[stevesmith]

From my wife, who does use bleach, and my pants are not yellow or gray but extremely white...

I only use bleach when they are really bad (covered in mud).

If they are not too bad ( a few splatters or grass stains) I use Oxyclean first. It is not bleach, but works as well for most stains. It is a powder that does not ruin anything if you get it directly on the clothes and it has no odor.

Before doing anything I spray all the stains with Shout spot treatment.

To use either product I fill the washer with water. Add the usual amount of soap and the Oxyclean or bleach (per directions) to the water while it is filling. Once it is full let the washer agitator mix the stuff for a few seconds then add the knickers to the water. Do NOT pour the bleach directly on the clothes. If they are bad I usually stop the washer and let everything soak for an hour or two (really bad I leave it overnight). Then run the washer as usual. When I use bleach I usually set the washer for the extra rinse cycle to help get rid of some of the bleach odor.