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

A. “Is detergent by itself enough”? is a question we get often, and a nicely detailed and pretty timeless discussion of this was posted on the blog back in September, 2006 that you can find here: http://www.drlaundryblog.com/?s=Myth+picture. Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see a Scanning Electron Micrographs of bed sheets that show that so much more soil is removed when you add bleach compared to detergent alone. This test was conducted with Liquid Tide detergent, definitely one of the better detergents. But you are wondering if your powdered detergent with enzymes will sufficiently remove body soils on its own, and I would still say no. While well-formulated powdered detergents generally perform better than liquid detergents, they still don’t clean as well as detergent plus liquid bleach. This is because bleach reacts with body soil and breaks it down into smaller, water-soluble particles, making it easier for the detergent to remove them. Some consumers might decide they can live with the lower performance and skip the bleach, but they might also want to consider that over time, un-removed body soils are building up on their sheets wash after wash, and will contribute to a more dingy appearance. Personally, I like my sheets to be as clean as possible so I bleach them every time I wash them, and I’ve had really good luck safely bleaching the ones with color prints as well as the white ones. Good luck, and let me know if you have additional questions!

Q. I have tried all I can think of to remove grease from a cleaning cloth. Do you have any ideas? For now I am keeping it in cold water to avoid possible spontaneous combustion.

A. This is a very interesting question. I wish I knew a little bit more about the grease and what you’ve tried. Spontaneous combustion normally isn’t something laundry consumers have to worry about, but there are some situations where it’s better to be safe than sorry and just dispose of an oil-soaked cloth safely. Let’s say you’ve spilled a bottle of cooking oil and wiped it up with a dish towel. It’s true that clothes washer and dryer manufacturers don’t want that oil-soaked cloth going into their appliances due to a limited risk of spontaneous combustion, and they put a warning on the appliances and in the user’s guide (which you may have seen). Or, your problem may be from auto engine grease and the like, and I am wondering if you tried paint thinner to get the grease out (which I NEVER recommend). If either of these describe your situation, then I would throw the cleaning cloth out to be safe—check with your garbage service provider to see what they recommend for safe disposal.

In the future, if you have a large cooking oil spill to deal with, you should use baking soda or salt to soak up large amounts of spilled oil, and then use a spatula to transfer the goop to the compost or trash. Any residual grease on the floor or counter can be easily removed with Formula 409® Antibacterial All-Purpose Cleaner. For smaller food-oil or grease stains on fabric, try pre-treating with Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster or liquid dish washing detergent (like Dawn). Apply it directly to the stain, rub it in and then wait 3-5 minutes. Then, wash it in the hottest water recommended on the care label. Allow the items to air-dry so you can check for success, and repeat if necessary. Engine grease can be pretty stubborn, so you’ll probably have to repeat the treatment to get all of the stain out.

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

A. Thanks for the great question; it’s a common myth that bleach is hard on fabrics, and I’m happy to debunk it by answering your second question first. 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. I don’t know if you had a chance to review any of the videos on the blog, but there is one that specifically addresses this, “Debunking the Myths about Bleach” at http://www.drlaundryblog.com/?page_id=274. It also demonstrates how to use bleach safely as directed on the label, which relates to your first question: what’s the best way to remove body soils from your 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. Thanks for writing, and please let me know if you have any further questions.

Q. I recently purchased a front-loading, high efficiency washing machine, and I’m wondering if I can use Clorox® UltimateCare® Bleach in this machine.

(Two options I’ve tried without good results – adding UltimateCare® to the laundry dispenser as you would Clorox 2, and diluting UltimateCare® in water – 1 part water, 1 part UltimateCare® - and pouring it into bleach dispenser.)

If it’s not recommended to use UltimateCare® in an HE machine, any suggestions on getting whites their whitest in an HE machine while being gentle to fabrics?

A. You can definitely use Clorox® UltimateCare® Bleach in your HE washer, and should use the bleach dispenser, not the detergent dispenser. You don’t need to dilute it first before adding it to the bleach dispenser; add a capful (¾ cup or whatever the maximum capacity of the dispenser is) to the dispenser and select an extra rinse cycle. Also, because Clorox® UltimateCare® Bleach has a slightly lower bleach active level than Clorox Regular-Bleach, you can safely pretreat white bleachable items directly, like the heels of socks or a wine stain on a white tablecloth, and then wash immediately.

Something else to consider is reducing the size and soil level of the loads you are washing, and here’s why. For all the many benefits of using an HE washer (water and energy savings, gentle fabric care, ease of washing bulky items) there are some drawbacks, most notably that all the dirt coming off the load is suspended in a much smaller amount of water, so the bleach active breaks down more quickly. Also, you are dependent on the capacity of the bleach dispenser as far as how much bleach you can add. Where you used to be able to add more bleach for a super large or heavily soiled load, now you can’t, so you need to adjust load size. I love my HE washer; I’ve had it for 13 years and I do wash smaller loads when the items are super dirty, like after a camping trip. I hope this is helpful, and if you have any other questions, please contact me.

Q. I found your videos to be a great wealth of information and much appreciated. I was glad to learn that hot water helps disinfect. The CBS program was terrible to not check their facts first. I think I have watched and read every video and/or article, but how long can the water-to-bleach ratio be stored?

My mother worked for a hospital that said the bleach/water solution for disinfecting surfaces is perfect, however, they made them discard any unused solution at the end of the day. Is this necessary? I like to use this for my counters, and cannot see myself mixing a new batch every morning. My mother was told after 24 hours, it does not disinfect. Is this true?

A: I’m glad you liked the videos—the previous Dr. Laundry, Harold Baker, made them, and did such a terrific job. Now that he has retired and moved to Arizona, I am enjoying answering the laundry questions that come in to the blog. Your question is particularly interesting. How long ago did you see the CBS program? Regarding how long you can store a bleach solution, it depends on what bleach solution you are mixing, and how you intend to use it. Because we mention different bleach and water solutions in the videos, I'll go over both of them. Generally, longer-term storage is not recommended because diluted liquid bleach solutions are susceptible to degradation from a variety of sources. Increased temperatures, contamination and even light (that’s why it’s sold in opaque bottles) can cause the liquid bleach active to break down into salt and water. Not knowing your home’s environment, I would suggest the following:

Bleachability Test Solution (2 tsp Clorox® Regular-Bleach diluted in ¼ cup water) Stored at room temperature (70°F) away from light, this should be good for at least 2-3 weeks since it isn’t used for disinfecting. Because this solution is used for testing laundry items to see if they can be safely bleached and you may not do that on a regular basis, I would definitely write the date and the contents on the container. That way, you won’t accidentally test with too weak of a solution because it is older than you thought.

Disinfecting Bleach Solution (3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach diluted in 1 gallon water) The disinfecting solution has very specific instructions for mixing and use because Clorox® Regular-Bleach is registered with the EPA as a disinfectant, with disinfectancy assured by following label instructions. Your mom’s hospital was correct to ensure its effectiveness (critical in a hospital environment) by starting with a fresh solution daily, but I can also understand that you don’t want to make it up every day if you don’t have to. To simplify things for you, you could make a smaller amount (3 Tbsp. diluted in 4 cups water) that you use up over several days for general countertop cleaning. However, when you are cleaning up after things that are highly likely to spread bacteria (like raw meat), you would want to use a freshly mixed solution. You could also try Clorox® Clean-Up® Cleaner with Bleach. It’s really convenient for home use, with a specially designed sprayer mechanism that’s compatible with bleach and won’t corrode.

Remember to always follow the label directions, and I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

Q. I have several dark items of laundry that have bleach marks on them. They were splash marks. Is there any way to get the color back? Also, should I stop using bleach and change over to Clorox2 so I don't ruin anymore dark laundry items?

A. Thanks for writing. I am not sure from your question if you have splashed a little bleach on nearby dark items while you were preparing to wash a white load, or if you include dark items in your bleach loads, so I’ll include some best-practice recommendations along with the answers to your questions.

1. “Is there any way to get the color back on the dark items with the splash marks?” Unfortunately, no—but depending on the color of the item, you may be able to use a Sharpie permanent marker to make the spots less visible so you can keep using the items. I have had good luck with this on a few black items. Be aware that if the spot was caused by contact with a splash of undiluted bleach, eventually a hole may develop. This is one of the reasons we NEVER recommend using undiluted Clorox® Regular-Bleach directly on any fabric.


2. “Should I stop using bleach and change over to Clorox2®?” It’s best to have both available, and use one or the other depending on what you are washing. Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster is great for removing tough stains and brightening your colored laundry items. It works great as a pre-treater and also when added to the wash along with your regular detergent. Clorox® Regular-Bleach provides powerful cleaning, whitening and disinfecting for your white and bleach-fast colored items. To determine if a colored item is bleach-safe, dilute 2 tsp of Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water and apply a drop to a hidden part of the item, like a hem or inside seam. Blot dry and check for discoloration. No color change means the item can be safely bleached.

It’s really not one-or-the-other with Clorox2® and Clorox® Regular-Bleach—having both on hand means you can use the appropriate product depending on what item you are washing. I hope this helps and please contact me again if you have any other questions.

Q. I have a pair of white linen pants and want to launder and bleach them. The label reads "do not use chlorine bleach;" can I or can I not use Clorox® Regular-Bleach on fabrics with a similar label. I am really confused.

A. This is a really interesting question. While most white textiles can be safely bleached, some cannot, so it is important to proceed with caution. The fact that your white linen pants are labeled “do not use chlorine bleach” is actually odd because this language is actually unacceptable to the Federal Trade Commission, which has a pretty specific protocol for bleachability labeling. Since the pants’ manufacturer is not following government standards for care label language, I wonder if the pants were actually tested. You can do this yourself: dilute 2 tsp of Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water and apply a drop to a hidden part of the garment, like the inside of the waistband. Blot dry and check for discoloration. No color change means the linen can be safely bleached. However, if there is any yellowing, or if the pants are lined and the fabric lining doesn’t also pass the same bleachability test, then I would use Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster.

By the way, FTC guidelines for bleach labeling are as follows:

• “If all commercially available bleaches can be used on a regular basis without harming the product, the label does not have to mention bleach.”


• If using chlorine bleach on a regular basis would harm the product, but using non-chlorine bleach on a regular basis would not, the label must say, "Only non-chlorine bleach, when needed."


• If all commercially available bleaches would harm the product when used on a regular basis, the label must say "No bleach" or "Do not bleach."

Q. I have a small bottle of chlorine bleach which hasn’t been used for a while – don’t know how long. I opened it today and it no longer has that nice, clean, bleach-y smell. It really has no smell at all. Will it still be functional as bleach? If not, how long does it take for this to happen? What happened to the smell? How do I dispose of it, if it is now useless?

A. Thanks for the question; here’s a little background on the shelf-life of Clorox® Regular-Bleach:

The active ingredient, sodium hypochlorite, naturally breaks down into salt and water. The hotter the temperature the bottle is stored at, the faster the decomposition. Generally, bleach stored at room temperature (~70°F) maintains its label strength active level (6% sodium hypochlorite) for approximately six months before starting to degrade into salt and water. After a year, it will still have enough active ingredients to perform well, since it is always diluted before use; just use a little more bleach or a little less water to dilute it. Note that for EPA registered disinfectant uses, always use bleach at label strength, which usually means no more than 5 months past the purchase date, and the bottle must have been properly stored.

Since you don’t remember when you bought your bleach, and it has no bleach smell, it is definitely quite old. The missing bleach smell indicates that most of the active ingredients have converted to salt and water. You are right, it won’t function much as bleach anymore. To dispose of it, I would add it to your toilet bowl and then flush—any small amount of sodium hypochlorite active that may remain will finish breaking down as it travels through your home’s pipes and out to the sewer. You can find many different ways to use it at http://www.clorox.com/cleaner_home/ so your next bottle is used up more quickly.

Q. I recently purchased an HE machine and was wondering if I could use a little bleach in the dispenser for my dark clothes. There was some odor on a few of my darks that I needed to get out, and I was looking for some advice on how to get it out. If not bleach, then what do you recommend?

A. This is a great question that actually touches on several issues, so let me review them before I answer your question.

1. As a general rule of thumb, avoid bleaching dark colored clothing unless you have confirmed that it is bleach-safe. To test an item, do a quick bleachability test: mix 2 tsp Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup of water, apply a drop to a hidden area (hem, inside cuff, side seam) and blot dry. For multi-colored items, be sure to test each color since they all need to pass. No color change means the item can be safely bleached, but a loss of color means that even a small amount of regular bleach could cause damage.


2. HE clothes washers can develop an off-odor from water that is left behind inside the washer’s interior system. It is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, but you can control the problem by running a cycle with ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach once a week, or every few loads if you do a lot of loads per week. These can be empty loads with bleach, or better yet, white loads with bleach.


3. Removing dark and colored loads promptly after the cycle is finished is another strategy to prevent odors from transferring from the clothes washer to the clothes.

Now to answer your question: to get rid of the off-odor on your dark clothes, just re-wash the items following a bleach clean out cycle, and that should take care of it. And for extra cleaning and brightening of your dark clothes, add Clorox2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster along with your regular detergent. Good luck with your new washer, and let me know if you have any more questions.

Q. I have a friend who told me that in college he was told that hot water makes bleach less effective. Is this true? I always wash my whites in the hottest water. Thank you for your input.

A. Thanks for the great question. Here is what I would tell your friend: washing white and safely bleachable colorfast items with Clorox® Regular-Bleach in the hottest water possible will give you the best cleaning and whitening performance because its effectiveness increases with temperature. Perhaps you would like to avoid an “I’m right, and you’re wrong” gloating response to his opinion (not really good for a friendship) by applying what he was told to the proper storage of bleach. In that case, he is correct: Clorox® Regular-Bleach should ideally be stored at room temperature (70°F) because the active ingredient in liquid bleach, sodium hypochlorite, is very sensitive to high heat storage conditions. Basically, you want to store it at normal room temperature to prolong its active life, and when you add it to a load of laundry, use hot water because you want it as active as possible for the best performance. As a bleach user, he definitely sounds like a friend worth having!