Q: I have a number of old tablecloths that have yellowed and also have coffee stains. What’s your best suggestion?

A: I assume the tablecloth is white and bleachable. I suggest you at least wash it in the hottest wash recommended for the item. Prior to the hot water wash with detergent and liquid Clorox bleach, do the quick Bleachability Test (2 tspn liquid bleach in 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden area like inside seam, hemline or cuff; wait 1 minute and then blot with towel); no color change means it is safe to use bleach on the item. You may also consider a quick bleach soak if appropriate for the item/color. (1/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach in gallon of cool water for 5-10 minutes). A couple of other bleach options:

• Try the Clorox BleachPen Gel on the yellow or coffee spots. Apply using the scrubber tip; then wash in hot water with detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox Bleach


• Try the Clorox UltimateCare bleach which is safe enough to pour directly onto the yellowed or coffee stain; rub in and then wash in hot water with detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox Bleach

Always check for success before drying as you may need to retreat the item.

Q: Dear Dr. Landry, I found your website very informative, and seek your help. I carefully washed the laundry with pastel colors and my husband’s brand new and favorite t-shirt came out with light blue stains caused by bleeding. I soaked it in Oxy Clean, Clorox for Colors, Borax and Lestoil to no avail. What do dry cleaners do? I appreciate any suggestions.

A: Dye transfer can be difficult to remove as noted by the variety of products you have used. The issue is you basically dyed the spot blue and then probably dried it which set the color. You don't say what color the t-shirt area was before it became blue. If it was white, I would recommend a couple of thoughts:

• Consider Clorox Bleach Pen Gel on the blue area. If unsure, do the Bleachability Test before proceeding (see the label or the link on my blog on the left). Simply apply the product; rub with the scrubber; wait a couple of minutes then wash in hottest water recommended for item using detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach. Check for success before drying as you may have to repeat the treatment.


• Consider a short soak using 1/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach in a gallon of cool water for 5-10 minutes then wash in hottest water recommended for item using detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach. Check for success before drying as you may have to repeat the treatment.


• Another great product is our Clorox UltimateCare Bleach. It's thick creamy texture is gentle enough to pour directly on white clothes; so you could pour on, rub into the blue area then wash as above. Check for success before drying as you may have to repeat the treatment.

Dry cleaners use solvents for their cleaning; this may not be appropriate for a cotton t-shirt. Usually, if it is cotton, the dye will slowly be removed with each subsequent washing. You can accelerate this by washing in hotter water.

Q: I own a tanning salon and a bottle of tanning lotion exploded on my new blouse. I rinsed it out but now I have a white ring around the stain. Is there anything I can do to get these stains out? Your response would be appreciated.

A: Tanning lotion usually contains a lot of oily components and some solids for protection that may be best be treated by pre-treating with a good liquid detergent (apply, rub in and wait 5-10 minutes). Next, wash in the hottest water recommended for the item (check the care label) using detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach if white OR detergent + recommended amount of Liquid Clorox2 Bleach for Colors if colored. Don't forget to check for success after washing and repeat procedure if needed before drying. If you’re not sure if successful, then it's best to air dry and then retreat item if needed. AVOID dryer drying as this may "melt" the oils into the fibers making them difficult/impossible to remove.

Q: I have a christening gown with a yellowish stain around the collar. It has been in a box for years. I need to clean it for the next generation to wear in June. Please help!

A: You didn’t give me much detailed information (e.g., the color of the item, what you might have tried, etc). I’m assuming it is white.

I suggest you at least wash it in the hottest wash recommended for the item. You may want to consider a quick bleach soak if appropriate for the item/color. (1/4 cup bleach in gallon of cool water for 5-10 minutes) prior to that hot water wash with detergent and liquid Clorox bleach. Do the quick Bleachability Test (2 tspn liquid bleach in 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden area like inside seam, hemline or cuff; wait 1 minute and then blot with towel; no color change means it is safe to use bleach on the item.) A few other bleach options:

• Try the Clorox BleachPen Gel on the yellow spots. Apply using the scrubber tip; then wash in hot water with detergent and Clorox bleach


• Try the Clorox UltimateCare bleach which is safe enough to pour directly onto the yellowed stain; rub in and then wash in hot water with detergent and Clorox bleach

Q: Can you tell me how to get the odor out of my business blouses, shirts, and jackets? Specifically, I have a new dark burgundy jacket that I've worn to work three times, and already I can smell it. It's made of polyester, nylon and spandex. The cleaning instructions say: hand wash in cold water, no bleach. I hope you can advise!

A: The issue here is the recommended hand wash in cold water is NOT sufficient to remove the perspiration odor. The products and cold water means you are using a delicate procedure on a heavy-duty problem. Once the residual odor casing bacteria penetrate the fibers they have the perfect growth environment with your warm body temperature. I might recommend you try dry cleaning and see if this does better for you. I know it's more expensive but the process has much better chance of removing more residual odor causing bacteria.

Q: The first time I washed and dried a red velour outfit, I discovered it had blue spots on it, though it didn't have them when I put it in the wash. I remembered my daughter brushed the sleeve on some chocolate, so I had spot-treated with Shout. I use Free and Clear Arm and Hammer detergent. The stain was a bright blue stain....and has spots....in a small cluster. The washer was not overloaded and no fabric softener was used.

The second time it was a pink pair of sweat pants...brand new...same combination of Shout and Arm and Hammer Free and Clear detergent. This time I took the pants out of the washer with this stain present....the item never reached the dryer. Do you know what could be causing this stain? What can get it out?

A: This certainly is baffling. I know of no reason that either the Shout or Arm & Hammer Free & Clear would create blue spots/stains on new clothes. If it were incomplete removal of the stain, it is very unlikely it would "turn" blue. No liquid fabric softener removes that possibility. I have sometimes seen what I call a brightener spot when liquid detergent is applied for pre-treating and dries on the fabric. Once these dry they are nearly impossible to remove. So I am assuming the Shout and detergent were not dried on the items. Also, it helps if the detergent was dispersed in the wash water before you add the items.

A couple of other thoughts: in some of the high-efficiency (HE) machines, residual water can be left that may be mixed into the next load. If this contained bleach it might "splatter", and react quickly with a small area and discolor it.

Q: I have used Lestoil for removing stains from clothes for years. I love this product but I have found that the store I usually shop in, Giant Eagle, does not carry it any more. Is there somewhere that still sells Lestoil?

A: Lestoil is a unique product and very good for removing certain stains. Unfortunately, it is not widely available. I find the best chances to find it are in hardware stores as most of the other stores you mentioned do not usually carry it.

Q: I work at a restaurant sometimes doing dishes. The health department says that the dishes should be washed in hot soapy water, then rinsed in hot water, then rinsed in a cold water solution with 1 tablespoon of bleach per 3 gal water. I’ve heard that too much bleach doesn't serve the purpose and hot water kills the effect of bleach. My employer insists that the rinse with bleach is to be in hot water with a lot of bleach. Is it safe to wipe the dishes? I worked at a college where they insisted that the last rinse be with bleach in cold water. Which is the most effective way to rinse in bleach to kill most germs?

A: Clorox Regular -Bleach is a quick and effective way for a restaurant to insure the completion of the dishwashing process. Here are the instructions from our Master Label:

And this is the picture that was developed to communicate this info:

So to answer your specific questions:

• Always wash in hot soapy water; then rinse with hot water then apply/rinse in bleach solution.


• Better to use 1 tablespoon per gallon of water; this produces the 200ppm concentration recommended/needed for sanitizing these surfaces. One can add more, but only 200ppm is needed for this application.


• Note the water temperature for the bleach solution is recommended to be 75F which would be cool.


• After the 2 minute bleach solution dip, it is recommended to air dry the items. This allows the solution time to complete the germ kill. It is not recommended to wipe the dishes immediately after the rinse. One reason is the towels can have residual germs that may defeat the purpose of the bleach rinse/dry procedure.


• So I would use the materials I provided above to get the best/desired outcome.