Q: How do I remove a stain caused by Clorox 2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster?  It's a ring around what used to be a coffee stain.

A:  What you describe sounds like liquid Clorox 2® was applied directly to the coffee stain (which is good for improved stain removal), but stayed on the fabric too long before being washed.  We typically recommend allowing 5-10 minutes (depending on the type of stain and its severity) for pre-treating before washing an item.  This allows enough time for the surfactants and hydrogen peroxide to work in concentrated form, but not so much time that the colorant and brighteners permanently dye the area. The product should never be allowed to dry on the fabric since the stain left behind (a combination of blue colorant and brighteners) is nearly impossible to remove.  There’s a chance you might be able to remove the blue colorant by soaking the item (if it’s safely bleachable—avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex) in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water for up to 5 minutes before thoroughly rinsing.  Any residual blue color left after this is actually concentrated brightener that reflects light off the fabric in the blue spectrum.  Success will be depends on how long the liquid Clorox 2® was on the fabric in the first place.

If the item is colored, you still might be able to safely bleach it.  To check, add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach to ¼ cup water and apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the item; wait 1 minute then blot dry; no color change means the item can be safely bleached.  If it passes, then you can try soaking it as described above.  I really hope you are able to use the bleach soak and that it works, but unfortunately it may be too late. 

Has anyone else had this happen?

Q: A few white items were washed in a color load and turned blue. Some of the items were all white and others had colored patterns. I did not put them in the dryer.  Currently, I’m soaking them in 1 cup white distilled vinegar and detergent.  If this doesn't work, what else can I do?

A:  That's too bad about the blue dye transfer.  The good news is that you should be able to restore any bleachable items with a bleach soaking solution!

Start by figuring out if any of the white or colored items can be safely bleached (even if they are labeled "only non-chlorine bleach").  First, check the care label and eliminate any items that include wool, silk, mohair, spandex, and leather – these fabrics should never be bleached.  For the colored part of the remaining partially colored items, check for colorfastness to bleach with this simple bleachability test:

• Dilute 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water


• Apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the each item (like a hem, cuff, collar, or inside seam)


• Wait 1 minute then blot dry


• No color change means the item can be safely bleached. 

For the white items, and any partially colored items that passed the bleachability test, try soaking them in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach diluted in 1 gallon cool water for up to 5 minutes, then rinse them thoroughly.  Air dry the items, and check for success (it’s important to keep the items out of the dryer so the heat doesn’t set any remaining dye). 

Hopefully the fugitive blue color will be gone, but if it is lighter, then repeat the bleach soak again.  However, if the bleach soak leaves the dye transfer color unchanged then you may need to try RIT® Color Remover, which can usually be found at drug and hardware stores.

With all the looks coming down the runway during Fashion Week, my inner designer is itching to share some creations! Tomorrow, Fashion Week will come to a close, but not before a very important show that Clorox is helping to sponsor. On February 16^th at 3pm ET you can tune in to Strut: The Fashionable Mom Show. There will be some great DIY looks heading down the runway from Clorox, and for those of you who want to stay on trend this season we pulled together a few tips to help create a look of your own.

Vintage Flashback:  DIY Reverse Tie-Dye

• Using thick thread or a rubber band, start to bind areas of a 100% cotton t-shirt into knots. You have to bind the shirt very tightly; otherwise the bleach solution will get under the bound parts and won't provide the desired effect.


• To diversify the look, take bigger pieces and bind it in two or even three places; and then in other places just bind a tiny area. In other words, mix it up!


• Next, dip the shirt into a bleach soaking solution of: ¼ cup bleach per gallon of water.  If a smaller amount of bleach solution is needed, then you can use 1 tablespoon of bleach per quart of water.


• You may need to use something to fully submerge the shirt such as a spoon, plate, etc. Let it sit 5-15 minutes. If discoloration is slow, be prepared to repeat the treatment, but don’t use a stronger bleach solution.


• Once you achieve the desired effect, take the item out of the bleach solution and rinse thoroughly. Remove the threads and/or rubber bands and rinse thoroughly once more.


• Tumble or air dry the item.  To completely stop the bleach reaction wash the item one additional time using Clorox 2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster

Remember to always work in a well ventilated area and wear gloves if you are going to expose your skin to the bleach solution for a prolonged period.  Below are some additional best practices tips for successful DIY projects:

• Check care labels to confirm textiles/garments are 100% cotton.


• Before any DIY project, wash items by hand with a very small amount of laundry detergent in luke warm water and then rinse and air dry.


• Always use a bleach-and-water solution; never apply undiluted bleach to any textile since yellowing or holes might develop over time.


• Use the bleachability test to determine the item’s colorfastness to bleach before starting.  This way you’ll have an idea of how much work it will take to get the color change you desire – or if it will change at all!  To test for colorfastness
  
  
  
  • Add 2 teaspoons bleach to ¼ cup water
  
  
  • Apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the item
  
  
  • Wait 1 minute, blot dry and observe any color change
  
  
  • A large difference means the item will respond quickly to bleach, while a small difference may indicate several treatments may be necessary before getting a more dramatic color change
  
  
  
  

Don’t forget to follow the show on Twitter with the hashtag #strutmoms. I’ll be live-tweeting as the show goes on! For more information on Strut, check out the moms behind the show here: http://www.thefashionablemomshow.com/

Q:  I just washed a new red and white striped coverlet I had custom made. I tried to prevent the red from bleeding on the white by putting two Shout® Color Catchers® in the cold wash. Well, I still had some bleeding on the white stripes! How can I get this off? And in the future, how should I wash this product? The coverlet is made out of 300ct cotton sheets that have been sewn together and I did not dry it once I saw what happened.

A:  What an unfortunate situation, but good for you for not tumble drying the coverlet.  You have a much better chance of restoring it since you didn’t heat-set the dye transfer.  

Start by figuring out if the red portion of the coverlet is safely bleachable (even if the original sheet was labeled "only non-chlorine bleach").  You can check for colorfastness to bleach with this simple bleachability test: dilute 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water; apply a drop of this solution to a hidden or less visible part of the coverlet (or maybe you have fabric scraps to test); wait 1 minute then blot dry; no color change means the item can be safely bleached.  It’s hard to know if the red will pass—many colored bedding items do, but red is notorious for being a problem, and you won’t know until you try. 

Let’s say it passes—in that case, soak the coverlet in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach diluted in 1 gallon cool water for up to 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.  Air dry, and check for success.  Hopefully the fugitive color will be gone, but if the bleach soak leaves the dye transfer color unchanged, (or if you determined that the red fabric could not be bleached) then you may need to try RITÒ Color Remover, which can usually be found at drug and hardware stores.  Since you don’t want to strip the red color, you may want to try a weak dilution first to see if that does the trick.

You were also wondering about future care of the coverlet.  If you have any fabric left over from the construction of the coverlet you can determine the extent of the bleeding problem by soaking fabric scraps in a warm water + detergent solution.  If the fabric only bleeds one time when you do this, then it could be that excess dye is now off the fabric and you won’t see bleeding in the future. But if it’s not, and the red fabric takes a few more washes to get the excess dye off, you could do a series of warm water washes with detergent to try to get all the dye off the fabric, and then do one final restoration step.  You could also see if bleeding is minimized in cold water, and then only wash in cold water in the future.  If the nightmare persists, and you decide to make another one, try some of the bleach friendly sheets that are now available.

Has anyone else had this frustrating problem happen to them?

Q:  How do you get a pink color out of clothes that bled from a darker garment when it was accidently put in with lights?

A:  What you describe sounds like dye transfer and you should be able to restore any bleachable items with a bleach soaking solution. 

Start by figuring out if any of the partially white items are safely bleachable (even if they are labeled "only non-chlorine bleach").  First, check the care labels and eliminate any items that include wool, silk, mohair, spandex, and leather – these should never be bleached.  For the colored parts of the remaining items, check for colorfastness to bleach with this simple bleachability test: dilute 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water; apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the each item (like a hem, cuff, collar, or inside seam); wait 1 minute then blot dry; no color change means the item can be safely bleached. 

For the white items, and any partially colored items that passed the bleachability test, try soaking them in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach diluted in 1 gallon cool water for up to 5 minutes, then rinse them thoroughly.  Air dry the items, and check for success (it’s important to keep the items out of the dryer so the heat doesn’t set any remaining dye). 

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 RITÒ Color Remover, which can usually be found at drug and hardware stores.

Q:  How do I get mildew off sheets and towels?

A:  The best question to first ask yourself is:  are these items bleachable?  If you are not sure, you can do a quick bleachability test to check: add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach to ¼ cup water; apply a drop to a hidden part of the items; wait 1 minute then blot with a towel; no color change means the items are safe to bleach.  If that is the case, the following approaches should work:

• At a minimum, I would wash them immediately in hot water using detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.


• If the mildew is very bad, consider doing a Clorox® Regular-Bleach soak (1/4 cup liquid bleach per gallon of cool water; soak 5-10 minutes), then wash in hot water with detergent + ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.


• If the mold/mildew is heavy, you may need to repeat treatment for complete stain removal.

For non-bleachable colors (or non-bleachable fabrics like wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex for that matter) it’s difficult to remove mold and mildew completely since the best mold and mildew removers are products with sodium hypochlorite like Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Even so, you can try the following:

• Carefully brush off any obvious spores and then wash in the warmest water recommended on the care label with detergent and an oxygen bleach like our Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster.


• Try a 1 hour presoak with Clorox2® Stain Fighter& Color Booster following label instructions.


• Air dry the items in the sun.

I realize testing for colorfastness on towels is difficult because there isn't a truly "hidden" area; applying a very small drop of the bleachability test solution on one side that will not be visible when the towel hangs on a rack is about the best you can do.  It may also be worth it to let the towels fade a little with a bleach treatment if it means getting the mildew off. 

Does anyone else have mildew on their towels or sheets?  This can easily happen if they are stored in a damp and dark location.

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:  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.