Q: I used Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster to remove a stain and it bleached my white shirt where the stain was. How do I fix the shirt? Is this a side effect of the product that sometimes happens?

A: It sounds like the white shirt may actually not be as white as it used to be; fabrics can become dingy over time when washed in cold or lukewarm water, especially if you have hard water.  You should be able to unify the appearance of the rest of the shirt with an overnight presoak.  To do this, add a capful (filled to line 1) of liquid Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster to 2 gallons of very hot water and mix.  Add the shirt and make sure it is fully submerged – weigh it down with a dishwasher safe plate if necessary – and let the shirt soak overnight.  The next day, wash the shirt in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and more Clorox2®.  This should catch the rest of the shirt up to the treated spot.

Something else to consider (especially if the presoak doesn't unify the shirt's appearance) is how long the liquid Clorox2® was on the fabric before the shirt was washed.  With pretreating, you want to allow enough time for concentrated product to work effectively at remove a tough stain, but not enough time for the brighteners and blue colorant to permanently dye the fabric.  Contact time for a pretreatment should be limited to 5-10 minutes, and the product should never be allowed to dry out on fabric.  If that is what's happened in your case, then you still could try to unify the color by soaking the shirt in a more concentrated soaking solution.

Q. What will remove cooking oil from a t-shirt?

A. I would start by pretreating the stain with something to help solubilize the cooking oil, breaking it up to make it easier to remove.  Try liquid Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster or liquid dishwashing detergent.  Apply a little and rub it into the stain, and wait 10 minutes (but don't let it sit too long or dry out on the fabric).  How you proceed next depends on the item.  Here are some options for different color types and fabric:

If the t-shirt is white and bleachable (avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex) then wash it in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Air dry and check for success – hopefully the stain will be gone. If a little remains you can repeat the treatment with a decent chance of eventual success; if the t-shirt has been kept out of a hot dryer.

If the t-shirt is colored, then wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and more Clorox2®.  Again, be sure to air dry the shirt and then check for success, and repeat the treatment if necessary.

Q:  I just found an old dried in stain from my puppy on my comforter.  How can I get this stain out without having to throw away the comforter?

A:  Congratulations on the new member of your family, dogs are a wonderful addition!  If the comforter is white and made with synthetic fill, simply wash it in hot water using detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  If it’s colored, you still may be able to bleach it depending on what dye was used.  You can check for colorfastness with a quick bleachability test.  To do this, add 2 teaspoons bleach to ¼ cup water and apply a drop of the solution to a hidden part of the comforter (be sure to test all colors).  Wait 1 minute, then blot dry.  No color change means the item can be safely bleached, and you can wash it as described above. 

However, if the comforter is down-filled, or the fabric does not pass the bleachability test, then you can wash the comforter with Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster.  Begin by pretreating the stain with a little liquid Clorox2® - apply it directly to the stain and rub in, allow it to sit for 5 minutes and then wash in hot water using detergent and more Clorox2®.  Air dry and check for success—repeat the treatment if necessary.  Air drying is good if you can—the cover should dry faster than the fill so just let it air dry long enough to make sure the stain is out, and then finish drying the comforter in a hot dryer (this is important to avoid the comforter mildewing). 

Another great tip is to include some clean tennis balls when transferring the comforter into the dryer.  This helps bounce the loft back into the comforter!  You may also want to consider taking the comforter to a launder mat for drying if your dryer is small and won’t allow it to fluff all the way out. 

Does anyone else have puppy or kitten stain that need to be removed?

Q:  How do I remove a red soda stain on my carpet that has been there for a month?

A:  Ideally a beverage spill can be immediately blotted and then rinsed with water to reduce the amount of stain needing to be removed.  However, that’s much more difficult to do with carpet.  A stain that sits for a while will make it even more difficult to remove.  You may want to try Formula 409® Carpet Spot & Stain Remover on it. 

If it turns out that the red colorant in the soda really needs an oxidant to fully remove the satin, you could also try Clorox2® Laundry Stain Remover, which comes in a spray bottle and includes hydrogen peroxide in the formula.  Have a pile of towels and some warm water handy to help you work on the stain.  Spray on the stain remover and let it soak into the stain, and wait 10 minutes.  Then pour a very small amount of water onto the stain, and immediately use the towels to soak up the liquid.  Hopefully the stain will be lighter, and you can repeat this until you work the stain out.  When you are finished, it is very important to have the area cleaned with a carpet cleaning machine to fully extract all the cleaning agents you applied.  Otherwise, in time you will likely end up with a dirty spot where you removed the stain because residual stain removers become dirt magnets.  Also, if your carpet is older, you may end up with a very clean spot relative to the rest of the carpet so you may need to have the entire carpet cleaned.

Q:  I accidentally brushed up against the grill.  The stain appears to be a mix of grease and ash; it is very black and greasy.  Help!

A:  I would start by pretreating the stain with some liquid dishwashing detergent – this will help solubilize the grease, breaking it up for easier removal.  A good liquid laundry detergent will also work well.  Apply a little detergent, rub it into the stain, wait 10 minutes and then rinse the stain in warm water.  How you proceed next depends on the item.

If the item is white and bleachable (avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex) then apply Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel directly to the remaining stain and rub in.  Wash the item immediately in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Air dry the item and check for success. Hopefully the stain will be gone, but if a little remains you can repeat the treatment with a decent chance of eventual success, if the item is kept out of a hot dryer.

If the item is colored, then pretreat the remaining stain with liquid Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster.  Apply a little to the stain, rub in, and wait 5-10 minutes (but don't let it dry on the fabric) and then wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and more Clorox2®.  Again, be sure to air dry the item, check for success and repeat the treatment if necessary.

With the warmer weather, does anyone else have some outdoor spring stains?

Q:  How do I remove colored cake icing?

A:  With all those spring babies, I have a feeling this stain will become more and more popular in the months ahead!  And here’s how to tackle it…

Frosting usually contains butter or shortening, or some mixture of the two; and so you do NOT want to rinse the stain first before treating it.  Instead, start by gently scraping away as much stain as you can (plastic knives work well for this) to minimize the amount of stain you need to actually treat.  Next, pretreat with liquid dishwashing detergent—a good liquid laundry detergent will also work well—to solubilize (break down) the concentrated butter/oil.  To do his, apply a little directly to the stain and rub in.  Wait 3-5 minutes and then rinse in warm water. 

Now you can launder the item.  For white, bleachable items (always avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex) wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label using your favorite detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  For colored items, wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster.  Allow the item to air dry and then check for success.  This is important because residual oily stains can be hidden on a wet or damp item, and you’ll want to keep it out of a hot dryer to avoid heat setting a stubborn stain that might otherwise come out with a second treatment. 

Are there any other birthday related stains that plague people’s laundry?  I’d love to hear about them!