Q:  Can I use Clorox® Regular-Bleach in my old washing machine to clean it?

A:  This is an interesting question!  My first thought is yes, but your washer is old so it depends on the condition of your machine.  If enamel or metal surfaces inside the washer have been chipped or scratched, then the machine could be rusty.  In that case, it may be time to replace your washing machine to avoid rust stains from transferring to the clothes. 

However, if your washer is in generally good condition, you can run an empty cycle selecting hot water, two rinse cycles, and adding 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach as the washer is filling.  If you can't automatically select an extra rinse, then simply do that manually and restart the washer when the first cycle is over. 

Does anyone else need some helpful tips on cleaning their washer?

Q: What is bleach?

A:  The active ingredient in household bleach is sodium hypochlorite, which is derived from salt.  In fact, Clorox is headquartered in Oakland, California because we started making bleach here by running electricity through salt water from San Francisco Bay! So household bleach begins and ends as salt and water. During the laundering process, about 95 to 98 percent of household bleach quickly breaks down into oxidized salt and biodegradables, which is the primary reaction that makes it environmentally friendly.

Variations on this question about the make-up of our laundry and cleaning products come up a lot for my readers.  I can see that more and more people (myself included) want to be informed shoppers choosing products based on their back story and ingredients.  It’s with this in mind that I’m thrilled to announce the launch of Clorox’s Ingredients Inside App and mobile website. This cutting-edge free iPhone app allows you to know exactly which ingredients make up any of our household and commercial disinfecting, cleaning and laundry products in the U.S. and Canada, anytime you need it. All you have to do is scan the Clorox product with your iPhone camera and the product ingredient list will appear along with an explanation of each ingredient. Check out a video of the Ingredients Inside app in action here.

Readers, do you read the ingredients on your laundry and cleaning products?

Q:  Can I use Clorox® Regular-Bleach on my blue jeans to create a “stain” look?

A:  To create a “stain look” by using bleach to lighten portions of the denim, first let me remind you to never apply full-strength bleach to anything, even if your goal is color loss.  Bleach should always be diluted with water before using it on fabric or for cleaning hard surfaces. 

That said; you may want to consider using the Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel to achieve a decorative color loss effect on fabric.  The pen has two tips:  a fine tip and a broad scrubber tip, and also gives you greater control applying a lower concentration bleach solution.  Make sure to rinse the gel away when you have the desired color loss, but before the gel dries on the fabric. 

If you want to lighten the jeans overall, then soaking them in a bleach solution made with 1/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of cool water is a great approach.  For stain removal we recommend soaking for 5 minutes, but you may want to try up to 10 minutes to increase the color loss.

Q: Have a stain from a Sharpie®, how do I remove it?

A:  Sharpie® pens are generally permanent, so it may be difficult to get the stain out.  That said, if you start by pre-treating the stain with a little bit of alcohol-based hand sanitizer to begin breaking up the ink, you will increase your chances of success.  Just squirt a little onto the stain and rub it in.  Usually the stain will spread out into the hand sanitizer – after a few minutes, rinse the stain, and then pre-treat it again depending on what color and type of fabric the item is:

• For white items (but not wool, silk, mohair, leather, spandex, and linen):  rub the stain with Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel and then wash immediately in the hottest water recommended on the item's care label using detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Air dry the item, but do not put it in a hot dryer!  This is very important since a stain like this can require repeating the treatment to remove it fully, so you want to avoid heat-setting the stain in a hot dryer.


• For colored items:  apply liquid Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster directly to the stain and rub in.  Wait 5 minutes and then wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and more Clorox2®.  Air dry the item and check for success; repeat the treatment as needed for complete removal.

With the school season back in full swing – do any other readers have difficult pen, marker or highlighter stains that need to be removed?

Q:  Over time I get a hard buildup of something in the underarm regions of my white T-shirts.  Is there a reaction with gel type antiperspirants and bleach that could cause this?

A:  This is a great question – underarm stains are a big problem to treat because they are highly variable.  Each person’s unique body chemistry combined with his/her choice of deodorant creates pretty individualized stains.  What works to remove one person’s stains doesn’t always work for another so hopefully this advice will be helpful to you. 

The crusty build up you describe is what happens when a person’s deodorant/antiperspirant mixes with body soil and sweat, and transfers onto the shirt.  That it doesn’t come off with a regular wash cycle is likely due to several factors, such as how much deodorant is applied, the brand of deodorant, the brand of detergent, and the wash temperature (hotter is better), to name a few.  In your case, pre-treating the armpits on the shirts each time they are washed should help you avoid the build-up from happening.  Two effective pre-treating methods to try are:

1. Pre-treat with Clorox® Bleach Pen Gel: use the broad scrubber tip to apply the gel and gently rub it into the armpit area.  Wash immediately in hot water with a good detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.


2. Pre-treat with a good liquid laundry detergent that contains an enzyme.  Wait 5-10 minutes, but don’t let it dry on the fabric.  Wash in hot water with detergent + ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.

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.

For the stained shirts that you already have, try restoring them using 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” the combination of deodorant, sweat, body soil, bacteria, etc. that has built up.  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.  If you need to handle the shirt, either use kitchen tongs or wear gloves.

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 it up enough so you can saturate the stains.

1. Rinse the shirt, and then follow up with a hot water wash with a good enzyme-containing detergent + ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.

Also, you asked if the antiperspirant’s gel formulation is potentially a problem.  That depends – it may be that with a gel it’s easier to apply more, making it easier for any excess to transfer to clothes.  If you have yellowing in addition to the buildup, then check the ingredient list for an aluminum active (metals can interact with bleach and cause yellowing), and if necessary, consider switching deodorant brands.