Q: My physician just recommended to me that I use regular bleach in my wash to disinfect my whites to kill any bacteria or yeast that may be present. He said that normal detergent doesn't always kill them. My question for you is concerning color safe bleach. Does Clorox 2 color safe bleach have the same disinfection and sanitization capabilities as Regular Clorox bleach?

A: Your doctor is correct that regular detergent washing is not sufficient to control yeast. 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular - Bleach added with your detergent and washed in warm/hot water should provide the result you are looking for.

Unfortunately Clorox2® for Colors has hydrogen peroxide as its active ingredient and this is NOT sufficient to provide any sanitizing or disinfecting benefit.

I also find a lot of garments including colored ones that can be safely bleached. You might want to try the Bleachability Test on a hidden part of these garments (2 tspn liquid Clorox® Regular - Bleach in 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden color section 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. If the item is bleach fast, you can use the instructions for hot water wash in detergent and Clorox® Regular - Bleach mentioned above.

Q: I have a HUGE problem! I washed a load of whites the other day without checking pockets and went to take the clothes out of the washer when I realized a red cough drop was in a sweatshirt pocket and has basically ruined a whole load of laundry! I am so upset and have tried everything, Oxyclean, All, bleach, you name it. The clothes are still wet and I can't find anything online. Please help!

A: Usually the red dye in cough drops should be decolorized by bleach. In your case, I probably would recommend that a short bleach presoak (1/4 cup Clorox® Regular - Bleach in gallon of warm water for 5-10 minutes) be done before laundering. Then, launder in hot water using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular - Bleach.

Q: Help! We have a dress that we were trying to get mud stains out of... we mistakenly let the clorox 2 dry on it and now have yellow stains all over it. It is an orange and white searsucker dress...can it be saved?

A: I don't have any good news for you here. Unfortunately, once the Clorox2® for Colors has dried one of the ingredients, the brightening agent which helps make the item look brighter, is "set" in that spot. I have tried retreating the area, rewashing and have never had any luck totally removing it. It just does not want to be re-solubilized. Sorry I don't have any better news for you.

Q: I have black stains on my dishtowels from pots and pans and have soaked and bleached them, but cannot get rid of the stains. Is there something I can add to the wash water that will remove these stains, other than bleach?

A: I'm not sure from your description what is the source or causing the black marks. They could be baked-on grease and oil or oxidized metal like streaks in the sink. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the bleach soak/wash would be effective against either type of stain. If they are old grease/oil stains, sometimes these can be removed by pre-treating with a good liquid detergent (rub into the spots; wait 5-10 minutes) then wash in hot water with detergent. If they are oxidized metal, that's a lot tougher and I really don't have any good suggestions. You might try soaking them in a good powdered detergent, but it is doubtful that this will solve your problem. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Q: Do you make or know of a laundry additive (Clorox 2) which is safe for colors but also kills germs like regular Clorox does?

A: This is a great question and one I hear a lot. Unfortunately, there currently is NOT a product for disinfecting colored clothes. Our Clorox2® for Colors contains hydrogen peroxide as its active ingredient. It is a much weaker bleach than the sodium hypochlorite found in Clorox® Regular- Bleach and is not capable of meeting EPA disinfecting requirements.

As I have written previously, the best ways to reduce germ counts in (colored) laundry are:

• Use the hottest wash water recommended on the care label; might also do more than one wash on these items to further reduce the bacteria count.


• Consider washing the items of concern separately so that the germs are NOT spread to more items; transfer can occur in the washer and when transferring/handling from the washer to dryer.


• Use the hottest dryer setting recommended on the care label and dry the items separately to maximize germ reduction. While the dryer isn't capable of completely killing, it will help lower the germ count.


• Check the items for Bleachability. It's surprising how many things labeled as Do Not Bleach are actually OK to use liquid bleach. Do the quick Bleachability/colorfast test on a hidden part of the colored item (2 tspn liquid Clorox® Regular - Bleach in 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden color section 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. If bleachfast, consider a quick bleach soak (1/4 cup Clorox® Regular - Bleach in gallon of warm water for 5-10 minutes) before washing in the hottest water recommended on the care label.


• Finally, to prevent further germ spread, I would do a white load using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular - Bleach after these items had been washed. Kind of like a mouthwash for your washer.

Q: I have a white bathing suit. It has only been worn two times. I washed it with Clorox bleach and it now has a slight yellow tinge to it. The tag said do not use in chlorine. My questions are... Does bleach have chlorine in it? How do I get my swimsuit gleaming-white again?

A: I have some not so good news for you. Your white bathing suit probably contains a fair amount of Spandex. The tag mentions not using chlorine bleach which is another way of describing Clorox Bleach. Washing in Clorox Bleach will react with the Spandex, the higher the amount the more noticeable the yellowing. Thus, the warning on your bathing suit and on the Clorox Bleach labels to avoid using on Spandex. Unfortunately this is not a reversible reaction. The current color is the new permanent color.

Sorry I couldn't have better news for you.

Q: I have a white shirt that is 100% cotton with a spaghetti/tomato sauce stain that did not come out after two times in the washing machine. Unfortunately, the shirt sat in the hamper from Wednesday until Saturday before it was washed. When I discovered the stain, before washing it the first time, I sprayed "Zout" stain remover soaking the outside & inside of the shirt at the stain area. On the same day as the first wash, for the second wash I repeated this & also added a bleach "Vivid" a color safe bleach product. Maybe the stain faded, but it is still there. Should I try it again - I do not have Clorox Oxi Magic yet as described on the Clorox page. Any ideas?

A: Sounds like you have partially dealt with the spaghetti sauce stain. Depending on what was in the sauce, the remainder is probably combination of color bodies and oils. The Zout is usually pretty good on oily parts, but lacks the kick to "bleach" out the colored part. The Vivid is an oxygen bleach which is much weaker than Clorox Regular-Bleach so it didn't have the power to get the colored portion bleached.

What I would suggest is at least wash it in the hottest wash recommended for the item. Might 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) prior to that hot water wash with detergent and Clorox Regular-Bleach. Do the quick Bleachability Test if uncertain (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.

Here are a couple of other bleach options:

• Try the Clorox BleachPen Gel on the stain. 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 stain; rub in and then wash in hot water with detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox Bleach

Don't forget to check for success after washing and before drying. You might need to retreat the item.

Q: I have some used baby clothes that looked clean when I packed them away, but when I got them out to prepare them for the birth of my second child, they had yellow stains around the neck from spit-up and/or formula. Can anything get these stains out?

A: This happens a lot as we think things are clean but storage seems to find those not so clean areas. Not uncommon to see this in stored underwear, sheets, and towels. The yellowing results from oxidation (slow reaction with oxygen in air to change color) of unremoved stains usually has a protein component that needs to be removed. These are big, complex structures that are best broken down using enzymes. Unfortunately, these materials are not found in every laundry product and they are rather slow to work.

What I would suggest is find a good powdered detergent like Tide, not Tide with Bleach. The trick is to make sure the detergent is dissolved before adding the clothes. Make a COOL water presoak solution either in a bucket or use your washer set for lowest water setting. (Trick #1 - add detergent with hot water first, swirl to dissolve, then switch to cool/cold water) Add the recommended dosage for best results. Let the old baby items sit in the presoak for a long time (minimum 8 hours or even overnight). Trick #2 - occasionally swirl or agitate the presoak solution to help encourage better penetration of the soils and removal of the top layers. Finally, wash in the hottest water recommended on the care labels. The warmer the water, the better the removal. If items are bleachable, consider using 1/2 to 3/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach. Do the quick Bleachability Test if uncertain (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.

Don't forget to check for success after washing and before drying. You might need to retreat the item.

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.