Is it safe to sanitize plastic blow-up pool toys with Clorox^® Regular-Bleach?

Happy 4^th of July! I hope everyone has a relaxing and fun-filled holiday. One common 4^th of July activity is a trip to the pool, but between the trek through the bathrooms to the time spent in the baby pool, blow-up pool toys can collect plenty of germs! Fortunately, blow-up pool toys that are made of vinyl or plastic can be sanitized with a solution of 1 tablespoon Clorox^® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water.  Wipe the bleach solution on, let stand 2 minutes, and then allow items to air dry (you don’t have to rinse them, similar to sanitizing food contact surfaces).  It will probably be easiest to do this when the toys are inflated.  Also, plan ahead and think about where you will be doing the washing and rinsing—if you will be doing this outdoors, you might want to get a large tarp to work on, use it to air dry the items on, and once you are finished just hose it off.  If the toys aren’t that big, you could also do this inside in your shower, taking care to close the door or curtain so the bleach solution doesn’t splash onto other items in your bathroom, and leave the items in the shower to air dry.

Note that if you are using the pool toys in a lake or reservoir with murky water, you may want to use a stronger solution to disinfect the toys: add ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to 1 gallon of water and apply the solution to the toys for 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and allow to air dry.  For this stronger solution, if you will be working outside water any nearby plants first to protect them from runoff.

Can I use Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to disinfect a children’s wading pool?

It is July and heat waves are hitting all over the country! Many of us want to cool off in a backyard pool, but we also want to make sure there is no dangerous bacteria lurking in these pools that do not have any filtration system in place. Thankfully, you can use Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to treat the water in a children's wading pool.  Below is information about this from the product's EPA Master Label that should help you determine how much bleach to add for your specific situation.  You will need to know the diameter of the kiddie pool in feet, and the depth of water you fill it with in inches.

WADING POOL DISINFECTION

This product - a 6.0% sodium hypochlorite solution containing approximately 5.7% available chlorine by weight - is a convenient, economical source of chlorine for water treatment in swimming and wading pools. Also, because this product is a liquid with no insoluble particles, it is especially suitable for this use.

When chlorinating wading pools, use 1/8 cup per 100 gallons of new water. Mix required amount of Clorox^® Regular-Bleach with 2 gallons of water and scatter over surface of pool. Mix uniformly with pool water. Empty small pools daily. (Clorox^® Regular-Bleach will not harm plastic pools.)

Do not reenter pool until the chlorine residual is between 1 to 3 ppm.

The chart below is a guide to the amount of this product to add to various sized round pools.

Pool Diameter:               4 Ft               6 Ft                 8 Ft                  10 Ft                 15 Ft

Depth of Water

6 inches                  1/16 cup          1/8 cup           1/4 cup              3/8 cup              3/4 cup

1 foot                     1/8 cup           1/4 cup           1/2 cup              3/4 cup            1 5/8 cups

2 feet                      1/4 cup           1/2 cup             1 cup              1 1/2 cups         3 1/4 cups

3 feet                      3/8 cup           3/4 cup          1 1/2 cups         2 1/4 cups            5 cups

Use the following table to be sure you measure the appropriate amount of bleach:

TABLE OF LIQUID MEASURES:

3 tsp = 1 Tbsp = 1/2 Ounce = 1/16 Cup

16 Tbsp = 8 Ounces = 1 Cup = 1/2 Pint

Stabilized pools should maintain a residual of 1.0 to 1.5 ppm available chlorine. Test the pH, available chlorine residual and alkalinity of the water frequently with appropriate test kits. Frequency of water treatment will depend upon temperature and number of swimmers.

Did you know that today, June 30, 2012, we get an extra second in our day? Really! Today everyone gets an extra second to do anything they want. Check out the video below for some ideas on how to put the extra second to use. If after watching the video you find yourself inspired to do some laundry, feel free to browse the Dr. Laundry site where you can find the answers to some of your toughest laundry questions 24 hours (and one second!) a day.

Happy Leap Second Day!

What is the best was to restore a dingy, white bathing suit to its original pure white color?

It can be very difficult to keep an item white that picks up body soil and sunscreen that may also have a “hand wash in cold water” care label.  If the swimsuit contains any spandex, then using a sodium hypochlorite based bleach like Clorox^® Regular-Bleach is out of the question.

To improve the appearance of your swimsuit, you can try an overnight presoak using powdered Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster.  Dissolve 1 scoop powder in 2 gallons of very hot water, fully submerge the suit in the soaking solution, and let it soak overnight.  Use a dishwasher safe dinner plate to weigh it down if necessary so the suit is all way into the soaking solution.  Let it soak for up to 8 hours or overnight, then pour off the soaking solution and wash the swimsuit in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and more Clorox2^®.

Can Clorox be used on white clothing with black embroidery?

Normally I recommend the bleachability test to determine if a colored item can be safely washed with Clorox^® Regular-Bleach: Add 2 teaspoons bleach to ¼ cup water and apply a drop of the solution to a hidden part of the item; wait 1 minute and blot dry; no color change means the item can be safely bleached. With embroidery, it’s a little more complicated since it is virtually impossible to test for bleachability on a “hidden area” without potentially discoloring the embroidery thread if it isn’t bleach-fast. It would help if you knew the fiber content of the embroidery thread—if it’s polyester, there is actually a good chance that it will be bleach-fast, but this information is generally not provided, making it difficult to know for sure without giving it a try. With cotton embroidery thread, whether or not it is bleach-fast depends on what type of dye was used. Assuming you decide bleaching the item is important enough to take the chance that the embroidery may fade slightly or discolor, I would follow our “for best results” instructions, delaying the addition of the bleach as follows: Dilute ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach in 1 quart water and add to the washer 5 minutes after the cycle has begun agitating.

If you decide against bleaching the entire item, you may want to try applying Clorox^® Bleach Pen Gel to any specific stains you are trying to remove. Just be sure to wash the item immediately after pretreating. Or, you could try an overnight pre-soak with powdered Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster. Dissolve 1 scoop or 1 pack in 2 gallons water and fully submerge the item for up to 8 hours. Drain the soaking solution then wash the item in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent + more Clorox2^®. This approach is particularly good for white items that include spandex and therefore can’t be washed with Clorox^® Regular-Bleach or Clorox^® Bleach Pen Gel.

Is it sanitary to wash white towels and dish cloths and underwear?

Whether or not you combine all your white bleachable items with your underwear into one load or separate a few items to wash depends on the condition of the underwear. If there are any fecal solids present then I would consider washing those items separately from kitchen towels and cloth napkins. Otherwise it's perfectly reasonable to combine all your white items into one load. That said here are some other considerations to make sure you are properly disinfecting your laundry:

1. Use 3/4 cup of bleach for a regular size load with an average soil level, and 1 ¼ cup for an extra-large or heavily soiled load.  Using less than the recommended amount will not provide the correct amount of bleach active to disinfect the load.

2.  Don't overload the washer with too much laundry. Items need to circulate or tumble freely through the wash water for optimum cleaning.

3.  Don't overload the washer with items that have excess stain remnants still on the fabric. In that case it's important to increase the amount of bleach to 1 1/4 cup or wash two smaller loads if you must use a bleach dispenser to add bleach to your washer and it limits the amount of bleach you can add.

How do you remove tea stain from light blue jeans?

Since your tea stain is on denim, you can treat it by applying Liquid Clorox^® 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster into stain and rub it in. Wait for 5-10 minutes, then wash immediately in the hottest water recommended using detergent and Clorox^® 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster. Allow to air dry and check to make sure the stain is completely removed. It's important to keep a stained item out of a hot dryer to avoid heat setting any residual stain. That way if any stain remains, you can repeat the treatment as needed.

How do you remove pine sap from a cotton t-shirt?

Tree sap is a very challenging stain to get out. Try treating the stain directly with DeSolvIt^® or Goo Gone^®, which you can find at hardware stores. You should first test for colorfastness (apply a drop to a hidden part of the garments, rinse, and blot dry) if you want to be sure the product is safe for the fabric. If there is no color change, rub a little into the sap and then wash with detergent in the hottest water allowed (check the care label). Allow to air dry and then check for success. You may need to repeat the treatment to remove the stain fully, so it's very important to keep the item out of a hot dryer to avoid heat-setting any residual stain that would otherwise come out with a second treatment. You can also increase the length of time you pre-treat the stains before washing—just don’t let the product dry on the fabric.

How do I remove grass stains from a white dress shirt?

A little more information on the type of dress shirt and fiber types would have been helpful. First, check the care label and eliminate any items that include wool, silk, mohair, spandex, and leather. For all other types of fabrics, begin by presoaking the item in cool water using a good liquid laundry detergent that contains enzymes—check the ingredient list to be sure. Allow the shirt to soak for at least 30 minutes to help break up the stain. Then, since your shirt is white, apply Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel directly to the stain. Use the soft scrubber tip to gently rub a little gel into the stain, and the wash immediately in warm water with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach. Air dry the shirt, and check for success. If any stain remains, you can always repeat the treatment, and your chances of eventual success go way up if you keep the item out of a hot dryer (and prevent the stain from being heat-set). Hopefully this is helpful, and thanks for writing.

Does Clorox work in cold water?

Yes, Clorox® Regular-Bleach is effective in all different temperatures of wash water, including cold. Reducing wash temperature is a great way to save energy and important for protecting our planet, but it’s important to note that there is also a performance trade off. Lower wash temperatures aren’t as effective at cleaning as higher wash temperatures, and adding bleach along with your regular detergent is a great way to improve cleaning and whitening when washing in cold water. Adjusting load sizes, pre-dissolving detergent, pre-treating stains, and even spiking cold water with a little hot are all techniques to get better cold water results and save energy. Also, it is particularly important when washing in cold water to not under-use bleach or other laundry products. Doing so will make it even more challenging to get good results than it already is just from the drop in performance that comes with lower wash temperatures.