Q:  Our cat had a nasty virus. After it was resolved I went through and cleaned his litter box area with a Clorox® Regular-Bleach and water solution to get rid of the germs. Once this dries, is it safe for pets? Or should I make an effort to clean any residue before letting my pets in the area?

A:  A litter box that has been properly disinfected with Clorox® Regular-Bleach is definitely safe for pets; and here's how to do it:

1. Remove the litter from the box


2. Wash the litter box with soap and water


3. Mix 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water and fill the litter box with the bleach solution, let stand for 5 minutes


4. Thoroughly rinse the litter box and air dry

Since you mentioned residue, I'm wondering if you have adequately rinsed the litter box.  This is especially important if you used too strong of a bleach solution.

Is anyone else disinfecting your pets’ items in “celebration” for the New Year?

Q: Can I dye blue jeans white with Clorox® Regular-Bleach?

A:  It really depends on how the jeans were made and what type of dye was used to color the blue yarns.  Depending on the dye class, the blue color could actually be safe for bleach.  On the other hand, if the blue color is from a fiber reactive dye, you probably could use bleach to strip the color, although not all the way to "white".  You can predict the outcome with a simple bleachability test:  add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach to 1/4 cup water and apply a drop to a hidden part of the jeans, like the inside hem.  Wait 1 minute and then blot dry; a light colored spot predicts the color loss you can expect from bleach (typically 5 regular washes). 

If it looks like there will be some fading, you can try to speed things up by pre-soaking the jeans in a solution of 1/4 cup bleach per gallon of water for 5 minutes (make sure the jeans are completely submerged).  After 5 minutes, drain the soaking solution and then wash the jeans in a little detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Air dry the jeans, and then repeat the treatments if you are making progress.

Q:  How do I get gasoline smell out of clothing?

A:  This is such an interesting question, and the answer needs to address more than just cleaning – there's a safety issue too.  If the clothes have a lingering gasoline smell, that means they probably have residual gasoline on them.  Clothes washer and dryer manufacturers don’t want oil or gasoline soaked items going into their appliances for cleaning because of the risk of spontaneous combustion, and they put a warning on the appliances and in the user’s guide to that effect.  Throwing away oil-saturated clothes is the safest course of action—check with your garbage service provider to see what they recommend for safe disposal before tossing any items away.

This isn’t very helpful, I realize, and that frustrates me—I also know that presoaking or pre-treating with a stronger de-greaser like Goo Gone® or De-Solve-it® should be effective at removing any residual gasoline, and consequently the smell.  You would need to test a hidden part of the items for colorfastness first, and then follow the manufacturer’s directions.  If you know how the gasoline got onto the clothes, and how much of it there was originally, that would also be helpful to you in deciding how to proceed.

I wish I could be more encouraging, but not knowing enough about your specific situation I really can only recommend discarding the items from a safety standpoint. 

Has anyone had any luck removing gasoline smells?

Q:  Is Clorox® Regular-Bleach safe to use on my granite countertops?

A:  Yes, Clorox® Regular-Bleach is safe for sealed granite countertops.  Remember, bleach should never be used full strength for cleaning any surface--it should always be diluted with water first.  For disinfecting countertops, use a solution of 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water.  Apply the bleach solution and let stand for 5 minutes, rinse thoroughly, and allow to air dry.