Top of the morning, and happy St. Patrick’s Day to all! Hopefully you have plenty of fun plans for the day ahead – don’t forget to wear green! However, even with the luck of the Irish on your side, remember that stains can still happen, which is why I’ve included in my post today some tips for removing common St. Patrick’s Day stains.

“Green Beer” and other colorful and flavorful adult beverages are always part of the celebration.
If you spill it or someone spills it on you, the following are proper steps to help remove these stains:

• A cool water rinse from the back will help remove some of the evidence and make the stain easier to pretreat when you get home.


• Pretreat before washing:
  If the item is white or bleachable, pretreat with Clorox® Bleach Pen™ Gel (rub in, wait 3-5 minutes, then wash).
  If the item is colored, pretreat with Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster (rub in, wait 3-5 minutes, then wash).


• Wash in the warmest water recommended on the fabric care label using detergent and the recommended amount of:
  Clorox® Regular-Bleach, if it’s a white or bleachable item
  Or, Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, if it’s a colored item.


• Check for success before drying. Retreat item if needed.
  There are always greasy spots that can result from your favorite eat-out foods like corned beef, buffalo wings, meatballs and other fried fare.

Here are the steps to successful removal:

• NEVER rinse with water after discovering the spot. Gently blot away any excess.


• As soon as possible after you get home, pretreat the spot(s) with liquid laundry or dishwashing detergent (rub it in and wait 3-5 minutes).


• Wash in the hottest water recommended on the fabric care label using detergent and the recommended amount of:
  Clorox® Regular-Bleach, if it’s a white or bleachable item
  Or, Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, if it’s a colored item.


• Check for success before drying. Retreat item if needed.

Hope it’s a good one, and you find a pot of gold at the end of your rainbow.

Q. I had a favorite white cotton (casual) blouse. I just washed it in cold water with my husband's red bathing suit also in the wash. Now I 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 is.

A. Great that you didn't dry the blouse, as that would have made your job harder. Since it's a white cotton blouse and it is 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 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.

Q. Does Clorox® UltimateCare Bleach kill germs in laundry as well as regular bleach?

A. Thanks for your question. The short answer is "No.” In order to make laundry disinfectant claims, a product must be registered with the EPA. It is very costly to operate under the EPA rules, so Clorox has chosen to limit the number of bleach products which we register. Unfortunately, our only EPA-registered bleach is Clorox® Regular-Bleach. Clorox® UltimateCare Bleach has a lower bleach active level than Clorox® Regular-Bleach, which allows it to be a Gentler Bleach, which you can pour directly onto white clothes. Since it is not EPA registered, we cannot claim it will disinfect laundry.

Q. I have some clothes that were wet when I put them into the hamper. I expected to wash them right away, but didn't get around to it. Now they are moldy. How much Clorox do I have to add to the wash load to kill the mold?

A. Moldy cloths need to be treated right away to help keep the problem from getting worse. I assume all the 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. You can see a demo on my blog (http://www.drlaundryblog.com) in the video Laundry 101.

Here are a couple of approaches that should work:

• At a minimum I would wash immediately in hot water using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.


• If the problem is bad, consider doing a Clorox® Regular-Bleach soak (1/4 cup liquid bleach/gallon of cool water; soak 5-10 minutes), then wash in hot water with detergent and liquid bleach.

Q. My husband has a white wool shawl that has not been washed in YEARS! (He reasoned that since he does not wear it so much, it does not need to be washed.) Anyway, not only does it smell bad, but it has tan, brown, and black body soil stains. He brought it to a dry cleaner 2 years ago, but he says that did not help much. I hand washed it 3 times with detergent in hot water, and it helped a little, but the darkest stains (and the smell) remain. What is the best way to deal with this problem? Is it really so bad to wash wool items in diluted chlorine bleach?

A. Thanks for your question. This is a very difficult problem to solve.

Wool always scares me as it is difficult to keep clean and can be easily abused. Stains and dirt set in wool faster than other fibers. It should be determined whether the item can be washed or should be dry cleaned usually based on the care label directions.

If washing;

• Use lukewarm water, as hot water can cause shrinkage, dye loss/bleeding and loss of softness


• Use a mild detergent and preferably a colorless one to avoid any dying potential


• NEVER use a liquid bleach like Clorox® Regular-Bleach. On the back label of all our liquid bleach products is a statement: "Avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, Spandex and non-fast colors." Its sodium hypochlorite active can attack the wool fiber and unfortunately, the resulting yellowing is permanent and not reversible.


• Always pre-test any product on a hidden seam BEFORE using (apply a drop to seam; wait 2-3 minutes; blot and air dry; no change means it should be ok to use on the item) to insure the product won't damage the fiber/color.

Given that the item had not been cleaned in such a long time, I might be tempted to try a good solvent on the dark spots. This is essentially what your drycleaner would be doing. After pre-testing, carefully apply dry-cleaning fluid or paint thinner (dab with saturated cloth, followed by a clean cloth dabbing to hopefully transfer the soil to the clean cloth). ALWAYS do this in a well-ventilated area or outside.

In fact, it might be that given the severity of the stains, I would take it to another drycleaner and ask if/how he could get the stain AND smell out of the shawl. Once you get it clean, make sure the shawl has at least one cleaning per year.

Q. I had red color run from a pair of slacks onto a pink stretchy short top I wear under my suits. I tried immediately soaking the top in soapy water overnight, but that did not remove any of the color.

A. It's very good that you didn't dry the top and tried the sudsy soak. I would try a couple of things here:

• You didn't indicate the fiber composition of the top or whether the red color run was all over or in spots. Since the sudsy soak failed, it sounds like you need to kick it up a notch. I would try an oxygen bleach like our Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster. First, do a quick Bleachability Test ( apply a spot of Clorox2 to an inside seam, wait 2-3 minutes, blot dry and check for color change). I would consider a 1/2 to 1 hour presoak in the Clorox2 (see label for instructions) before washing in the warmest water recommended on the care label with detergent and Clorox2. Check for success before drying as you may need to do more than one treatment.


• If the red color is localized, try pre-treating with either the Clorox2 or a 1:1 mixture of hydrogen peroxide : water. Again, do a quick Bleachability Test before applying. After treatment, do the warm water wash as mentioned above.

Q. I have just discovered that a red tootsie roll went through a load of my children's laundry. It was a load of whites and light colored clothing. The load went through the washer and dryer. There are red dots of color all over everything. Is there anything that will treat that? Otherwise, the whole load is ruined!

A. I haven't had this exact experience, but here's what I would try:

• Unfortunately, you dried the items and this may make the subsequent removal more difficult. The "red dots" all over should be melted candy, which might re-dissolve in hot water. Check the care labels, and try a soak in as hot water as possible (use detergent and let it sit for 1-3 hours; if done in washer, try turning agitation on every 20-30 minutes to encourage solution penetration and dot removal). Then, wash as usual in hot water with detergent. Check for success before drying, as it may require another treatment. To be on the safe side, you might try air-drying rather than dryer-drying to hopefully prevent further "damage.”

If this doesn't remove it, after air-drying try pre-treating some of the bigger dots with liquid detergent or a stain/soil remover (apply, rub into dot, wait ~5 minutes), then wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label.

Q. I have used Clorox bleach all my life, and I was told to put a gallon down our well until we connect it. Can I then use Clorox on my clothes when I wash them if I am now to have a grey water
system and use the water in my garden? This grey water will not be treated, just diverted to the garden.

By the way: I also like your Green Works® products--they are great! Do you make a dryer sheet? I think I can use this new line with the grey water system-correct?

A. I may be a little out of my league with the well question. Usually, pouring the bleach down the well head is recommended after a break or new installation to kill bacteria, etc.

Note the last line about flushing. After that, you should be able to continue using Clorox® Regular-Bleach in your laundry. One caveat: make sure there isn't iron in the well water as it can react with the bleach and form dark color bodies that may deposit on clothes. If this is true, you probably want to consider a water softener system, as this metal problem will show up in other areas of your house.

Yes, you can use the grey water for your garden. You might want to consider diluting it, since the surfactants/cleaning agents and salts in the detergents might be a little overpowering to start. The usual method would be to have a collection barrel, etc which collects from a number of household run-offs (sinks, showers,etc) which would help in the dilution process. If not, then I would use clear water, blend in a little grey water, and monitor the plants to see if they are adversely affected or could possibly use a higher ratio of grey to clear water. The Clorox® Regular-Bleach breaks down after use to mostly salt and water, with any unused bleach being reacted with material in your drain pipes long before it reaches the garden.

Glad you like our new Green Works® line. Yes, you can use the Green Works® products and include them in your grey water program. Sorry, we aren't selling a dryer sheet, but the new laundry detergent should be available in your area now or very soon.

Q. Knowing the ratio of bleach to cold water that is safe to spray on children's toys, I thought it would be a good solution for our child's pool. We have a blow-up pool that holds a little more than 50 gallons. In the summer in Washington, we have two things to worry about: mosquitoes laying eggs in standing water, and a slimy build-up on the plastic.

I figured a cup of Clorox would be just enough to keep the slime and mosquitoes at bay and still be safe for my child to swim in. Well, we added a cup of bleach and it immediately turned yellow. Within 30 minutes the entire pool looked like it was filled with, well, urine. It was truly that yellow.

I have never seen Clorox react in such a way. What could possibly be the reason and is it safe for my child?

A. Wow, that sounds way too strong! The standard disinfecting solution (3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach/gallon of water) yields a 2700ppm (parts per million) concentration. For pool use, we want no more than 1-2ppm. Your 1 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach would have been enough to treat a 1,667 gallon pool.

For your 50 gal pool, you probably should have started with only ~2 teaspoons to get the 2ppm level.

So, the yellowing was strong bleach reacting with everything in the pool. I would throw it out and start over. Note the last line above! The smell would have kept me (and hopefully your child) from entering the pool.

Q. I am writing this from the UAE. Last time I put my color clothes together for washing, unfortunately one item got a stain (blue). Can you recommend a remedy?

A. Not quite sure from your description whether the clothes that were made blue were white or colored. This would make a difference since with white items, I would recommend using a Clorox® Regular-Bleach soak (1/4 cup liquid bleach/gallon of cool water; soak 5-10 minutes then wash in hot water with detergent and liquid bleach), followed by air drying since you may have to repeat the process to get all the color removed.

But if they are colored, it is very difficult (perhaps impossible) to remove the stain without also removing some of the other dye(s). Anything you use in this case should be pretested on a hidden seam (apply, let set for 2-3 minutes, rinse and air dry) to determine how much dye damage is likely to occur and if that is acceptable for you.

• You might try a diluted hydrogen peroxide solution soak (1:1 in cool water for 10-15 minutes ; then wash in hot water using detergent; air dry as you probably will have to repeat this process)


• or sometimes ammonia can be used (again make a mixture 1:1:1 ammonia :dishwashing detergent (like Dawn): water and either spray or soak the effective area; then wash in hot water with detergent and air dry as you probably will have to repeat the process)


• or, as a last resort, you may use a dye remover or stripper. Here in the States, a popular brand is Rit. These products are designed to remove dyes, so definitely pretest to make sure the other colors are not too affected.