http://www.europeanopticalsociety.org/CommentingController/rss/SiteTree/12133 CommentingController/rss/SiteTree/12133 http://www.europeanopticalsociety.org/dr-laundry/perspiration-stains/#comment-812 How do you remove body oils from sheets? Fri, 24 May 2013 15:57:38 -0700 Anne Augustine http://www.europeanopticalsociety.org/dr-laundry/perspiration-stains/#comment-812 http://www.europeanopticalsociety.org/dr-laundry/perspiration-stains/#comment-813 With a series of soaks you should be able to remove body oils from sheets. I would pre-soak several times with a couple of different products so you can solubilize the oil, as well as break up and remove residual body soil. It’s best to work on the oily residue first: • In a plastic dishpan, dissolve 1 scoop of powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster in 2 gallons of very hot water—getting it up to around 160°F (using water from a tea kettle with hot tap water works well). Completely submerge the sheets and pillowcases (weigh them down if necessary—glass pie dishes work well) for 8 hours or overnight. Rinse the items and dish pan before the next step. • If your sheets are white or pass the bleachability test, pre-soak with a Clorox® Regular-Bleach soaking solution. Add ¼ cup bleach to 1 gallon of water and fully submerge the items for 5 minutes. Drain the soaking solution and then wash the sheets in hot water using detergent + ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach (or for colored sheets that do not pass the bleachability test - Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster). • Air dry the sheets and check to see if any stain remains. If it looks like you are making progress, then repeat the steps if necessary. In the future, make sure you always wash your sheets and pillowcases using hot water, a good detergent that contains enzymes, and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach or Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster. Pretreating the area of the pillowcase that gets oily with a little liquid laundry detergent before washing will also help keep the oil build-up under control. Good luck! Fri, 24 May 2013 15:57:38 -0700 Dr. Laundry http://www.europeanopticalsociety.org/dr-laundry/perspiration-stains/#comment-813 http://www.europeanopticalsociety.org/dr-laundry/perspiration-stains/#comment-814 I was under the impression that sweat stains on white clothes are caused by a chemical reaction between fabric and sweat. In the past when I tried bleaching whites, sweat stains have come out darker than when I put them in the laundry. These days I use the option of avoiding the stain in the first place; it's much easier than fighting with the clothing later. I use Garment Guard, a cotton shield that sticks to the shirt and prevents sweat from touching the clothing. I know bleach can do almost anything, but this is one stain that you can prevent before it happens because you know about it beforehand! Fri, 24 May 2013 15:57:38 -0700 Amber Zbierski http://www.europeanopticalsociety.org/dr-laundry/perspiration-stains/#comment-814 http://www.europeanopticalsociety.org/dr-laundry/perspiration-stains/#comment-815 Preventing the stains before they develop is definitely the most effective treatment! Fri, 24 May 2013 15:57:38 -0700 Dr. Laundry http://www.europeanopticalsociety.org/dr-laundry/perspiration-stains/#comment-815