Q: My white coat has a pink hue on it – can I safely bleach it?

A:  It is important to know the material of your coat – if it's wool, silk, leather, mohair or spandex, then you don't want to bleach it, and should take it to a dry cleaner.  Cotton, poly-cotton, and polyester can be bleached, and you could try a bleach soaking solution to remove the pink hue.  Fully submerge the coat in 1/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach per gallon of water for 5 minutes.  Drain the soaking solution and then wash in warm water with detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach.  Air dry and check for success.  Hopefully the pink color will be gone, but if any remains then I would try RIT® Color Remover; just be sure to follow the package instructions.

Something else to watch out for is if the coat is down-filled.  In that case, it also shouldn't be bleached.

Q: I have large brown stains on my white cotton gloves that are hand wash only. I believe the stains are from my moisturizer combining with dirt when wearing the gloves both indoors and out, running errands (i.e. from touching stair rails, items in stores, etc.).

A:  First check to make sure your gloves can be safely washed with bleach – you should never bleach wool, silk, mohair, leather, or spandex.  This is especially important since some cotton gloves can be blended with spandex.  You are correct in your assumption that the stains are being caused by your moisturizer.  It sounds like a small amount is transferring from your hands to the gloves and building up overtime.  It has an oily component, which will help attract dirt from the various surfaces you touch, and make stains much more difficult to remove.

If your gloves can be safely bleached, I recommend fully submerging them in 1/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach per gallon of water for 5 minutes.  Drain the soaking solution and then wash in warm water with detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach.  Air dry and check for success. 

If your gloves can’t be bleached you can pre-soak the gloves before hand washing them:  add a capful of Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster to 2 gallons of water and fully submerge the gloves for an hour, then wash.  Again, this assumes the gloves can be safely washed.

Does anyone else have stains on their gloves that they are trying to remove?

Q:  My son's white 100 percent polyester soccer uniform is dirt-stained.  How can I safely bleach it?

A:  I have good news for you: polyester fibers can be safely bleached with Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Chances are the shirt also has a player number and maybe even a name.  If those components are screen prints, then they should also be bleachable.  If they are sewn on, then as long as the shirt’s care label says “100 % polyester” and not “100% polyester exclusive of trim” then the shirt should still be bleachable and you can proceed as follows:

• Start by rinsing away loose soil and ground-in dirt. 


• If the shirt is really dirty, then you could use a bleach soaking solution to really jump start cleaning.  For this, use ¼ cup bleach per gallon of water and fully submerge the shirt for 5 minutes. 


• Drain the soaking solution and then wash the shirt in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent + ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach. 


• If you have localized dirt stains, you could skip the bleach soak and instead pretreat the stains directly using Clorox® Bleach Pen Gel—rub a little of the gel into the stains and then immediately wash the shirt using detergent + ¾ bleach. 

Whatever you do, though, never apply bleach full strength to the shirt or any fabric!

Q:  How do I bleach out all the color from a blue jumpsuit?  I need a white costume?

A:  This sounds like a great project--I would love to know what the final costume will be.  You might be able to use Clorox® Regular Bleach to strip the blue color from your jumpsuit if the dye is not color fast.  You can test first by applying a drop of a solution of 2 teaspoons bleach added to 1/4 cup water.  Wait 1 minute and then blot dry.  Normally at this point I advise that "no color change means the item can be safely bleached" but in your case, a loss of color indicates that a bleach soak should remove the color.  In this case, you would proceed by soaking the jumpsuit, fully submerged, in a solution of 1/4 cup bleach per gallon of water.  Rinse thoroughly, and let the jumpsuit air dry.  At this point, you can assess your progress, and if necessary, repeat the treatment.  You could also try RIT Color Remover, and may be effective if the blue dye cannot be extracted with Clorox® Regular-Bleach.

Here are some additional tips:

• If the jumpsuit is made of polyester or a poly/cotton blend, you probably cannot strip the color since polyester is most commonly colored before it is made into fibers.


• If the jumpsuit is constructed with polyester thread, you may get the fabric white but any thread that shows will remain blue.


• If the jumpsuit contains any spandex (Lycra) the bleach soak will damage it, so if this is the case a bleach soak is not an option.


• The jumpsuit may change color instead of losing color with the bleach treatment.  For example, blue can shift to yellow or even pink after bleaching.


• Repeating bleach treatments to achieve a desired result is more effective than working with a stronger-than-recommended concentration that is not safe for fabric in the long run.


• If you end up with a "cream" colored jumpsuit you might be able to get it to white with an overnight pre-soak in Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster.

Does anyone else have a fun project using bleach?

Q:  How do you remove a Clorox® Regular Bleach stain out of shoes?

A:  This sounds like quite a problem because stains caused by undiluted bleach are unfortunately not reversible.  The trick is to try to keep the shoes wearable by either camouflaging the spot or bleaching the rest of the shoes so they are at least uniform in color.  This assumes the shoes are cotton canvas—if they are leather, that material (along with wool, silk, mohair, and spandex) should never be bleached and additional bleach treatments will just damage them more.  For cotton shoes, here are some different approaches for you to try.

To camouflage a white spot on colored shoes, find a felt pen that matches the shoe color and use it to fill in the spot.  It helps to take the shoes to the store to match the color—the staff will probably let you experiment, and then be sure to keep the pen on hand for touch ups in the future.  This works very well with black Sharpie permanent markers on black items, so hopefully you can match the color.

You can also try to strip the remaining color on the shoes with Clorox® UltimateCare® Bleach, a thickened bleach product with a lower hypochlorite active level that’s safe to apply directly to bleachable fabric.  Working on a white towel, remove the shoelaces from the shoes and set them aside.  Then, apply Clorox® UltimateCare® Bleach directly to the entire canvas surface of the shoes, and rub in with a soft brush for 5 -10 minutes (note that this is a longer contact time than what’s typically recommend for pre-treating with this product).  Next, wash the shoes, with the towel, in hot water and detergent in your clothes washer on a short cycle—this works particularly well in a front loading HE washer.  Allow the shoes to air dry completely, and repeat the treatment if necessary.

Q:  What should I use to clean mildew from the cushions on our porch chaise lounge. The cushions are made of heavy duty cloth.

A:  I can recommend a bleach solution, but in addition to removing the mildew it could also alter the color of the cushions depending on the fabric.  The best thing to do is a quick bleach-ability test:  add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach to 1/4 cup water and apply a drop of this solution to a less visible part of the cushion.  Wait 1 minute and then blot dry. No color change means you can safely bleach the cushion, and I would proceed as follows:

1.  For a removable cushion cover:  take off the cover and zip it closed.  If the mildew is severe, let the cover soak in a solution of 1/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water for 5 minutes, making sure it is fully submerged.  Wash in hot water using detergent plus 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Do not place the cover in your dryer. If after washing you have made some progress, then repeat the treatment.  When washing is complete, you will need to put the cover back onto the cushion before it dries, otherwise the cover may not fit! 

2.  For a non-removable cushion cover that has a water-repellant finish:  working outside, wipe the cushion down with a bleach solution of 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water. Reapply the bleach solution as necessary to keep it wet for 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly using a garden hose.  Be sure to also water any plants near the area you are working before and after you wash the cushions.  Let the cushions air dry in a warm, dry place.

3.  For a non-removable cushion that easily absorbs water:  take it to a launder-mat that has extra-large washers that can handle a bulky item.  Assuming the cushion fabric passed the bleach test, wash the cushion in hot water using detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Repeat the treatment if the mildew is severe and do not place the cushions in the dryer.

If the fabric is not bleachable, it will be more difficult to remove the mildew since the best mold and mildew removers contain sodium hypochlorite (like Clorox® Regular-Bleach).  You could try several washes in hot water using an oxygen bleach (like Clorox2®) and letting the cushions air dry in the sun. 

Anyone else have mildew on their outdoor furniture?

Q:  Is your Clorox® Scented Bleach, Clean Linen, color safe?

A:  All of the Clorox® Scented Bleaches contain sodium hypochlorite, the same active that’s in the regular bleach. Therefore, they are not considered “color safe for all washable fabrics.”  However, many colored items actually can be safely bleached with sodium hypochlorite, and you can quickly check with a simple bleachability test: add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach (or the Clean Linen scented bleach) to ¼ cup water; apply a drop to a hidden part of the garment like a hem or inside seam; wait 1 minute then blot with a towel. No color change means it is safe to bleach the item.  What passes the bleachability test is primarily dependent on what type of dye was used and how it was applied.  Also, with regular and scented bleaches, you should always avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather and spandex. 

Does anyone have a favorite scented bleach?

Q:  I have an ink stain on my Police uniform shirt (cotton/poly blend).  What is the best way to remove the stain?

A:  I have a two-step process for dealing with ink stains that will hopefully help, but first you need to determine the colorfastness of the shirt.  Many colored dress shirts can be safely bleached. Check by doing a quick bleachability test:

• Mix 2 tsp. Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water, apply a drop to a hidden area (hem, inside cuff) and blot dry.  No color change means the shirt can be safely bleached (and is what I would expect for a poly cotton uniform).

Next, treat the stain as follows:

• Apply an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to the stain and let it soak in for a few minutes.


• Wash in the hottest water allowed (check the care label) with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox Regular-Bleach.  Allow the shirt to air dry and check for success.

If the shirt doesn’t pass the bleachability test, then use Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster:

• Apply an alcohol-based hand sanitizer to the stain and let it soak in for a few minutes.


• Apply Clorox2® directly to the stain, wait five minutes, then wash in the hottest water allowed with detergent + Clorox2®.  Allow the shirt to air dry and check for success.

The biggest problem with ink stains is when it is super concentrated (like when a pen leaks).  If that’s the case, then it may require multiple treatments to get the stain completely out.  Just be sure to continue to air dry the shirt until you achieve success. 

Has anyone else had an unlucky encounter with a leaky pen recently?