With summer coming to a close, not only is it time to put away your summer whites, it’s also back to school season! During the next few weeks, we will feature some tips on how to best prepare for the end of summer and some of those pesky back-to-school stains. If you have any school stains you would like to see covered, be sure to leave a comment or submit the stain in the “Ask Dr. Laundry” box.

To start, I wanted to feature some tips on the best ways to store summer apparel to ensure items are fresh and ready-to-wear for the next spring/summer season!

• Be sure items are thoroughly dry when you pack them away. This is critical because any moisture trapped in clothing can allow mildew to develop during storage. Be diligent and check parts of garments that take longer to dry, like the inside hood of a sweatshirt.


• Ideally, hang items for storage in garment bags. This will protect them from collecting dust, and limit wrinkles.


• If you will be using storage bins, choose containers with tight fitting lids to keep dust out. Pack items loosely to reduce the need to steam away wrinkles next summer.


• Generally, cotton and linen fabrics (as well as silk and synthetics) are naturally resistant to moths.  You can still add a few cedar drawer liners to your garment bag or storage bin to add a nice scent to your stored clothes.

What do you do before putting away your summer clothes?

I just bought new white towels that are a Micro Cotton style. The care label says do not bleach. Can they be bleached anyway?

You can absolutely bleach your white Micro Cotton towels with Clorox^® Regular Bleach. If a brand of 100% cotton towels say “Do Not Bleach” for every color, it is likely a way for the towel manufacturer to save money by using the same conservative care label on all of the towels in the product line, regardless of the towel’s colorfastness to either chlorine or oxygen bleach. It’s too bad; this "low-labeling" practice doesn't provide consumers with readily accessible accurate information to help them care for their textiles, the whole purpose of care labels! Anytime you have an item you aren’t sure can be safely bleached, you should do a quick bleachability test: add 2 tsp liquid Clorox^® Regular- Bleach to ¼ cup water; apply a drop on a hidden section area like inside seam, hemline or cuff; wait 1 minute and then blot dry. No color change means it is safe to use bleach on the item.

How can I remove body soils from 100% Egyptian cotton sheets? Will Clorox bleach harm the sheets by aging them faster?

It’s a common myth that bleach is hard on fabrics, and I’m happy to debunk the notion. No, laundering with Clorox^® Regular-Bleach will not cause Egyptian cotton textiles to age faster or wear out sooner. Egyptian cotton is special because its fibers are longer than most other cotton fibers, producing stronger yarns and fabrics. In general, cotton fabrics naturally deteriorate just from wearing, washing, and drying; using bleach doesn’t accelerate this effect, regardless of the length of the cotton fiber. We have examined this extensively, evaluating a wide variety of white items commonly bleached: socks, underwear, t-shirts, towels, bed sheets, dress shirts and even baseball pants. Items were washed and dried 50 times, and we found no significant difference in fabric strength between items washed with detergent and those washed in detergent and liquid bleach. It also demonstrates how to use bleach safely as directed on the label, which relates to the first question: what’s the best way to remove body soils from sheets? Assuming they are white, I recommend using the hottest water possible, and adding ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach along with your detergent. However, if they are colored, then I would do a quick bleachability test to confirm the color is bleach fast: add 2 tsp liquid bleach to ¼ cup water, apply a drop to a hidden area (for bed sheets I like to test the hem that gets tucked in at the foot of the bed) and blot dry—no color change means the sheets can be safely bleached. If the sheets don’t pass the bleachability test, then I would add Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster along with your detergent, and wash them in the hottest water possible.

My son has just recovered from the flu. Is it important to disinfect his bedding to prevent spreading the germs around the house or if a generic wash with detergent alone will do the trick?

After the flu, it is important to take the time to disinfect sheets, pillowcases, towels and clothes, to help prevent the spread of the viruses in your home. Washing with Clorox^® Regular-Bleach is a great way to fight germs, bacteria and viruses that can cause the common cold and flu in your clothes and linens. In a high efficiency washer, add ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to the dispenser (or fill dispenser to the max-fill line). Then, add your favorite detergent to its dispenser, select a disinfecting/sanitizing cycle if available and start the washer. In a standard washer, add ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach along with detergent as the washer is filling with water, before adding the laundry. Or, use the bleach dispenser if your machine has one. To disinfect hand washables, soak items for 5 minutes in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach diluted in 1 gallon of cool water.

Don’t forget about the germs left behind when you catch a sneeze on your sleeve of your favorite fleece. Your jacket might be safely bleachable if the fiber content is 100% polyester, even if it’s colored. Simply apply 1 drop of a solution made of 2 teaspoons Clorox^® Regular-Bleach and ¼ cup water to a hidden part of the jacket, like an inside seam, cuff, or collar. Be sure to test all the different components. Wait 1 minute, then blot dry. No color change means the jacket can be safely bleached along with your bleachable white items.

Generally, if your machine has a bleach dispenser, it is a good idea to use it. On some models, the dispenser automatically delays the addition of bleach, which is our “for best results” addition method. Dispensers that do not delay addition, conveniently add the bleach in a method that avoids direct contact with the laundry load before water is added. If your dispenser delays addition, I would recommend using it, and the user’s guide for your washer should indicate how the dispenser works. The delay is beneficial at helping a good detergent work better for two main reasons:

1. It allows time for enzymes in the detergent to get to work breaking up enzyme-sensitive stains.


2. It allows time for fluorescent whitening agents (FWA’s) in the detergent to deposit onto the fabric. These are colorless dyes that absorb non-visible light and reflect it in the visible (usually blue) spectrum.

That said, there is a potential problem with bleach dispensers:  some designs limit the amount of bleach that can be added. This prevents consumers from adjusting the amount of bleach they use to accommodate an extra-large or heavily soiled load. In that case, it is better to skip the dispenser and add the appropriate amount of bleach directly with the detergent as the washer is filling, before the laundry load is added. You can also wash two smaller loads if you have an HE washer that “locks” during the cycle, making it difficult to safely add bleach without using the dispenser.

How can I get rid of collar & cuff stains?

Because collars and cuffs can easily build up a lot of body soil that is rubbed into the fabric, pre-treating is a good way to get great stain removal results. The color and fiber of the shirt determines what products you can use. For white cotton and polycotton shirts, try the following:

1. Apply Clorox^® Bleach Pen^® Gel to the stain—use the soft scrubber tip to gently rub in.


2. Wash immediately in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent plus ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach.


3. Air dry and check for success—you can always treat the area again if the stains are really stubborn.

For colored items, you can pre-treat with liquid Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster:

1. Apply Clorox2^® directly to the stain and rub in.


2. Wait 3 - 5 minutes; don’t let the product dry on the fabric.


3. Wash immediately in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent and more Clorox2^®.


4. Air dry and then check to see if any stain remains. Stubborn stains may need to be treated again.

Another consideration for white shirts is to be sure to check the care label and identify if your shirt has a small percentage of spandex in it. Spandex (along with wool, silk, mohair, and leather) should not be bleached regardless of the color. For any shirts with spandex, just follow the instructions for a colored item.

How do you remove baby food stains from baby clothes?

Baby food stains really benefit from pre-treating, but first be sure to scrape away excess stain (think pureed vegetable globs like sweet potatoes), and then rinse the stain with a little cool water. Be careful not to rub the stain further into the fabric. I am sure you have both white and colored items to clean, so here are some good techniques for both:

If the item is white:

• Rub stain gently with Clorox^® Bleach Pen^® Gel immediately before laundering.


• Wash immediately in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach.

If the item is colored (or made from a fiber on the do not bleach list):

• Apply Clorox2^® directly to the stain, and rub in.


• Wait 3-5 minutes, but don’t let it dry on the fabric.


• Wash immediately in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and Clorox2^®.

After washing, air dry the items and check for success.  This is a general technique that I always advise. Stubborn stains that are partially removed can often be treated again, and you increase your chance of eventual success if you don’t heat-set any residual stain in a hot dryer.

I workout often, and it seems some shirts have a permanent odor of sweat or mold. Will Clorox 2^® help on my colored laundry?

The bleach active in Clorox2^®, hydrogen peroxide, is a gentle bleach, making it safe for almost all washable colored items. However, it doesn’t meet EPA disinfecting requirements, and so it won’t kill the germs on your workout clothes like Clorox^® Regular-Bleach. You may actually be able to use Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to safely wash some of your workout clothes provided they are colorfast to bleach and don’t contain any spandex.  You’ll need to check the items with a quick bleachability test as follows:

• Mix a test solution by diluting 2 tsp Clorox^® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water.


• Apply a drop to a hidden part of the item such as an inside hem, cuff, or seam. Wait one minute and then blot dry.


• No color change means the item can be safely bleached.

For items that don’t pass the bleachability test, you can try the following techniques to at least reduce the germ count.

• Always wash in the hottest water recommended on the item’s care label.


• Pre-soak with Clorox2^® before washing.  Dissolve 1 scoop of the powder in 2 gallons hot water; fully submerge the items for up to 8 hours or overnight.  Drain the soaking solution before washing.


• Wash any items of particular concern separately from other items to avoid germ transfer.


• Use the hottest dryer setting recommended on the care label, and dry items separately - or at least with some white towels so the items tumble properly in the dryer.


• Periodically run a washer clean-out cycle with an empty washer and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to be sure the clothes washer is disinfected and germs don’t transfer to other loads.

How would I go about whitening washcloths that were grayed by liquid body wash soap?  I have washed these cloths several times in my (HE) washer using normal laundry detergent and have had no success in getting the washcloths back to white.

There are some factors that affect cleaning, and changing your laundering habits may yield better results.  Here are some suggestions;

• Detergent choice: Make sure you are using an HE detergent — better ones contain brighteners and enzymes in addition to surfactants and builders — that is specially formulated for your washer.  Review the ingredient list, since better detergents often list the purpose of the ingredients.  A good detergent will also help bleach perform better!


• Use the correct amount of detergent:  Underusing detergent will result in poor performance, especially if you wash heavily soiled items or extra-large loads.


• Choose a “hot” wash temperature: The higher the wash temperature, the better the cleaning.


• Don’t overload the washer: Clothes need to circulate/tumble freely through the wash water for optimum cleaning.  It’s better to divide up a large, heavily soiled load into two smaller loads.


• Use the correct amount of bleach: That’s ¾ cup for a regular load, and 1 ¼ cup for an extra-large or heavily soiled load.  If your clothes washer has a bleach dispenser that limits the amount of bleach you can add, experiment with smaller loads, and fill the dispenser to the “max fill” line.

All this will help your results over time so you don’t have a buildup of incomplete soil removal. For the washcloths you have now, pre-soaking them in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water will help whiten them. Fully submerge the washcloths for 5 minutes, and then drain the soaking solution. Follow up with a hot water wash using detergent and ¾ cup bleach (or fill the dispenser to the max fill line).

Many people don't know, but you may actually be able to use Clorox® Regular-Bleach to safely wash some colored clothes provided they are colorfast to bleach and don’t contain any spandex. To check if clothes can be bleached, we have our "bleachability" test. Test clothes as follows:

• Mix a test solution by diluting 2 tsp Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water.
• Apply a drop to a hidden part of the item such as an inside hem, cuff, or seam. Wait one minute and then blot dry.
• No color change means the item can be safely bleached.