Q: I am working at a facility that is using Clorox® Splash-Less Liquid Gel Bleach as their sanitizer for food contact surfaces & equipment. Why does it appear more sudsy than Clorox ® Regular-Bleach?

A: While Clorox® Regular-Bleach and Clorox® Splash-Less Liquid Gel Bleach both have sodium hypochlorite as the bleach active, they are different products with different formulas. The surfactants used to thicken the Splash-Less Bleach, making it easier to pour and control, also make the bleach solution sudsy. Therefore, for sanitizing food contact surfaces, the facility should use Clorox® Regular-Bleach, our EPA-registered disinfectant. From our EPA master label, the instructions for sanitizing food contact surfaces and equipment, such as dishes, pots and pans, glasses, utensils, refrigerators, freezers and more, are as follows:

• Wash surfaces and equipment thoroughly; then soak two minutes in a 200 ppm available chlorine solution made with hot water. Use chlorine test strips to adjust to 200 ppm available chlorine. Drain dry. (Do not use on steel, aluminum, silver, or chipped enamel. Disinfect these by scalding.) To mix a 200 ppm available chlorine solution, dilute 1 Tbsp. Clorox® Regular-Bleach per 1 gallon of water. Note that you don’t rinse the items once you apply the bleach solution—they are simply allowed to air dry.

  You may also want to sanitize mops, brushes, and rags—this requires a longer contact time with a more concentrated solution made by mixing ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach in 1 gallon of water. From the EPA master label:

• After using brushes, mops and brooms, wash thoroughly; then soak for 5 minutes in a 2700 ppm available chlorine solution made with warm water. Rinse with clear water; dry. Not recommended for cellulose sponge mops.
  Note that you do need to rinse brushes, mops, and brooms following soaking, before they air dry. There is also a nice chart on the Master Label that lists typical quantities of bleach solution that are mixed up for the different applications.

Q: I have a water softener, and know that I can use less detergent to clean my clothes than when washing in hard water. Should I also use less Clorox^® Regular-Bleach and Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster?

A: Using a water softener to treat hard water definitely leads to better laundry results. Hard water causes a variety of problems, resulting in the need to increase laundry product usage above the normal amount. Therefore, it is important to be careful not to underuse laundry detergents and additives when adjusting for normal water quality. Additionally, be sure to take into account the load size and soil level when determining how much of any product to add. In a standard washer, we recommend detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach for normal loads, and up to 1 ¼ cup bleach for extra large or heavily soiled loads. These measurements are also the correct amounts to use when disinfecting laundry. With hard water, a consumer needs to use more bleach if there is high calcium and magnesium content, but use absolutely no bleach if there is iron and manganese present. These minerals can react with the bleach causing the fabric to yellow. For Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, you also need to consider load size and soil level. For lightly soiled clothing or smaller loads, fill the cap or scoop to the first line. As load size and soil levels increase, boost product usage accordingly.

High efficiency washing machines use much less water. Removed soils suspended in the wash water are more concentrated, and bleach breaks down much faster. We still recommend using ¾ cup Clorox&^® Regular-Bleach in HE washers, or for those HE machines with small-capacity bleach dispensers, filling the bleach dispenser to the “max-fill” line. Again, you should also use load size and soil level as a guide for determining how much bleach to add. Instead of adding more bleach, however, consider washing two smaller loads. This is because the dispenser limits the amount of bleach that can be added, so washing two smaller loads is the best way to adjust bleach usage for soil level. For Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, fill the cap or scoop to line 1, and again consider two small loads if you have heavily soiled laundry. If there is no dedicated dispenser for color-safe bleach, then add it to the detergent compartment, also being sure to use a HE detergent.

Finally, monitor your laundry results over time. Sometimes laundry habits, like using less detergent, may seem sufficient after one or two washes, but over time, the cumulative effect of insufficient cleaning can lead to dingy clothes.

[flowplayer src="/laundry/dr-laundry-blog/wp-content/uploads/video/KidStainsA_03a.flv" width="450" height="328" splash='/assets/Uploads/2011/06/splash-kid-stains.png' autoplay=false]
Learn how to remove tough grass, dirt and juice stains.

Q: I am embarking on a baseball season with two boys wearing white pants and white undershirts. What are the best ways to remove red dirt and possible juice stains?

A: The undershirts are most likely white cotton, therefore to remove any juice stains, wash the shirts with detergent + ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach in hot water. For colored shirts, pre-treat juice stains with Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, and then wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent + more Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster. We also have a live demo of removing juice stains on the video page of the blog, in the Kids 101 video.

Unfortunately, white baseball pants are a challenge because they can contain a combination of stains. Dive for that catch in the outfield, and you’ll have mud and grass; slide for home in the infield, and the fine clay particles get ground into the fabric. This combination of stains is hard to get out. First, it is important to start as soon as you return home from the game. Scrape away as much excess mud and grass that you can, and then pre-soak the pants with one scoop powdered Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster dissolved in one gallon hot water. Make sure the powder is dissolved and the pants are fully submerged, letting them soak overnight. In the morning, drain the soaking solution, and wash the pants with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach in hot water. Air-dry the pants to avoid heat-setting any stain that may linger. If any stain remains, repeat the pre-soak and wash process. The good news is the pants are most likely polyester and should dry very quickly!

Q: In searching for a method to safely disinfect baby clothes that do not pass the bleachability test, I came across a product online that claims to disinfect and be “safe” to use on colored clothes. However, there is no information regarding this product on the EPA site. Are all registered disinfecting products listed by the EPA?

A: To confirm that clothes have been properly disinfected, an EPA registration is important. In order for a product to obtain this registration, a product must undergo and pass tests for efficacy. The results of these tests turn into label instructions that provide guidelines such as the effective ratio of product to water and the use conditions necessary to kill germs. Any product sold in the US as a disinfectant must have an EPA registration.
In order to reliably remove germs with detergent alone, CDC guidelines state that you need to wash items at 160°F for 25 minutes. However, using hot water and a hot dryer cycle increases the chance of fading and shrinkage, but it is a trade-off one makes if you cannot use Clorox® Regular-Bleach to disinfect.

Below are some additional links that parents may find useful:

http://www.clorox.com/clorox-cleaning-and-laundry-advisor/healthier-home-and-family/new-moms/

http://www.clorox.com/blog/2011/03/03/open-letter-of-apology-for-pre-baby-folly/?ref=clorox_footer

http://www.clorox.com/blog/2011/03/16/arent-we-all-new-moms/?ref=clorox_footer

[flowplayer src="/laundry/dr-laundry-blog/wp-content/uploads/video/KidStainsB_03a.flv" width="450" height="328" splash='/assets/Uploads/2011/06/splash-markers.png' autoplay=false]
Dr. Laundry explains how to get out difficult marker stains.

Q: How do I disinfect my black couch and wooden floors without damaging them?

A: As long as the wood flooring has a finish that effectively makes it a hard surface, a singular bleach treatment of a disinfecting solution should not damage the wood; although I would suggest testing a small, less visible section first. To prepare the disinfecting solution, add ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach to one gallon of water. Pre-wash the wood flooring and then mop or wipe with the disinfecting solution. Let stand for ten minutes, then rinse thoroughly and air dry. Consider working in small sections to be sure you can manage rinsing quickly and efficiently. Be sure the room is well ventilated, and I would also recommend wearing eye protection and gloves. If the bleach treatment looks like it is going to damage the finish, consult a floor professional.

As for the black couch, the best you can do is to have it cleaned professionally and be sure it can dry quickly and thoroughly. Exposure to sunlight can also help increase your chances of success. If necessary, repeat the cleaning process to completely disinfect.

Q: After cutting up a large pine branch this past weekend, our clothes have little drops of pine sap in multiple places. Is this considered a stain, or can I simply wash them with detergent? Preferably, I do not want to do a lot of extra work if a regular wash will do the trick. However, if the sap will stain the materials, I do not want to further the problem by setting the stain through washing.

A: Pine sap is a very difficult stain to remove with typical laundry treatments. I would recommend trying to treat the stains directly with De-Solv-it® or Goo Gone®, which you can find at hardware stores. I would not expect a problem with using these products on the items, but I would first check for colorfastness by applying a drop of the products to a hidden part of the garments, rinse, and blot dry. If there is no color change, spray or rub a little into the sap and then wash with detergent in the hottest water temperature allowed on the care label. Allow to air dry and check for success. Air drying is very important since the heat from the dryer can permanently set sap stains. In order to do everything you can to increase your chances of success, you may need to repeat the treatment to fully remove the stains. This may include increasing the length of time you pretreat the stains.

[flowplayer src="/laundry/dr-laundry-blog/wp-content/uploads/video/SummerStains01.flv" width="450" height="328" splash='/assets/Uploads/2011/06/splash-summer-stains.png' autoplay=false]
Learn how bleach can brighten your summer by tackling tough summer stains.

Q: I want to take most of the color out of a section of fabric for a reverse tie-dye effect. The fabric content is 100% flannel cotton, and has been washed and dried by the usual, conventional method. Is there a particular Clorox® Regular-Bleach to water ratio I should use, and is there a water temperature that is the most effective? Also, is it possible to use undiluted Clorox® Regular-Bleach without destroying the fabric?

A: Sounds like an interesting art project! First, let me clarify that you should never use undiluted bleach right out of the bottle. We never recommend this, and in the case of fabric, it can cause holes to develop over time. A good trial dilution is our bleachability test solution: 2 teaspoons bleach diluted in ¼ cup water. This is typically used by consumers to check colored fabrics for colorfastness to bleach. To test the area, apply a drop of the bleach test solution to the fabric, wait one minute, and blot dry. Often there is no color change, and the tested item can be safely bleached. You may even find this with the fabric you have selected. If the fabric “fails” the test and changes color, then you will be able to use bleach to create the reverse tie-dye effect you are looking for.
You may find that you would like a little more control over how you apply the diluted bleach solution to your fabric, and for that I would recommend the Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel. It has a thicker formula with a lower sodium hypochlorite active level than Clorox® Regular-Bleach, and is safe to apply directly to fabrics. Also, it has both a fine tip and a broad scrubber tip, which you can use to control fine lines and other effects. Note that you will need to thoroughly rinse the fabric when you are finished applying the gel. As the gel rinses into the water, it may bleach other areas of the fabric if the dye is sensitive to bleach. To help mitigate this problem add a capful of Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster to a filled clothes washer before directly dropping the fabric into the machine. The color-safe bleach in Clorox2® is hydrogen peroxide, and will cancel the bleaching effects of the sodium hypochlorite. Let the clothes washer complete the cycle to rinse the fabric.
Finally, you should avoid bleaching wool, silk, spandex, mohair, and leather with any sodium hypochlorite containing product such as Clorox® Regular-Bleach or Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel.