Up in Alaska bleach just did not work on your white clothes. It would turn them rusty. So pretty much everybody used iron out. To this day I still use it on my hunting whites. It does not eat at the fabric like bleach. I typically fill the washer up with hot water and the iron out. Then I put my whites in there. Let it agitate for a minute or two and then I let them soak for about 30 minutes. After soaking I add some free and clear laundry detergent to avoid UV. Usually does the trick pretty good. I do have some stubborn blood and mud stains that don’t come out. I’ve tried bleach on them and it doesn’t get them out either.
Just figured I would share if anybody was looking for an alternative to bleach. If you have one I am all ears!