Q. Is there a way to whiten white acetate fabric that has turned dingy/yellow?

A. I'm a little confused by your title as acetate usually is a little more "frail" than rayon. Have you tried just a normal wash (with the acetate garments by themselves)? Acetate can occasionally pick up stray dyes. Maybe a good warm wash with detergent and a more mild oxygen bleach like our Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster would help. Still some lingering yellowing? Try a 1-hour presoak with Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster and follow label instructions.

If you want to try something a little stronger, it would be Clorox® Regular-Bleach. For this, I would recommend you do the quick Bleachability Test (2 tspn Clorox® Regular-Bleach in 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden colored 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. Any color change could also show you the amount of change in color that likely will occur if you proceed with the liquid bleach usage. You can see a demo on my blog (http://www.drlaundryblog.com) in the video Laundry 101. Want to proceed? Try a presoak (1/4 cup Clorox bleach per gallon of cool water for 5-10 minutes), then wash in warm water using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach. It may take a couple of treatments to achieve your desired result.

After either treatment, I would consider air drying to maintain the garment’s shape and minimize shrinkage potential.

Q. I recently cleaned the inside of our tent trailer (the inside of the canvas) with bleach because I noticed some mildew or mold spots on the ceiling above the bed. It's a rubber backed canvas on the ceiling. I simply put some Clorox in a bowl, along with some water - I'm guessing about 2/3 Clorox, and 1/3 water, and sponged it on.

I'm worried now that I did not dilute the solution enough, because I left the sponge in the bowl for a couple of days and it disintegrated. I'm sure the Clorox is dry in the trailer. Do you think I need to rinse it down even if it is dry? I'm worried about the Clorox damaging the fabric. Thank you.

A. Below, I have provided the recommended approach for dealing with mold/mildew stains from our Clorox® Regular-Bleach EPA back label. Your canvas tent should be similar:

Several differences exist between your approach and the recommended one:

• Note the ratio of liquid bleach/water is much less than you used (1/16 vs your 2/1). A little liquid bleach goes a long way.


• Also note the rinse step after the 5 minute contact time. This allows any unused bleach to be rinsed off.


• We don't recommend using a sponge since they are cellulose and can be attacked by the bleach. The stronger the bleach solution, the faster the degradation.

So I would good back and do a couple of rinses with cool water. By now the bleach has degraded, but this should allow you a chance to confirm that the problem has been eliminated. If not, you now have the tools to do the follow-up work. Inspecting the interior will also help determine if any damage is likely to occur.

Q. A friend of mine threw up all over a towel of mine and a small rug in the bathroom. In a state of panic, I threw it into the washer not even thinking about the disgusting germs. I have an LG washer with the sanitizing function. I wound up throwing away the rug and towel. I have already washed it 5 times with bleach and the sanitizer. I don't want to use the washer again because it grossed me out so bad. Is the washer safe to use? Is there anything left to worry about in the washer with germs? Did it kill all bacteria and germs? I don't want to wash any of my clothes in there.

A. It's not a good idea to leave that kind of problem for another day. Actually, you were right in worrying about the potential germ transfer to the following load(s) and you did the right thing by subsequent liquid bleach washes. Unless you use disinfecting liquid bleach like our Clorox® Regular-Bleach, there will be residual germs in the washer. This is especially true in HE machines that don't drain completely. This is what leads to the off-odors in HE washers and why the manufactures have added Cleanout cycles where they recommend adding liquid bleach. Your 5 times cleanout procedure probably was excessive, but it certainly would have killed whatever was leftover of the germs that were in the machine.

Q. Is there any possibility that my use of Clorox bleach in my laundering is a cause of my severe itching? I do an extra rinse to try to eliminate residue.

I am away from home for extended periods of time in which I have no itching at all. I do not use bleach when I am at the laundromat, but I use the same soap. Shortly after I return home, I have terrible itching. I'm trying to isolate a cause.

A. I seriously doubt that the use of Clorox® Regular-Bleach is the cause of the irritation. The liquid bleach reacts with stains/soils breaking them down into smaller parts so that they can be more easily removed from your clothes by the detergent. The end reaction products are 95-98% salt and water plus the soil parts. These are removed along with any leftover bleach in the subsequent rinse. If you do an extra rinse, that is double "insurance.”

Another item to consider is an environmental one. Personally, I have allergic-type reactions at home during certain times of the year. If I travel to another area like Lake Tahoe or Arizona, these symptoms disappear. You might try adding the liquid bleach to a load while you're away to check your hypothesis. No reaction in the away location would mean you can scratch the bleach off your list.

Q. What is the best way to get rid of mold on colored clothes?

A. This is usually a tough one since the best mold/mildew killers are products with sodium hypochlorite, the active in our Clorox® Regular-Bleach and Tilex® Instant Mold & Mildew Remover. This is OK for whites and bleachable colors. If you're not sure if the colors are safe to bleach, I recommend consumers do the quick Bleachability Test (2 tspn Clorox® Regular-Bleach in 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden colored 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. Any color change could also show you the amount of change in color that likely will occur if you proceed with the liquid bleach usage. You can see a demo on my blog (http://www.drlaundryblog.com) in the video Laundry 101.

Most colors will not be bleachable so less effective treatments have to be used. Here are a couple of ideas:

• You didn't say how the problem originated. A common cause is letting damp clothes sit in a washer or basket before drying. As a preventive measure, I would do your next load of whites using hot water and detergent with 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach to rid the washer of any residual problems and prevent transfer to other loads.


• If you can't use liquid bleach, then carefully brush off any obvious spores; wash in the warmest water recommended on the care label with detergent and an oxygen bleach like our Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster. If there is still some present or lingering odor, try a 1 hour presoak with Clorox2® Stain Fighter& Color Booster following label instructions.

Q. I have a favorite white ramie cotton sweater that had been forgotten in the closet. When found, it had turned a very ugly shade of yellow, mostly on the shoulders and front. It also has some embroidered colored flowers in front. Please help! I would like to save it. What can I do?

A. What a great question, as I have little experience with ramie and had to do some research. It's an interesting fiber with some useful properties.

Glad you mentioned the colored flowers as they add another point of caution. I would like to try a liquid bleach soak, but am concerned that the embroidered flowers are probably not bleachable.

Some colored items are bleachable. If you're not sure, I recommend consumers do the quick Bleachability Test (2 tspn Clorox® Regular-Bleach in 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden colored 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. Any color change could also show you the amount of change in color that likely will occur if you proceed with the liquid bleach usage through the wash. You can see a demo on my blog (http://www.drlaundryblog.com) in the video Laundry 101. This will establish whether liquid bleach can be part of your regimen.

If you don't want to take the risk, start with our Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster which is based on hydrogen peroxide and should be color-safe. To be sure, try the Bleachability Test above on the back of a colored flower (place a drop of Clorox2; wait 12 minutes then rinse). Want to proceed? I would apply Clorox2 to the obvious yellowed area(s) and then presoak for 30 minutes to 1 hour in warm water. Then wash immediately in warmest water recommended on the care label using detergent and Clorox2. Check for success after washing and before dryer drying. If not completely removed, consider a second round of treatments or air dry and then treat again.

Q. I've been reading a lot about additions to white laundry like OxiClean, peroxides, baking soda and bleach. I have not had much luck with just bleach and stain fighters/color-boosters, so I would like to try these methods. However, I have an under-the-counter front-load HE washer (it's small), and I am not sure how I should add anything other than bleach to a load. How should I add powdered agents? Thank you!

A. I am somewhat puzzled by your "not much luck with bleach" comment. So here's some background information on laundering process and products and some suggestions for you:

• Liquid bleaches like Clorox® Regular-Bleach are based on sodium hypochlorite active. It is the STRONGEST form of bleach that consumers can purchase and the only one that disinfects laundry. Next step down the bleach ladder are oxygen bleaches like our Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, OxiClean, etc., which are based on hydrogen peroxide chemistry. These are sometimes referred to as color-safe bleaches since this active is much weaker than hypochlorite and can be used on nearly all colored items. It lacks the stain/soil removal power of hypochlorite and the best results are achieved by pretreating the stains before washing.


• You shouldn't mix different forms of bleach. Doing so will cause the bleach actives to react with each other, creating oxygen gas which will bubble away and then you will lose your stain/soil removing power. The net result will be poorer than expected/no better performance than just using detergent alone. You just wasted your $$s.


• Small washers shouldn't be overloaded. Unless you adjust for the bigger size by adding more product(s), your cleaning efficiency just went way down.


• Pick the right products and wash temperature for the job. Use a good detergent, the recommended amount and the warmest water temperature recommended on the care label.


• Jumpstart your removal process by doing some pretreating and/or presoaking. Tough stains/mud require extra attention. While sorting the loads, set aside those problems. Pretreat with Clorox2, liquid dishwashing (Dawn) or laundry detergent (apply, rub in, wait ~5 minutes; then wash immediately). On whites, always add the recommended amount of Clorox Bleach to get out the stains, body soil and dirt that detergent can leave behind.


• Creating the best chemical environment for removing stains/soils is necessary to compliment the mechanical action of the washer agitation. Finally, you will up your removal by increasing wash temperature.


• Check for success after washing and BEFORE you put the clothes in the dryer. If it wasn't all removed, repeating your extra steps or trying something extra now is the best second chance you will have at total removal. Drying the clothes/stains can set them making future removal much more difficult/impossible to remove.

So after reviewing the points above, I think some process changes probably are your best first steps. Do NOT mix the bleaches/additives. Powder detergents are better for removing dirt/mud than liquids. If you chose to use them, make sure the powder is COMPLETELY dissolved BEFORE adding the clothes. If not you decrease the cleaning power and end up with powder clumps/film on your clothes.

Q. For the last few years, we have had problems with spots on our clothing and towels. It’s like the fabric has been faded or bleached out in random spots on the towels and the collar area on t-shirts. It has also happened on our sheets. This happens with dark colored fabrics only. I use Clorox bleach for colors with the ALL clean & clear.

I can’t figure out what is causing it. Just recently I had a dark brown towel develop spots of almost a reddish color on them. Do you think it’s a combination of the detergents, or maybe there is something wrong with the washer? I wash everything in warm water. This has been going on for at least 5 years and I can’t figure it out.

A. Interesting question. While I see that you use Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, do you also use Clorox® Regular-Bleach in your white loads?
Dark colors (especially cotton) are very susceptible to oxidation due to the type of dyes and the manufacturing process (often just padded on). This is the reason for the recommendation that darks be washed separately (first time and every time) due to their bleeding potential, and why after several washes, one notes the color fades from the original. It's unlikely the detergent is the reason for your problem as they are all made with similar ingredients.

From your description, it sounds like the spots are bleach marks which can be caused by several scenarios:

• Contact with any oxidant (including some medicines) can create the problem. Something gets spilled, isn’t noticed, and the item brushes or comes in to contact with it and then dries. You don't notice until after washing. This is possible with anything that is acidic or has strong enough bleach.


• Another outside possibility might be the liquid bleach dispenser. If you use Clorox® Regular-Bleach and add via a dispenser in a top loader, it's possible that a small amount may hang-up and get dispensed in a subsequent load. I always add extra water after the liquid bleach to help "flush" the bleach out of the dispenser.

Q. I’m in the market of buying a large quantity of polo shirts and noticed that one style that I was considering was made out of 100% cotton, and the other 60% cotton and 40% polyester. Which is the better fabric, and which would most likely fade more quickly?

A. Great question. Not quite sure what "better" fabric means, but there should be differences between the cotton and poly/cotton.

If there is a dark color involved (red/black, etc.), you are much more likely to have potential issues with the cotton and dye bleeding/transfer. This should be checked BEFORE large quantity purchase. I have done a lot of commercial demos and I know not every striped shirt is the same. I would even check the poly/cotton ones for bleeding too. It has to do with the dye type used and the process used to apply them. Unfortunately, where they are produced matters almost as much as the colors.

A general rule of thumb is P/C blend should be easier to remove stains from and keep clean. The only exception is greasy/oily stains that have a greater affinity for polyester; if they don't get totally removed and are dryer-dried, the remaining oily stain can be set and may never come out.

Q. I would like to know the difference between Tide's new stain release products and Clorox 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster. They both work with the detergent, but are the products interchangeable as far as treating stains?

A. Thanks for your great question. Both types of products are meant as additives for the detergent and both have liquid and powder versions.

The liquids are a little different in formula: Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster has a higher level of oxygen bleach and color boosters, which means pre-treating stains with Clorox2® should be a little better.

The powder versions are a little more equal. You will get better soil removal with the powder than liquid versions.