As you may have noticed on your store shelves, Clorox^® recently introduced Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach, a more concentrated version of its namesake liquid bleach.

You may ask what is different about this product. Concentrated Clorox^® Regular Bleach is the same Clorox bleach product that you have come to know through generations of use, just with less water!  There are multiple benefits and improvements to this new concentration of our classic formula, as well:

Concentrated Clorox^® Regular Bleach is in a smaller bottle that is easier to handle and easier to use in high-efficiency (HE) washing machines.It improves whitening of clothes. It still has the same number of uses per bottle as the product you’re used to, but its smaller size significantly reduces the amount of water and packaging used in each bottle. This change will help reduce the product and The Clorox Company’s environmental footprint.

You can find it on store shelves nationwide with “Now Concentrated” on the label.

Because Concentrated Clorox^® Regular Bleach is more concentrated, the instructions for use are slightly different than you’re accustomed to. Below is an easy reference for common measurements, but as always, please be sure to refer to the label for instructions.

To use Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to whiten and sanitize laundry:

• Add ½ cup of Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to a standard or HE washer following the laundry use directions.
• As with any cleaning or laundry product, it is important to read the product label before use.

To use Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to disinfect hard, nonporous surfaces:

• Wash, wipe of rinse surface with water.
• Add ½ cup of Concentrated Clorox^® Regular Bleach to one gallon of water.
• Apply solution to the surface and let stand 5 minutes before rinsing.
• Rinse thoroughly and air dry.

Click here for more information about Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach.

How can I remove rust in fabrics?

Unfortunately rust stains can NOT be removed with Clorox^® Regular-Bleach (or any chlorine bleach for that matter). You need to use a rust remover product instead, and these can be found at hardware stores—just be sure to read and follow the package directions, including wearing gloves. The biggest issue with treating washable fabrics with a rust remover is whether or not they are colorfast. You can always test a spot on a hidden part of the stained items if you want to be sure the rust remover is safe to use. After you have treated the items, be sure to rinse them thoroughly and let them air dry.

What can I use to remove the awful smell out of dishrag?

If the dishrag is damp/wet on and off over a couple of days before you wash it, then odor causing bacteria is building up on the rag. If you only wash it with detergent, that's not enough to sanitize the rags and the smell (a mildewy, foul smell) will linger or reappear as soon as the "clean" rag gets wet. Washing in hot water using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach (or 1/2 cup New Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach), will sanitize the rag and eliminate the odor. Be sure to wash with bleach every time you wash the rag!

My husband washed my white skirt with some red sheets and my skirt is now pink. Is there any way that I can get it white again?

You should be able to restore the skirt that picked up the pink color with a bleach soaking solution as long as the skirt is safely bleachable. Even though it is white, you still need to check the care label--don’t use the bleach soaking solution if the skirt contains even a small amount of spandex (which may also be listed as Lycra or Elastane on the care label). There are a few other fiber types that should never be bleached--always avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, and leather. Since I don't know the fiber content of your skirt, it's important to clarify this!

If the skirt is bleachable, then you can proceed with a bleach soak. Fully submerge the skirt in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach added to 1 gallon cool water (or if you are using New Concentrated Clorox Regular-Bleach, add 3 tablespoons bleach to 1 gallon of water). Allow the skirt to soak for up to 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly. Air dry and check for success (it’s important to keep the skirt out of the dryer so the heat doesn’t set any remaining dye if it wasn’t removed). Hopefully the fugitive pink color will be gone, but if it is lighter, then repeat the bleach soak again. However, if the bleach soak leaves the pink color unchanged, then you may need to try RIT Color Remover, which can usually be found at drug and hardware stores.

This is such a fun project!  In addition to being an easy last minute Valentine’s Day gift, it’s also a great way to perk up an older pair of shoes. To do it yourself, here’s how!

Materials

• Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel
• Cotton canvas shoes*
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Cotton Swabs
• Dropper or syringe
• Dishwasher safe bowl
• Dishwasher safe plate
• Paper towels

Directions

1. Get ready: open the hydrogen peroxide and pour a little into the bowl.  Set a few cotton swabs in the bowl so they are damp and ready when you need them.  Fill the dropper or syringe with hydrogen peroxide and leave it in the bowl so it is ready to go.
2. Practice!  With the cap on, shake the bleach pen.  Remove the cap on the fine tip end, and gently squeeze out a few small circles of bleach onto the plate.  Begin working with the shoes when your practice dots are uniform.
3. Work in sections.  You can’t put all the dots on at once without the gel sliding down vertical surfaces, so be patient!
4. Apply the gel dots to the top of the shoes first.  Allow the bleach gel dots to dry before continuing.
5. While you are waiting for the gel dots to dry, use the paper towel to clean off any gel from the tip of the pen, and put the cap back on.
6. Turn the shoes on their sides, shake the bleach pen, and apply more dots, continuing the pattern from the top of the shoes.  Allow the dots to dry before continuing.
7. Turn the shoes over and apply gel dots to the other side of the shoes.  Allow the dots to dry before continuing.
8. Holding the shoes so the heel is facing up, and apply any needed gel dots to complete the pattern around the back of the shoes.  Allow the dots to dry.
9. Using the dropper or syringe, apply hydrogen peroxide directly to each dot, refilling the dropper or syringe as necessary.  This prevents any untreated areas of the shoes from being lightened by residual bleach gel when the shoes are rinsed.
10. Thoroughly rinse the shoes (you can do this in the clothes washer if you like) and let them air dry in a warm room.

Remember that you do need to be careful with the bleach pen.  Always make sure the cap is on before you shake the pen.  If you ever get even a tiny amount of gel where you don’t want it, dab it quickly with the hydrogen peroxide soaked cotton swab.  Want different colored polka dots?  Try using a permanent marker to change their color!  With so many creative possibilities, it’s easy to create a one-of-a-kind pair of shoes that will have everyone asking, “Where did you find those shoes?  I want a pair!”

*Do not use the gel pen on leather, wool, silk, mohair and spandex.

I ran my child’s clothes through the dryer without realizing there was a crayon in there too. How can I remove the stain?

It doesn’t matter whether the crayon melted in the pocket of a sweatshirt left in the hot car or accidentally went through a hot dryer—you have quite a problem to deal with! Crayons have a waxy component that doesn't break up in a detergent and water solution--that's why these stains are such a pain. Below are some tips for getting out wax stains which should hopefully help you:

1. Scrape away as much of the wax as possible with a dull knife.


2. Cut open a brown paper grocery (light weight) or lunch bag. Be sure the bag does NOT have any wax coating on it!


3. Place the bag over the wax spot, and then gently press with a dry iron on its lowest heat setting. You should see dark brown splotches appear on the bag as the wax transfers from the clothing to the bag and is absorbed.


4. Reposition a fresh part of the bag over the wax spot and gently press again with the iron. Repeat until no more wax absorbs onto the bag.


5. Finally, pretreat any remaining stain before washing. For white items, apply Clorox^® Bleach Pen Gel directly to the stain and rub in, and then wash immediately in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent + ½ cup Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach. For colored items (or white items that contain spandex) apply Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster directly to the stain. Wait 5 minutes, and then wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent and more Clorox2^®. Air dry and check for success—repeat if necessary.

A few more thoughts on wax removal: brown paper bags are nice to work with here because it is very easy to see the wax absorb onto the bag. It’s also important to work with the iron on its lowest heat setting so you don’t melt the wax too quickly and cause it to absorb into the fabric, or melt the fabric if it is synthetic. You can check your progress and possibly increase the temperature depending on how hot your iron is--they do vary.

I spilled some salsa in some khaki shorts. I tried Oil Soap and that helped a bit, but did not completely treat the stain. How do I get the rest out?

I’m guessing you have a salsa stain on khaki shorts, which are either tan or olive green in color. I don’t think using Oil Soap to pretreat the stain will have made the residual stain permanent. The bigger issue is whether or not the shorts were tumble dried in a hot dryer following your first attempt to pretreat the stain. If the shorts air dried after you washed them, then you have a pretty good chance you will be able to get the stain all the way out. If, however, the shorts did go through a hot dryer, then the stain is probably heat-set and likely permanent. If the shorts haven’t been tumble dried, you can try the following:

For salsa stains on most colored fabrics, first rinse the stained area with a little cool water. Next, pretreat the stain—which product you use depends on the color and fabric content of the item. Your shorts sound like they have color, so you would want to pretreat with a little liquid Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster. Apply a little directly to the stain, gently rub it in, and wait 3-5 minutes before washing in the hottest water recommended on the garment care label using detergent and more Clorox2^®. Air dry the shorts and then check for success—if any stain remains, repeat the treatment.

For salsa stains on bleachable white items (always avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex), after rinsing the stain with cool water, you can pretreat with Clorox^® Bleach Pen Gel. Apply a little of the gel directly to the stain and gently rub it in using the soft scrubber tip. Immediately wash the item in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and Clorox^® Regular-Bleach. Let the item air dry and then check to see if the stain is all the way out—repeat if necessary.

Do I have to use Clorox^® High Efficiency Bleach in my HE washer or can I also use Clorox^® Regular-Bleach?

This is a great question! How long have you had your HE washer? It’s great that you are making sure whatever laundry products you use in it are appropriate. You can use both Clorox^® Regular-Bleach and Clorox^® High Efficiency Bleach in your HE washer—which one you choose is really up to you. Many consumers prefer the thicker formula of the HE product because it makes it easier to safely pour directly into the bleach dispenser. Laundry “minimalists” on the other hand just want to use Clorox^® Regular-Bleach because they limit themselves to only a handful of cleaning products on hand and they like the versatility of the regular product and its many other uses around the home. Regardless of which product you choose, always be sure to fill the bleach dispenser to the “max-fill” line to be sure you get the maximum amount of bleach active the dispenser allows you to add, especially important for machines with smaller capacity bleach dispensers. It’s definitely a personal choice—fortunately it’s not as important as making sure you only use a detergent specially formulated for your HE washer. That’s critical to prevent oversudsing, which can happen when traditional detergents originally formulated for deep-fill washers are used in a HE washer.

Is it safe to use bleach to sanitize sippy cups and straws?

You CAN safely use a bleach solution to sanitize sippy cups! To make the bleach solution, add 1 Tablespoon Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to 1 gallon of water. To sanitize the sippy cups, disassemble all the different parts (mouthpiece, lid,straws, etc) and wash them with detergent and water first, and then let them soak in the bleach solution for two minutes. You may need to spin them around to make sure all surfaces contact the bleach solution for the full two minutes. When finished, you don’t need to rinse them, but they do need to air dry completely. This may be a little tricky for the straws, but if you prop them upright to make draining easier, that should help them drain and air dry.

I also want to clarify that we are in the process of concentrating our sodium hypochlorite based bleach products, so if you live in a part of the U.S. that has already converted over to the new Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach product, use 2 teaspoons bleach per gallon of water. The procedure and contact time are otherwise the same. Also, I am not sure if you are aware of this, but I wanted to note that you should only use the regular version of our bleach; the fragranced versions are not registered with the EPA and are not appropriate for sanitizing uses.

I have a white hoodie with a school emblem on the front. The top of the front has yellowed and has some blue faded on it. How do I get it out without messing up the emblem? I'm afraid if I bleach that I will not be able to contain the area!

The Clorox^® Bleach Pen^® Gel could be just the thing you need to remove a stain from one part of a white sweatshirt without negatively impacting a colored portion of the sweatshirt since it allows you to carefully control the application of the gel. Here are some important tips for working with the bleach pen specific to your situation to help you increase your chances of success:

1.  After applying the gel, the treated area should be rinsed and the garment washed immediately. DON’T let the gel sit on the fabric for a few minutes (like you might if you were pretreating with detergent) and definitely don't let it dry out on the fabric--this will leave behind a yellow spot that is irreversible.

2.  Normally items treated with the bleach pen are washed immediately after treating with detergent and Clorox^® Regular-Bleach--you don't have to rinse them first. This helps unify the overall appearance of the item (otherwise you can end up with a very clean section where you used the gel compared to the rest of the item--this is especially common on older white items that have never been bleached). Since you are trying to preserve the school logo, you may want to rinse the treated area and then wash the sweatshirt with detergent and Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster instead.

Something else I wanted to point out is that if the logo is printed on the sweatshirt, there is a very good chance you actually can wash it with Clorox^® Regular-Bleach after treating the stained area with the bleach pen. Normally I recommend a bleachability test before washing a colored item with bleach or the gel pen, but this would be difficult to test on your sweatshirt since a "fail" (color change due to bleach contact) would be permanent on the sweatshirt. Given that, you could try this if you are desperate or willing to live with the color change that could result. If the logo is embroidered on, the same thing applies--if the embroidery thread is polyester then it is very likely safe for bleach, but if it is cotton then it's harder to predict. I have a twenty-five year old sorority sweatshirt with an embroidered logo that I have been bleaching forever--I took the chance on bleaching it when nothing else was going to work to get a stain out. Hopefully in your case the bleach pen on its own will be sufficient to remove the stain--if it's not, only you can decide if following up using the bleach pen with a detergent and bleach wash is worth it.