I’ve been called away on personal matters for a few days, but I’ll be back to blogging next week. In the meantime, here is a picture from Bliss spa in New York. I was hard at work this week hosting an event for a new product I’ve been working on. More on that soon!

Dr. Laundry is away on a special assignment - he asked that I post this response for him today.

CJ wrote in asking about getting lint on black capris and how to avoid it. Thought I would take this time to talk about caring for dark clothes, overall.

Dark clothes certainly are a challenge, especially the black ones. They start out looking so great, but routine washing often leads to a duller, faded look.

The fading/dullness can result from any or all of the following:

• The type of dyes used to provide that great color you liked when originally purchased. This is especially true for cottons. If available, try looking for an item that is a cotton blend. Synthetics (polyester) use different dyes and techniques that tend to lock the color into the fiber. Thus, less color loss and a richer, longer lasting color.


• Color loss with each washing. The amount or rate of dye loss can somewhat be controlled. Definitely use cool/cold wash temperatures and be frugal with the detergent. Also, avoid adding other laundry additives/products since they can accelerate the color loss. And you can turn the item inside out to help reduce the abrasion and beating it takes during washing.


• Using the wrong detergent. Powder detergents tend to be more alkaline and can lead to slightly faster dye loss. Also any undissolved powder can deposit on the item leaving a film or powdery/spotted look. It is best to use a good liquid detergent in combination with that cold wash. Some detergents add different surfactants for gentler cleaning and special ingredients to help control color loss/bleeding.


• Be careful of other items in the wash. As noted above, every time you wash, you are losing dye, also known as bleeding. (Everyone has had a pink underwear experience.) When the dye leaves the clothes it is available to move to a new residence, anything else in that washload. We call this dye transfer and what you have created is a situation similar to how items are commercially dyed. A couple of options here: If possible, try washing separately the first few (1-5) washes when dye loss/bleeding will be the greatest. Or consider doing hand wash which also separates the item from other clothes.


• Be careful who you dry them with. Lint producers, like towels, produce small, fine particles that attach by static charges in the drier. This also can leave your darks looking dull or send you scurrying for that lint roller. Minimize this by separating the lint releasers and other items and/or try a small amount of fabric softener to cut down static in the dryer.

Remember, CJ, these types of clothes are going to lose their dye over time. The good news is you have some new weapons to slow/control the problem.

Good Luck! Let me know if these work out for you.

Dr Laundry

The process of purchasing a new washer/dryer is becoming about as complicated as selecting a new car, given all the various options and upgrades. Front-loading machines or top-loading, high-efficiency or conventional, stackable or side-by-side units - the decisions are many, but each is very important.

Following are a few tips to consider when selecting a new machine to make sure you get just what you need, and nothing that you don't (because believe me, the possibilities are endless). Experts suggest selecting washer/dryer "sets" based on the washer - in most sets, the dryers' performance is right on par with the washers'.

Top Loader vs. Front Loader

High-efficiency machines are all the rage - new high-efficiency front-loaders and top-loading washing machines now account for about 30% of new purchases. Despite both models' claims on efficient performance, experts will tell you to put your money on the front-loader model - it washes better, is more energy-efficient, and uses less water than top-loading machines. Specifically, they use 40-50% less water and 50-65% less energy than conventional top-loaders, which means lower water and electricity bills. The decrease in the operating costs helps balance out the purchase cost - buyers can expect to pay upward of $800 for each the washer and dryer.

Further, high efficiency (HE) top-loaders are hands down better than the conventional models. HE machines will get your clothing cleaner. However, if you anticipate serious problems bending and stooping to remove items from a front-loader, the HE top-loader may be the ideal machine for you. (The front-loaders also have pedestals that can be purchased to help boost the height of the machine.)

Options, Options... and More Options

HE machines do not allow you to interact with the clothes like a conventional machine. All the decisions are made BEFORE you start the machine. This includes product selection and amount. So, a must have for me is the bleach dispenser. Check to be sure the machine is equipped with detergent, bleach and fabric softener dispensers. Equally important, check/ask about the volume each holds. We have seen machines that have bleach dispensers too small for the recommended usage. And what happens when you have that extra-dirty load where you want to add some extra bleach?? The dispenser adds the cleaners at precisely the right time in the cycle. Also, for the dryer, be sure to get a model that continues to periodically tumble your dry clothes after the drying cycle ends. This helps prevent wrinkles, which your resident iron-er will certainly appreciate.

From sanitizing cycles to a delayed start, the options are endless. In the end, try not to get too swooned (or dizzied) by all the choices. Some of the options are just plain unnecessary. For example, sanitizing cycles are usually only needed if you plan on using/washing cloth baby diapers. And even then, liquid bleach can do the same job for less cost. For regular fabrics, such as cotton shirts, towels, and jeans, a near-boiling temperature washload can cook the fibers and thus ruin your clothing. Not a good plan.

Other Tips from the Experts

The experts at ConsumerSearch.com, a Web-based publishing company that helps consumers find answers about what products are top-rated or best bets in their class, also offer the following insights to consider when purchasing a new washer and dryer.

• Always buy the largest washer that your space and budget allow. Doing bigger loads can help reduce your workload.


• Electronic touch-pad controls look sleek, but reviews say they're more delicate than knobs and dials, and more expensive to repair. Technology-challenged individuals, beware. However, this might be a good way to introduce that tech wizard child to the wonderful world of doing laundry.


• A stainless-steel tub is preferable to porcelain because it won't rust or chip.


• Get automatic temperature controls, which automatically select the right water temperature for each selected load.

For additional insights, visit http://www.consumersearch.com/www/house_and_home/washing-machine-
reviews/index.html

First, let me say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my son Brandon!  Hope it is a great day for you.  Sorry I won’t be there.  Dr. Laundry is in New Zealand working on another commercial.

I admit it—I’m officially immersed in soccer fever this month. World Cup Germany has me glued to my TV as often as I can, and much more than my wife would like! Hey, it only happens every four years so it’s a special treat that I’ve been looking forward to since Brazil won in 2002. What’s not to love??  The pageantry of fans decked out in their countries colors and loud singing of all the national fight songs.  The heartbreak of Australia losing with almost no extra time; the penalty kick loss of the Swiss; the no-clue Russian referee and his record-setting 20 card display; and as I write this, the much anticipated  Spain vs. France. With the quarterfinals this weekend, you know where I’ll be!

For all of you who aren’t diehard soccer fans like me, Clorox actually has a partnership close to my heart—with the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). I ref soccer games nearly every summer weekend and have really developed a deep love for the sport over the years.  Both my kids played competitive soccer for 10 years each.  It is a beautiful game that teaches a ton of life lessons, offers lots of physical exercise and forms friendships that can last a lifetime.

Which brings me to some stain advice for stains from the soccer field. There are quite a number of different fibers used in soccer items.  Each has some advantages and disadvantages for looks, and ease of cleaning.  There are tons of grass stains, mud slide marks and lots of perspiration.  Bleach is the best chance for removal and helps keep athletes looking like soccer stars.  Remember to check whether bleach is safe to use on those colors using our Bleachability test that’s included in one of my previous entries.
Polyester is a widely-used fabric and can benefit from the use of bleach to treat those stain spots.  Cotton, on the other hand, is a much more porous fiber and tends to really absorb stains, mud and sweat.

All stains like grass, dirt, mud and sweat can benefit from quick action right after the game, before the stains can set.  If it’s really nasty, a good presoak is best.  Use a good enzyme containing powder detergent in warm water for 30-60 minutes to loosen the dirt and mud and start breaking down the grass stains.

If there are just a few spots, try pretreating with Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel.  If not appropriate, try using a liquid laundry detergent and rub it into the stain. Then launder immediately using the hottest water recommended for the items and add Clorox® Regular-Bleach (whites) or Clorox 2® Bleach for Colors (colors) with detergent. This also holds true for rugby clothes, which is really popular here in New Zealand.  Those uniforms are a real mess after about 10 minutes of their matches.

With Fourth of July right around the corner, I wouldn’t be surprised if my phone starts ringing again with lots of stain questions. Send ‘em my way and have a great Fourth of July!

Calling all fashionistas: white pants, blouses and handbags are all the fashion rage -  even after Labor Day. I'm not kidding! The archaic "rule" prohibiting white to be worn other than between Memorial Day and Labor Day has been largely brushed aside. According to legend, wearing white after Labor Day was discouraged because it was considered not protective enough from colder temperatures and weather. Understandably, wearing lightweight white pants during a blizzard makes about as much sense as wearing no pants at all. But, most people have the sense to dress in what will keep them most comfortable, given the weather and the occasion. I wear white every day, regardless of the time of year. :)

White has long represented purity, cleanliness and innocence, which helps explain its prominence on the wedding circuit. In 1858, Princess Victoria's white wedding dress  set off the trend of wearing the white wedding gown. Despite all the variations in the style of wedding dresses -- from a lavish, long Vera Wang gown to an off-the-rack, knee-length mini-dress - most American brides opt for a white gown to celebrate their "big day."

Because of their pureness - and their ability to reveal stains - keeping white garments their "whitest" is critical in the fashion world as well as at home. Luckily, Regular Bleach helps make this an easy task - just add it to your white wash!

The easiest way:
Pour Clorox Bleach (scented or regular) into your bleach dispenser. If you don't have a dispenser, simply pour in Clorox Bleach (scented or regular) along with your detergent as your washing machine fills with water. Use 3/4 cup for a standard washer, 1 1/4 cup for an extra large washer. Add clothes after agitation has begun.

Also, later this summer, be on the lookout in your laundry aisle for a new product I've been working on in the lab with my team - a new, improved way to help keep your whites their whitest! The Unexpected Bleach is on its way!!

With summer now in full swing, it is a good time to start discussing some common summer stain blunders that are going to happen during this season’s activities.Speaking of summertime activities - check out photos of the stuff we’ve been doing with several Minor League Baseball teams this year. Everyone knows stains can happen at any time or any place, and an outing to the ballpark always seem to have plenty! We gave away thundersticks at a recent Corpus Christi Hooks (Texas) game.

Also—check out my name in some recent magazines! In the July issue of Real Simple magazine, I was quoted in an article on “Summer Stains” explaining why so many stains occur during the summer. Also—Chemical & Engineering News’s June 12 issue (last week) wrote an article about my blog! Wow, I may be starting to get famous!

OK, back to stain removal. I know it is very embarrassing when you are at your friends’ or relatives’ homes and you, or your child (whether they’re 2 or 42) spill on clothing or your host’s tablecloth. I know they happened at my daughter’s recent graduation party.  Hey, don’t fear the ketchup bottle – just act fast. Here are some tips to keep you from creating a party foul this summer… Remember our basic rules for best results:

• Treat stains ASAP; better wet than set


• Pretreat or presoak to help jumpstart removal


• Always read and follow label directions and pretest any product on the fabric to make sure colors won’t be affected


• Check for success at end of wash cycle, before drying; retreat problem if needed

Here’s a quick table to help get you started.

Remember, we need different chemistry to attack different types of stains. 

The first box contains stains that are generally water soluble and colored.  Thus, rehydrating them and using bleach is a good approach to remove them.

The second box contains stains that have significant greasy/oily components. Never wet them first (oil and water don’t mix).  Rub a good liquid detergent or pretreater product into the stain to help dissolve up the oily part.  Then follow with a good hot wash and bleach to help remove any colored portion of the stain.

The third box contains dairy and protein stains. The key here is never start with warm or hot water as it may “cook”/ set the protein and severely limit removal. Most good detergents have enzymes which help break down the protein for easier removal in the wash.  Again, adding bleach in the wash helps finish the job.

More on other outdoor stains in upcoming posts. 

Don’t be shy…. Send me questions or comments.

 

Not surprisingly, I saw and helped create a lot of stain opportunities during my weekend activities.  Sunshine and rising temperatures mean outdoors, and stains go on the rise. Grass stains from cutting and edging, as well as Word Cup, lots of sweat and perspiration from participating in around-the-house cleanup and repainting the deck; mud/dirt from gardening; and the beverages need to handle that thirsty, dry throat.

I will be starting to hand out tips on how deal with these and other summer fun stains in my next few posts.

Got any that you’d like some help in solving?  Got some tips you would like to share?

Send them in and let share your ideas or see if I can help you solve your problems.

My daughter graduated from high school this week. I step back and marvel at the terrific young woman she has become.  Seems like yesterday we were dropping her off at kindergarten and now we will soon be packing her up and delivering her to San Diego State.  Wow, kind of puts a tear in your eye.But with the closing of one chapter comes a celebration.  So this weekend will be all about preparing for the arrival of out-of-town guests for the Graduation and the big party on Saturday.  Hey, and don’t forget about Father’s Day on Sunday.

I will hopefully get a chance to sneak in a quick check of the Busch race to see how our Clorox/Red Cross car with Jon Wood is doing. 

Then there is some World Cup action to look forward to. I am a soccer junkie, proud father of competitive soccer players and referee a ton of games each year (almost 100 last year).  I love to see the world stop every four years and watch the Beautiful Game.  I am awestruck with the powerful strike of free kicks that knuckle toward the goalie, incredible headers off set pieces or just the unusual like English goalie Paul Robinson hitting the Jumbotron trying to clear the ball downfield. At the end of the game, there is the jersey exchange as players gather to barter for those sweaty souvenirs their opponents were wearing. 

And to interpret the game, there is the referee crew.  I enjoy watching the best, hand-chosen for these assignments. Can’t help but wonder why the USA did not have a center chosen this year. Especially after the excellent job by Brian Hall from NorCal in the last World Cup.  Every World Cup has its high and low points for referees. Watching England/Paraguay, I was struck by the ease that Mr. Rodriguez from Mexico could stride the field and run backwards at full speed watching the ball in flight.  I wish that I could do that.  Then, there was the young German ref in the Netherland/Serbia game who always seemed to be too close to the action; getting run over, hit by a ball and even having to wait for the player to get up very slowly after a collision so he could be shown a yellow card.  It’s definitely a young man’s game to referee and I wish that I had the legs to do one of those games.

I’ll be back again on Monday to share more fun from my weekend, and some more of my laundry advice.

I look at a bad stain as a challenge that can usually be overcome. One of my most memorable stain-saving situations occurred the night before the Berkeley Ballet Theater’s performance of The Nutcracker, near San Francisco. One of the volunteers had hand sewn a gown for “Mother Ginger” with black ribbons running down a giant white skirt. The day before the show, one of the performers broke red lipstick and accidentally smeared it on the skirt. Funny, who knew being a scientist at Clorox would mean late night house calls!I don’t have any superhuman powers that I draw upon to remove tough stains like lipstick on white clothing. Just knowing some of the basics to stain make up goes a long way in guiding how you could react to it.

In the case of my little ballet drama story, lipstick was the bad boy we had to deal with. Lipstick is really a combination grease and color stain, so one of the worst things you can do is rub it into the fabric. To remove it, dampen a cloth with water and add a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap. From the back of the fabric, push the dishwashing detergent into the stain to start solubilizing (dissolving) the greasy portion and help separate the substance from the fabric. While pushing the back of the fabric, take a dry cloth to the front and blot the lipstick away from the fabric.  Keep changing the cloth so that a clean portion is always in contact with the stain.  Then, use a separate wet cloth to gently flush the remaining stain and excess dishwashing detergent from the item.

In general, if you have a stain on bleachable white fabric, I’ve found Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel is a very effective way of getting rid of it. It allows you to bleach just what you want, the stain, and nothing more.  I’ll break down different types of stains in other posts…

It's true. Over the years, I've developed a reputation for being an expert in all things stains and laundry care here at Clorox. (Check out my bio - I’ve been doing this awhile!) My phone seems to be constantly ringing with random laundry questions. One morning, it was a ballet company frantic to remove lipstick stains from a costume the night before a big show. Other times, it's calls from an anxious hostess looking to remove last year's wine stains from her cloth napkins. When they spill it, I get a call.

Hearing how confused people often are, I thought it would be a good idea to hit the keyboard and start blogging. Every once in awhile, the answer to your stain drama might be to just get out the scissors. But I am here to help where I can. Let me help you raise your laundry IQ.

I can offer you some important background and insights into the laundry world. Whether you are a cagy veteran like me or a college student faced with a mountain of dirty clothes and not many clues on how to proceed, this could be a real adventure!

Please share your personal tips and solutions! Make your mom proud, and take this as an opportunity to not only ask questions, but also pass down some of the wisdom you’ve learned over the years.