Keeping White Polo Shirts White?

[QTPie]

DS's preschool have a uniform which includes a white polo shirt. Each day it comes back covered in mud, paint, general grim and, now he has started school dinners, food... A wash at 40' really isn't good enough. They seem to need a soak in a bucket of vanish "Crystal White" to get he stains out...

What do other people do? Am I missing something obvious or forever doomed to a weekly soak in Vanish?

(White is a silly colour for preschool/infant polo shirts :( )

[KeatsiePie]

Yes it is, how ridiculous. Rods for all your backs, thanks very much to the school.

I stain spray, leave overnight, wash on hot, and add 1/2 cup to 1 cup each of baking soda and lemon juice to the wash. Be sure to add the soda and lemon juice before you put the clothes in and let them mix in so that they do not spot the clothes.

[looselegs]

...washing up liquid.....
...DD's school can wear white,navy or red polo's...
...after the first year,she only had red or navy....

[Beamur]

I replace once a year. They always seem to end up grey.

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

We get new white ones annually.

I usually buy 3 x 3 packs (think that's what Tesco sell!) and send ds's in the best or least battered ones each week.

I have this year started to add a spoonful of vanish to the white wash each week. While it might not remove all of the white board marker or brown paint, at least the rest of the shirt is gleaming !

[5madthings]

Ha ha try four boys in white shirts,'younger two in polos, elder two now in shirts. It's a nightmare!

If they have any marks Iwash those by hand with washing gel (fairy) in COLD water, this gets the worst out and then once a week I wash all white shirts on a 90deg wash!

Some things get an overnight soak if they need it.

But I STILL end up chucking them out as they stain/go grey.

[5madthings]

And yes use vanish not that it makes any difference.

[HereComesHoneyBooBooDragon]

I chuck a dishwasher tablet in the wash with them.

[BikeRunSki]

DS has just started Reception with white polo shirts as uniform. They all go in a seperately laundry basket, then all washed together (and only with other white stuff) on a cycle with a prewash and Vanish. Sometimes I'll soak one or more in Vanish on the day it's worn if it particularly mucky. Now it is colder, the school jumpers seem to be taking the flack instead and they are so plasticy they don't stain.

[twoboysundertwo]

the vanish whitener is great! I did an overnight soak of Hubby's shirts and they came up gleaming:)

[QTPie]

Sorry, missed most if the replies to this.

Glad that I not alone and thank you for the ideas :)