Q:  What is the best way to get machine oil off my husband’s work shirts after they have sat in a hamper for two days?

A:  With dark, grimy machine oil it's important to use a good solvent to dissolve the oil stains, preferably before they are wet from the wash water, so pre-treating is important.  Checking for colorfastness is also important, and you can do that as follows:

1. Apply a drop on a hidden part of the garment like a hem, inside seam or cuff.


2. Wait 1 minute then rinse and blot with a towel.


3. If there is no color change then you can safely use the product on the item.

With that, here are some suggestions:

• Apply a good liquid laundry detergent or even dishwashing detergent, like Dawn, degreaser, Stanley or Goo Gone. Rub into the stain and let sit 3-5 minutes. This helps solubilize the grease/oil/fluids and jumpstarts removal. Hopefully the stains are localized and not spread out all over, which makes pre-treating more difficult.


• Always wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label. The hotter the water, the better the removal.


• Don’t underuse detergent—you probably need a little extra. Remember you are trying to “pull” the grease/oil off the fabric and once it’s removed you want it to stay in the wash water and NOT redeposit back onto the clothes. This is one of the jobs of the surfactants in detergents.


• Finally, air dry the items and check for success.  You have a much better chance of completely removing the stains if they are not heat set in a dryer.  You can retreat if necessary. 

Readers – have you experienced trouble with machine oil stains?  What’s worked best for you?

Q:  I need some help with clothes flooded in Hurricane Irene, in particular items that cannot go in hot water (delicate fabrics).  How do I handle them?  There is not a lot of mud, but water came reached them and wicked into the fabric.

A:  Watching the images on TV of the storm damage from Irene is really sobering, and I have been thinking about the people who have the daunting task of cleaning up.  Hopefully the flood waters you encountered were not contaminated, and your household water supply is safe for human consumption and skin contact.  Note that if your incoming water is not yet safe for drinking, you should not use it for any laundry unless you are hand-washing and using bleach.  Bleach needs to be added to both the wash and rinse water.  Thankfully it sounds like you have passed this hurdle.  Unfortunately, there is currently not a product for disinfecting any and all colored laundry items or fabrics made from wool, silk, mohair, spandex and leather.   Clorox2® has a different bleach active, hydrogen peroxide, which is a much weaker bleach and therefore safe for colors.  However, it doesn’t meet EPA disinfecting requirements.

To guarantee disinfection, you will need to wash as many items as possible with detergent + ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach in the hottest water recommended on the care label, so figuring out which of your items can be safely bleached is an important first step.  There actually are many colored fabrics than can be safely bleached, and it depends on which type of dye was used to color the fabric.  Also, “delicate” fabrics can often be bleached as long as they are not made from the fibers listed above.  Cotton and nylon underwear, for example, are delicate and perfectly bleachable from a fiber standpoint.  For colored items that you are unsure about, you can easily test bleachability as follows:

• Mix a test solution by diluting 2 tsp Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water


• Apply a drop to a hidden part of the item such as an inside hem, cuff, or seam and then blot dry


• No color change means the item can be safely bleached.  A color change shows what to expect following approximately five cycles with bleach.

I have had success safely bleaching light colored linens and towels, and 100% polyester fleece, to name a few.  Also, you only need to bleach your flood damaged items once.  Some of them could probably handle one wash cycle with bleach, but would fade after 5 cycles (blue jeans often can handle occasional bleach washing).  Because of the severity of the situation (and the possibility that your clothing could have been exposed to contaminated water), it would be worth it to try to bleach as many items as you can.  However, there are items that you simply can’t bleach, and for those you can try the following techniques to reduce the germ count as much as possible:

• Wash in hot water even if it is not what’s recommended on the care label.  This is especially important if your hot water heater is set at a lower temperature.


• Wash any items of particular concern separately from other items to avoid germ transfer, and consider washing them twice


• Use the hottest dryer setting recommended on the care label.


• Air dry items made from wool outdoors in the sun.

Follow up with a washer clean-out cycle (running one cycle with the washer empty) with ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach to be sure the clothes washer is disinfected and germs don’t transfer to other loads.  Hopefully you can restore as many of your flood damaged non-bleachable items as possible. 

I also have some additional disaster preparedness bleach tips that might be helpful:

• If water supplies are compromised and you are unable to boil water for one minute (3 minutes at high elevation) you can create potable water by using regular liquid bleach. Add 1/8 teaspoon (8 drops) of bleach to one gallon of water. Let sit for 30 minutes. Properly treated water should have a slight chlorine odor. If not, repeat dosage and let sit another 15 minutes. Use ¼ teaspoon of bleach (16 drops) for cloudy water.


• Disinfect surfaces, like counter tops, by first washing away all visible dirt. Apply a disinfecting solution of ¾ bleach per gallon of water. Let the solution stand for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and let air dry.


• Make a family preparedness plan for communication in the event of an emergency. Put together an emergency preparedness kit that includes food, water (at least 1 gallon per person per day) a first aid kit, flashlight, radio, personal documents and sanitation supplies such like regular liquid bleach.


• In the wake of disaster, there is much to do as you assess the health and safety of your household as well as next steps to rebuild your life.  The first thing you’ll want to do is check communication channels to ensure that local officials have declared it safe to return home. When home, cleaning up after a natural disaster can be a daunting task so it’s important keep your health top of mind using these steps:
  
  
  
  • Before entering the home, look outside for loose power lines, damaged gas lines, foundation cracks or other damage
  
  
  • During cleanup, wear protective clothing, including rubber gloves and rubber boots
  
  
  • Look for flooding or large pools of standing water surrounding your home. These waters can be contaminated with high levels of bacteria that can make you sick, so disinfecting with a solution of bleach and water may help prevent the spread of infections and illness
  
  
  
  

Q:  How do I get the smell of bait out of my boyfriends’ clothes?

A:  Wow—I could really get into this question given that I go fishing every summer.  I would need some more information, though.  What type of fishing does he do—salt or fresh water?  What type of bait does he like—PowerBait, salmon eggs, worms, etc…  Also, what type of clothing does he wear for fishing?  Personally, I swear by a Gold 502 Super Duper lure for high alpine lakes in the Eastern Sierra.  I wash my fishing related clothing in hot water with detergent and  powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, but I only have to deal with stains and odors related to cleaning fish—lures don’t leave behind an odor.

Readers – how do you remove that fishy smell from your clothing?

Q:  How you do remove blood from sheets

A:  I recommend presoaking blood stains in cool water using a good detergent that contains enzymes – check the list of ingredients to know for sure.  You need to soak items for at least 30 minutes (ideally 60 minutes). This is because enzymes break down the protein in blood and they need enough time to do it—the “wash” portion of a wash cycle is usually not long enough, especially for heavily stained items.  Following the presoak, drain the presoaking solution and rinse the items, and then proceed as follows depending on whether your item is white or colored:

For stained items that are white:

1.       Rub the stain gently with Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel immediately before laundering.
2.       Wash immediately in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular- Bleach.
3.       Air dry and check for success. If residual stain remains, repeat the treatment.
4.       Remember to avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex, even if they are white—treat these fabrics as if they were colored.

For stained items that are colored:

1.       Apply Liquid Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster and rub into stain
2.       Wait 3-5 minutes, then wash immediately in hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and Clorox2®
3.       Air dry and check for success. If residual stain remains, repeat the treatment

Readers – what has been most successful for you when removing blood stains from your sheets?

Q:  How do I get rid of perspiration stains?

A:  These stains are hugely problematic, partly because they are highly variable.  On underwear style t-shirts, it might be a crusty buildup of deodorant/antiperspirant.  Or it can just be a light smear of antiperspirant/deodorant that transferred to a shirt while it was being put on.  On others, like silk tops, it’s discoloration that is impossible to restore.  Light smears usually come off with regular washing.  For the crusty build up, it’s better to not let it happen in the first place, so if you have white t-shirts are in really bad shape I would start fresh by stocking up on new ones.  Then to prevent build-up on an on-going basis, try the following:

1. Pre-treat the armpits of each white t-shirt with Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel: use the broad scrubber tip to apply the gel and gently rub it into the stain.  Since you want to prevent build-up, do this whether or not you actually see any stain every time you wash a shirt.


2. Wash immediately in hot water with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.


3. Unless you have an obvious stain you were trying to remove, you can tumble dry the shirts with the rest of your white load.  Otherwise let them air dry.

Ideally, white undershirts will protect your other shirts from getting any underarm stains that can easily be bleached away.  But for a colored t-shirt that he wouldn’t wear an undershirt with, you can try pre-treating the armpits each time you wash the shirt (again, you want to prevent build up) as follows:

1. Apply liquid Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster directly to the armpit area and rub it in; wait 3-5 minutes (don't let it dry on the fabric).


2. Wash immediately in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent and additional Clorox2® based on your load size.


3. If there were obvious underarm stains that you pre-treated, then be sure to air dry the shirt and check for success; repeat if necessary.

For stained shirts that you have and you want to restore, you can try a recommendation often provided in clothes washer user’s guides.  Here’s a little more detail on how to do it:

1. Working into a dishpan, pour boiling water slowly through each armpit stain.  This is to “melt” any build-up, which is a combination of deodorant, sweat, body soil, bacteria, etc.  It will help if you position the shirt in the dishpan before you start so that you can get to each stain without touching the shirt since once you begin--it will be boiling hot!

2. Don’t rinse the shirt—just pour off as much of the hot water as you can.  This keeps the build-up in a more “melted” state.  And if you do need to handle the shirt either use kitchen tongs or wear gloves.

3. Apply a mixture of 1:1:1 parts baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and water directly to the stain.  Sometimes this is referred to as a paste, but it is actually quite watery, so be sure to mix up enough so you can saturate the stains.

4. Rinse the shirt, and then follow up with a hot water wash with a good enzyme-containing detergent.  (For white t-shirts, be sure to add ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach!)

For ongoing prevention of underarm stains, personally I think this last method is way too much work, and I would start fresh with new t-shirts and stick with the other methods.  If you do try to restore your shirts, please let me know how it goes!

Readers – have you had trouble with perspiration stains?  What is your solution to this problem?

Q:  I have a few mildew stains on a lamp shade. The shades cannot be immersed in water, I have to spot clean them. I have already tried a dish washing soap/water mixture to no avail as well as Oxiclean. I have heard a dishwashing soap and/or bleach might work.

A:  This sounds like quite a problem and I wish I had a more encouraging reply for you.  When cleaning an item with mildew that can’t be immersed, it becomes difficult to rinse away the detergent solution you applied.  The residue left behind will become a dirt magnet, causing stains to “reappear” in the same spot over time.  Also, there is the chance that a bleach solution will alter the color of the lampshade in addition to removing any mildew.  Keep in mind, you have a lampshade that if you can’t get clean, you will need to throw away, so you don’t have much to lose if you experiment with trying to restore it.  You could try the following:

1. Apply a water mist to the entire surface of the lampshade until it is slightly damp (a spray bottle works well for this).


2. Use a sponge to apply a bleach solution of ¼ cup bleach diluted in 1 gallon cool water to the entire surface of the lampshade.  To catch any drips, you should do this while working over a white towel spread out over a bleach-safe surface, like a kitchen countertop or the top of your clothes washer.


3. Gently brush the mildew spots with a soft tooth brush.


4. Wait 5 minutes, then quickly rinse and immediately blot dry with a few more clean towels.

It’s possible that the reason the lampshade can’t be immersed is that glue was used in its construction and the shade manufacturer wants to prevent it from dissolving.  The shape of the shade (if it’s pleated, for example) may become distorted, too, so I would only attempt a bleach treatment if you have decided you have nothing to lose.  You could also contact a fabric restoration service and see what they charge—if it’s expensive, then it could be that replacing the lampshade is actually a more cost effective option.  Good luck!

Readers – how do you go about removing stains from a lamp shade?

Using Clorox 2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster in Japan

Q:  I just bought some Clorox2® at Costco in Japan.  As you probably know, our washers here are cold water and most Japanese don’t have dryers.  I didn't know you had a cold water formula. My kids' school uniform has a white shirt that they are always getting mud on.  The playground is, in fact, made of dirt.   Should I soak in plain hot water first then pre-treat with Clorox2®?  Should I just try and hunt down some regular Clorox®?  If I wash and then there are still mud stains, is my approach different?

A:  I’m curious as to how long you will be in Japan—what a great experience!  I have never been to Japan, which makes it more difficult to dispense laundry advice, but I will do my best.  I have some general suggestions that will hopefully help improve your results.  

Cold water washing is always a challenge, but probably more common in Japan given the national interest in conserving energy.  That said; pre-soaking with Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster in hot water will be very helpful.  You just need a plastic dishpan, and then you can proceed as follows with your child’s muddy white shirt:

1. Rinse garments in warm water to remove any loose soil.


2. Measure a scoop or capful and add it to 2 gallons of hot water—make sure the powder dissolves completely.


3. Fully submerge the shirt in the pre-soak solution for up to 8 hours or overnight.


4. Drain the pre-soak solution.


5. Apply Clorox2® (if it’s the liquid) directly to any remaining stain, and then wash in your clothes washer with detergent. 

For improved cleaning of your colored items, proceed as above, but limit the Clorox2® presoak time to 30 minutes.  Also, for your white items, I would definitely try to track down Clorox® Regular-Bleach, or if you can’t find that, the local brand of sodium hypochlorite bleach.  If language is an issue, you might want to try bringing a printout of the translation of what you want. 

If your clothes washer has a dispenser for Clorox® Regular-Bleach then I would use it.  You can also pre-soak white items with ¼ cup bleach diluted in 1 gallon of water for 5-10 minutes.

Readers – have you had trouble using Clorox2® while in Japan?  Any suggestions?

Q:  I have a white spandex camisole that's gotten dingy over the months, how do I wash it? Should I bleach it? Every time I try washing it, it stays just as dingy as when I put it in the washer.

A:  White items with spandex are great to wear, but such a pain to take care of—you can’t wash them with Clorox® Regular-Bleach because it’s not safe for that fiber type.  You should also avoid bleaching wool, silk, leather and mohair.  To improve the appearance of your camisole, you could try soaking it in powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster.  Dissolve 1 scoop powder in 2 gallons of very hot water; fully submerge the shirt in the soaking solution overnight.  Next, run it through a regular wash cycle with detergent plus Clorox2®.

Something else to consider is what you can do on an ongoing basis to keep those non-bleachable whites as white as they can be:

• Always wash white items that can’t be bleached with light colors, or by themselves. 


• Use a good detergent—one that includes enzymes and brighteners will give you the best results.


• Add Clorox 2® to every load—its formula includes color-safe peroxide bleach that improves detergent performance.


• Always wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label—the hotter the water, the better the cleaning.


• Check your “warm” water temperature—depending on how far away from your water heater your clothes washer is, you may need to select a “hot” cycle just to wash with “warm” water!

Readers – how do you go about cleaning your white spandex camisoles?

Q:  How to get a thin layer of gum out of a shirt collar?

A:  I have good news for you!  Gum is surprisingly easy to remove by freezing.  Just apply an ice cube directly to the gum, and as it hardens, it will crack and you can scrape it away.  For a thin layer of gum, one or two ice cubes should do it—let me know how it goes!

Readers – have you experienced problems with gum on your clothing?

Q:  When I wash my bath cloths the dark stains don’t come out, what is the problem?

A:  I wish I had a little more information—do you mean wash cloths and/or towels?  I realize you may not know what the stain is—this happens when you don’t notice a stain until later!  But for a bath towel, here are a few possibilities: blood from shaving accidents, mildew from towels sitting damp in the laundry hamper, and oil from lotions or creams are all possibilities.  It would be great if your towels are white, and the stains haven’t been “set” in a hot dryer—once stains are exposed to dryer heat they become extremely difficult to remove.  Even so, for white towels you could try a pre-soak with ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water.  Let the towels soak for 5 minutes, then drain the soaking solution and run the towels through a hot wash cycle with detergent plus ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  It may be necessary to repeat the treatment if the stains are set in.

If you think the stains are oily, then you will need to pre-treat the dark area with a little liquid dishwasher detergent first—rub it in and wait 5 minutes.  Then, if the towels are white, wash in hot water with detergent plus ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.

If your towels are colored, you can do a quick bleachability test: add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach to ¼ cup water.  Apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the colored item (hems, cuffs, and inside seams work well).  Wait 1 minute, then blot dry.  No color change means the item can be safely bleached.  If they don’t, and the stains are mildew, it will be difficult to remove them without bleach.  Repeated washing in hot water with detergent and Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster may help you make some progress. 

Readers – do you have white or colored towels? How do you remove stains from them?