Q. I have a HE machine, and I use bleach several times a week on our household whites. My questions are:

• 1. Is the disinfecting/sanitizing quality the same as Regular bleach when using HE Bleach?


• 2. Is the bacteria fighting/killing quality the same in Clorox’s scented bleach products as with regular bleach?


• 3. Do I have to use HE bleach in an HE machine? Clorox Regular bleach is less expensive and comes in larger containers.

P.S. My friends call me Clorox, because I clean everything.

A. Thanks for your question. How do you like the HE washer? Thanks for being a loyal fan and using our bleaches!

Let's address your questions below:

• We formulated the Clorox Plus® HE Bleach to have slightly higher bleach active, to be thicker for easier pouring and provide at least as good whitening as Clorox® Regular-Bleach. By law we must register with the EPA any product that claims disinfecting properties. Clorox had chosen to only register Clorox® Regular-Bleach due to the cost and restrictions that this places on our formula development and marketing. So while some bleach products have the same or higher bleach active level, we cannot claim that they disinfect without risking fines from the EPA.


• It is slightly different with the scented products. These have a lower bleach active level than Clorox® Regular-Bleach and are not registered with the EPA.


• No, you do not have to use Clorox Plus® HE Bleach. Clorox® Regular-Bleach can be substituted if you like. Just be a little more careful in pouring, as those bleach dispensers can be in hard, out-of-the-way areas of the washer. Always fill the bleach dispenser to the top for best performance and if you're also using our Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, make sure it is added in the DETERGENT dispenser rather than the bleach dispenser to avoid oversudsing.

Q. When I was younger, my mother used Gain as our detergent and had to switch because when everyone in the family would sweat, the clothes gave off a bad odor. I have been using Tide and for some reason that same situation is coming back, but only for me. Is there something I can add other then bleach to my colored clothes to get rid of whatever is causing the odors once sweat is introduced to the clothing?

A. Odor is a very complex subject. When we add a fragrance to a product it can be made up of up to 100 different compounds. These all have different odor characteristics and can also react with different items and chemicals in the wash liquid. Some of these materials are also what we call substantive, which means they deposit on the clothes and create that "fresh" odor. Unfortunately, if there is some remaining sweat or its components, this may create a new and unintended smell which some consumers may find objectionable.

You didn't indicate which version of Tide that you are using or if other family members are also turned-off by the new smell. Sometimes, individuals are very sensitive to certain odors while others don't even notice.

I would consider switching to a different version of Tide, like the Tide Free Liquid Laundry Detergent, which has no dyes or fragrance. This could test the bad-odor creation theory. If it still persists, then it more likely is a residual sweat problem or diet issue. Make sure you're using the recommended amount of detergent and washing in the warmest water recommended on the care label to insure you're getting the maximum cleaning from the detergent. After that, I would definitely recommend adding 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach to your white loads and see if this extra cleaning helps solve the problem. For color clothes, it's more difficult if this is a cleaning problem since all the color-safe bleaches like our Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster contain hydrogen peroxide which is a much weaker/less effective active than the sodium hypochlorite in Clorox® Regular-Bleach.

Give these a try and let me know how it turns out or if you have any further questions.

Q. It seems by reading the manual that comes with the Kenmore Elite HE washer that the bleach actually disperses only in the rinse cycle as opposed to the wash cycle. Is this a correct interpretation for all front loading machines? This is a big departure from having the bleach mix with the soap in the wash cycle at the beginning using a regular washing machine - any comments or advice? Big bleach users should be aware before buying.

A. WOW. It's amazing that somebody actually reads those manuals. Getting to know your new HE washer is a great idea as they are very different from the old top loaders.

Many things are different about liquid bleach usage in HE washers:

• The bleach dispenser is located with all the other dispensers, and its small size can lead to challenges getting product into it


• The bleach amount in the dispenser is less than the toploaders


• You can't add liquid bleach directly to the washer once it's started


• The liquid bleach is usually dispensed at the beginning of a rinse cycle rather than added with detergent, as with top loaders

The rationale for the later/rinse addition is that the detergent has done a lot of cleaning and the liquid bleach can work with or without the detergent. Adding in the first rinse should do a good job of finishing the cleaning, whitening and now disinfecting the clothes.

Advice- add as much bleach as possible since the HE washers also have larger clothes capacity and you want to get the best cleaning results.

Hope this helps and let me know if you have any further questions.

Q. I have a laundry issue that is driving me nuts. I use bleach in every white load and separate towels from underwear, socks and tee-shirts. The towels always come out clean and sweet-smelling with no underlying odor. However, when I wash the underwear, socks and tee-shirts, the t-shirts come out clean, but with a strange, underlying odor. The socks and briefs smell fine (clean), but the t-shirts always have this less-than-clean smell. Also, after they are dried, folded and put into a drawer, the smell seems to intensify; so much so that I leave the drawer open to promote circulation. The loads are always white cotton and I have tried more bleach, less bleach, different detergents, vinegar, baking soda, and still, the same result. Even after using a fabric softener sheet (which I rarely use), the smell is still there. My husband says it smells like old man clothes, or something that came from the thrift store. Do you have any suggestions?

A. This certainly is baffling and I can understand why you would be frustrated. If all the items had a similar "smell", then I would suggest some laundry technique changes. Given that it only appears to be on the t-shirts, I suspect that it is some type of body secretion that is not fully removed and/or reacting with the laundry products.

• Sometimes diet, medicines, etc are absorbed/held and then released through sweat glands. Garlic is an example with some people but not others.


• Are there any discolored areas on the t-shirt? Sometimes people who sweat a lot can have targeted areas of un-removed body oils or antiperspirant staining in the pit area. Sometimes the un-removed material will change color with age and this may be a clue.


• What happens with new t-shirts? How long before you notice the problem with them?

If you can isolate the problem, then specific action steps could be formulated. For instance, if you have specific areas, then pre-treating them with liquid detergent or soaking them in liquid bleach might be appropriate.

Q. What is the difference between chlorine and non-chlorine bleach? Can you only use each on certain things? What's best for cleaning and for laundry use. If the bleach doesn't specify which kind it is, does that mean it’s always chlorine unless otherwise specified?

A. Yours is a very timely question, and if you go to my blog (http://www.drlaundryblog.com) I just posted a response to a similar question on August 20th.

To clarify a couple of your questions below:

• Generally, the best cleaning, stain/soil removal and whitening is accomplished with the strongest bleach, which would be Clorox® Regular-Bleach. It also is the only disinfecting bleach and can be used around the house to clean and disinfect a wide variety of surfaces and problems. These (chlorine) bleaches have sodium hypochlorite as the active ingredient.


• The non-chlorine or oxygen bleaches like our Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster were developed to be safely used on colored clothing.


• Some colored items are bleachable. If you're not sure, I recommend consumers do the quick Bleachability Test (add 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.


• As you can see, this nomenclature is not universal and probably won't be on the on the label. You can always check the ingredient or “Contains” statement on the back label for the active type.

Q. Our washing machine has a special port for liquid bleach. Unknown to us, the plastic port cracked, allowing some bleach to enter the housing of the washing machine. Over time, this bleach has rusted portions of the machines housing, as well as crystallizing within the machines. We did not spot the problem until some of the bleach began leaking on the floor.

We are trying to clean the crystallized bleach off of the housing. It appears that copious amounts of water may be a solution to removing the bleach, but some of it is in hard to reach places. We are also in a confined space.

What would be the best method to remove the crystallized bleach and to stop the corrosion process?

A. This is a very unusual one. A couple of suggestions:

• Make sure that you have the port that cracked replaced and the portions that you believed were corroded cleaned and inspected to prevent future damage.


• When the liquid bleach active, sodium hypochlorite, reacts it forms mostly salt and water. I suspect that the crystals are salt and would be similar to those you would observe if some product spilled and dried on the outside of the bottle. You are probably on the right track as salt will dissolve with a large quantity of water. To speed the process, you might use warm water as it will dissolve more salt than cool water. Not sure how to get to those hard to reach places, but any way to use warmer water and maybe some pressure should help speed the process.

Q. What is the shelf life of Clorox2 Non chlorine bleach.

A. I assume you are asking about the liquid form of Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster. This formula should be stable and useable for at least a year when stored at 70F. More aggressive storage will decrease the hydrogen peroxide content, which is the major active susceptible to degradation. If you have the capability, you could analyze for the peroxide content (anything 0.75% or greater should still be very good product).

Hope this helps and let me know if you have any further questions.

Q. Do you have an email newsletter?

A. Great question. At the present time, I don't have an email newsletter. I use the blog (http://www.drlaundryblog.com) kind of as a newsletter by posting responses to inquiries 2-3 times weekly and writing about special topics.

Thanks for the idea and let me know if you have any specific questions that I haven't answered.

Q. I own a HE washing machine. Recently I washed some white cotton pants with some black pants. (on warm/cool) I didn’t think the black clothing would run bit they did. My bad…How do I get my white pants “white” again? They haven’t been dried yet.

A. Thanks for your question and sorry about the pants. Great that you didn't dry the pants as that would have made your job harder.
Since it's a white cotton pants and I'm assuming not a uniform but blotchy dye pattern, I would try the following:

• Try a quick liquid bleach soak (1/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach in gallon of cool water for 5 minutes) then wash immediately in the hot water using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach. Check for success after the wash cycle and before dryer drying. It might require multiple treatments to get the desired result.


• If more drastic action is needed, you may have to consider using something like Rit Color Remover.

Don't forget to do a better job of sorting and NEVER wash darks (especially black) with any whites. Almost guaranteed dye bleeding will occur.
Good luck. Let me know how it turns out and if you have any further questions.
Dr Laundry

Q. I had a favorite white cotton (casual) blouse. I just washed it in cold water. But, my husband's red bathing suit was also in the wash, and I now have a pink blouse. It is not uniformly pink - it has splotches of darker pink throughout. What would you suggest? Pre-soaking in Clorox? If so, in what proportions? I did not put the blouse in the dryer, I just left it as it was.

A. Thanks for your question and sorry about the blouse. It’s a good thing that you didn't dry the blouse, as that would have made your job harder.

Since it's a white cotton blouse and it has a blotchy dye pattern, I would try the following:

• I would do a quick liquid bleach soak (1/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach in a gallon of cool water for 5 minutes), then wash the item immediately in the hottest water recommended on the item’s care label using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach. Check for success after the wash cycle and before dryer drying. It might require multiple treatments to get the desired result.


• If more drastic action is needed, you may have to consider using something like Rit Color Remover.