The invention provides methods, compositions and kits for increasing the brightness retention of a fabric laundered using a hypohalite-generating bleach by employing an amount of bromide-releasing compound sufficient to provide between 0.1 to about 1.5 moles of bromine ion to mole of available chlorine in a wash liquor to mitigate the negative effects of said hypohalite bleach on the optical brightener present in either the wash liquor or on said fabric. The invention also applies to fabrics washed using commercial laundry detergents which typically deliver an optical brightener into said wash liquor, said optical brightener generally exhibiting instability in the presence of said hypohalite bleaches. By employing the inventive methods and/or use of the inventive compositions, enhanced protection of the optical brightener is enabled, resulting in increased brightening of the laundered fabrics, determined versus a control as an increase in the Stensby whiteness measure of the fabric by a .DELTA.W value of greater than about 3.0.