruining my laundry.

But somehow I doubt it.

I think it’s the rust.

When we first moved in, the water was orange for a month.  We knew at that point we would never be able to stomach actually drinking the stuff.  So, if you’re ever in Kroger’s or Wal-Mart and you see a young Mommy carrying an infant and consoling a toddler with graham crackers while using her whole body to steer a cart with approximately 236 gallons of water in it, wave.  I might wave back.  If I have a free hand.

But the reason I have called you here today is not concerning rust ingestion.  No, it’s about the color of our t-shirts.  And pretty white blouses.  And towels.  They all have one thing in common.  They used to be white.  And now they’re a dingy, pale, salmon color.

Yes, I know I could bleach them.  But to do that I’d need an all white load.  And, frankly, I don’t want to bother with a load of laundry that only consists of six articles.  And what would I do with the rusty clothes that aren’t lucky enough to be entirely white?

So my question is this:  What works for you?  How do you keep your whites looking new when you have no choice but to suffer under the cruel, tyrannic reign of hard, rusty water?  Is it a brand of detergent you’ve found that can defeat the evils of our oxidizing water pipes?  Or an additive?  Do color-safe bleaches really work?  And keep in mind I’m married to a student.  I’m not sure we can afford switching to Tide.

Oh, and as always, any natural solution would just light up my day!  We have tried the vinegar in the rinse cycle, however.  And the rust overpowered it.

Thank you so much; can’t wait to see your tips!