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?

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

• 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
  
  
  
  

Q:  My white t-shirt tag recommends the use of non-chlorine bleach only. I have Clorox® Regular-Bleach, do I need Clorox2® instead?

A:  That's good you are looking at the care label in your shirt! It should also contain information on what the shirt is made of, but sometimes that information is split onto two tags. One can be attached to a side seam and the other at the back of the neck, so you may need to look thoroughly.  I say this because you will want to check the fiber content to see if the shirt contains a small amount of spandex.  If it does, then you should not use Clorox® Regular-Bleach and should instead use Clorox2®.  That's because spandex (along with wool, silk, mohair, and leather) should not be washed with Clorox® Regular-Bleach; its bleach active is sodium hypochlorite, and will break down the fiber/fabric.  Cotton, polyester, and cotton/poly blends, on the other hand, can be safely washed with Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Often a garment or textile manufacturer produces a single style in a variety of colors and puts the same tag on all of them regardless of their wash-ability.  The most amusing example to me is a white towel!

Q: Have a stain from a Sharpie®, how do I remove it?

A:  Sharpie® pens are generally permanent, so it may be difficult to get the stain out.  That said, if you start by pre-treating the stain with a little bit of alcohol-based hand sanitizer to begin breaking up the ink, you will increase your chances of success.  Just squirt a little onto the stain and rub it in.  Usually the stain will spread out into the hand sanitizer – after a few minutes, rinse the stain, and then pre-treat it again depending on what color and type of fabric the item is:

• For white items (but not wool, silk, mohair, leather, spandex, and linen):  rub the stain with Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel and then wash immediately in the hottest water recommended on the item's care label using detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Air dry the item, but do not put it in a hot dryer!  This is very important since a stain like this can require repeating the treatment to remove it fully, so you want to avoid heat-setting the stain in a hot dryer.


• For colored items:  apply liquid Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster directly to the stain and rub in.  Wait 5 minutes and then wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and more Clorox2®.  Air dry the item and check for success; repeat the treatment as needed for complete removal.

Q:  Can I use Clorox® Regular-Bleach on a slipcover that’s not solid white? I don’t mind if the bleach lightens the fabric, it’s just so soiled that I want it brighter.

A:  If the slipcover is cotton or cotton/polyester, then you can wash it with Clorox Regular-Bleach.  Here are some other considerations for how you can proceed.

1.  Wash in hot water using a good detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.

2.  If the slipcover is very dirty, start by soaking the entire slipcover (and any cushion covers) fully submerged in a bleach solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water for 5 minutes.  Drain the soaking solution and then wash as described above.

3.  Avoid shrinkage—keep it out of the dryer.  Instead, put it back on the couch before it dries.  This is especially important for cushion covers, which need to be stretched over the cushions while still damp or they won’t fit back on again.

4.  If the slipcover is made of nylon or rayon, I would still expect it to be bleachable, but I would confirm this first with a bleachability test:  add 2 teaspoons bleach to ¼ cup water and apply a drop of this solution to a less-visible part of the slipcover.  Wait 1 minute and then blot dry—any color change will give you an idea what to expect if you bleach it.  In fact you may even want to do this if the slip cover is made of cotton, and you may also want to check any topstitching thread to see if that will shift color when bleached.

5.  If you decide you don’t want to use bleach on the slipcover, then I would try an overnight pre-soak using Powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster.  Use 1 scoop per 2 gallons of very hot water—make sure the powder has completely dissolved and then add the slip cover to the soaking solution.  Make sure it is fully submerged (weight it down if you need to) and let it sit overnight or up to 8 hours.  Drain the soaking solution and then wash in hot water using detergent and more Clorox2®.  Air dry as described above.

Q:  I have a job where I get dirty. I wear jeans and Dickies® work pants. They get really dirty. I can't get the stains off them with just detergent. And when it comes to bleach, I've only used it on whites. Don't know if I can use it on my work pants. I have grey, tan, dark blue and black work pants not including my blue jeans.

A: Your blue jeans may be able to be safely bleached, with some slight fading over time.  There's a really good chance your Dickies® work pants can be safely bleached, but you will need to check first with a simple bleachability test (check your blue jeans, too).  Add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach to 1/4 cup water and apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the work pants like the inside hem.  Wait 1 minute and then blot dry.  No color change means the pants can be safely bleached.  Assuming they pass, wash them in hot water using detergent + 3/4 cup bleach.  Air drying takes longer, but will preserve the dark blue and black colors, since the heat from the dryer can contribute to fading.

If the pants don't pass the bleach test (or you don't want faded blue jeans), then I would use powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster as a pre-soak.  This works really well to combat heavy soil.  To do this, add a scoop of the powder to 2 gallons of very hot water and stir to dissolve.  Fully submerge the pants for up to 8 hours or overnight.  In the morning, drain the soaking solution, and then wash the pants in hot water with detergent and more Clorox2®.  Again, air dry and check for success.

Something else to consider is whether or not the heavy soil you need to remove includes an oily component. In that case, you might end up with incomplete stain removal, and so adding in a pre-treating step following the pre-soak would be helpful. Apply a little liquid Clorox2® directly to any stains, wait 3-5 minutes, and then wash.  Really dirty clothes do take a lot of work to get clean, but pre-soaking and pre-treating work well to improve results.

Does anyone else have work related stains that are difficult to remove?