Q: I work for an ambulatory care center and we currently do our own laundry. Our hot water cannot reach 160°F but we use the hottest water possible, and add bleach to all loads. During a recent survey we were told that depending on the temperature of the water, different quantities of bleach are required. Currently, manufacture label directions are followed. I did not find any language to the effect of water temperature and required concentration of bleach in CDC or other guidelines, and I was wondering if you happen to have any information about this.

A: This is such an interesting question because there are so many different parameters your care facility must manage to provide a safe environment for your patients. I reviewed an on-line copy of the CDC guidelines at http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/pdf/guidelines/eic_in_HCF_03.pdf to understand the background of your question. There are two Clorox EPA registered disinfectants, Clorox® Regular-Bleach and Clorox® Commercial Solutions Ultra Clorox® Germicidal Bleach. Their disinfectant use is governed by whether or not the product has had efficacy for specific organisms established under specific use conditions.

When adding bleach it is important to follow label instructions, however you have correctly noted that the label instructions do not mention adjusting bleach amounts based on specific water temperatures. That is something not pursued as part of our EPA registration, which identifies the amount of bleach to add regardless of the wash temperature (cold, warm, hot, etc.). As long as label instructions are followed, you can be confident that the laundry is safely and effectively disinfected regardless of the water temperature. Instructions are as follows:

• For Clorox® Regular-Bleach, add 3/4 cup bleach per load for a standard washer. For a large washer or heavily soiled laundry, add up to 1 1/4 cups bleach.
• For Ultra Clorox® Germicidal Bleach, add 1 cup per load for a standard washer. For a large washer or heavily soiled laundry, add up to 1 1/4 cups bleach.

CDC guidelines clarify that the use of an EPA-registered product is necessary for disinfectancy in low temperatures. It states “choose chemicals suitable for low-temperature washing at proper use concentration if low-temperature (<160ºF [<70ºC ]) laundry cycles are used (365–370). Category II” where “suitable” denotes an EPA registered product. I do not think the intent of the report is to have facilities like yours adjust bleach usage for a precise temperature rather to clarify that only at temperatures of 160°F or higher, washing with detergent alone, is acceptable for eliminating bacteria.

Q: In the past I’ve used the Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel when I’ve had stains on certain white shirts on which I’m hesitant to wash with regular chlorine bleach. The last time I did that the stain disappeared but the small portion of the fabric where the stain had been became even whiter than the rest of the shirt. Additionally, these shirts are truly white, not off-white or a similar color. At any rate, why did it happen, and how can I avoid it in the future?

A: If you wear and wash a shirt with detergent alone, the shirt can accumulate residual body soil overtime. By itself the shirt seems white, but in reality it is no longer its original “color”. This gradual color change became apparent when the bleach pen not only removed the stain, but also the built up, residual soil. A previous post (http://www.drlaundryblog.com/?p=96), shows how much additional soil is removed by using detergent and Clorox® Regular-Bleach than detergent alone. Combine these single-cycle differences over time, and one can end up with a white spot on a “white” shirt after pre-treating a stain.
Thankfully, a bleach pre-soak should help to even out the shades of white. Dilute ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach in 1 gallon cool water; fully submerge the shirt for five minutes, then drain the soaking solution and wash immediately in detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach. Many consumers can be concerned about effects of bleach usage on fabric over time, however our research shows that even after 50 wash loads, Clorox® Regular-Bleach does not wear down fabric any more than using detergent alone when used as directed. There are three recommended bleach-addition methods for normally soiled loads in standard washers:

• Add ¾ cup bleach (or fill to the max fill line) using the washer’s bleach dispenser.


• Add ¾ cup bleach along with the detergent to the wash water as the machine is filling, before the clothes are added.


• Dilute ¾ cup bleach in 1 quart water and add to the wash 5 minutes after the wash cycle has begun.

If you have a High-Efficiency washer, fill the machine’s bleach dispenser to the “max fill” line. Hopefully this will encourage you to feel comfortable bleaching your white items. As a reminder, avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex. The last fiber on the list is problematic in that spandex can be present in small amounts, so be sure to check the fiber content on your garments’ care label. It could be that this is the reason you have chosen not to bleach the shirts, and in that case add Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster along with your detergent.

Q: My son has just recovered from the flu, and I was wondering if it is important to disinfect his bedding to prevent spreading the germs around the house or if a generic wash with detergent alone will do the trick.

A: After the flu, it is important to take the time to disinfect sheets, pillowcases, towels and clothes, to help prevent the spread of the viruses in your home. Washing with Clorox® Regular-Bleach is a great way to fight germs, bacteria and viruses that can cause the common cold and flu in your clothes and linens. In a high efficiency washer, add ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach to the dispenser (or fill dispenser to the max-fill line). Then, add your favorite detergent to its dispenser, select a disinfecting/sanitizing cycle if available and start the washer. In a standard washer, add ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach along with detergent as the washer is filling with water, before adding the laundry. Or, use the bleach dispenser if your machine has one. To disinfect hand washables, soak items for 5 minutes in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach diluted in 1 gallon of cool water.

Don’t forget about the germs left behind when you catch a sneeze on your sleeve of your favorite fleece. Your jacket might be safely bleachable if the fiber content is 100% polyester, even if it’s colored. Simply apply 1 drop of a solution made of 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach and ¼ cup water to a hidden part of the jacket, like an inside seam, cuff, or collar. Be sure to test all the different components. Wait 1 minute, then blot dry. No color change means the jacket can be safely bleached along with your bleachable white items.

Q: I am working at a facility that is using Clorox® Splash-Less Liquid Gel Bleach as their sanitizer for food contact surfaces & equipment. Why does it appear more sudsy than Clorox ® Regular-Bleach?

A: While Clorox® Regular-Bleach and Clorox® Splash-Less Liquid Gel Bleach both have sodium hypochlorite as the bleach active, they are different products with different formulas. The surfactants used to thicken the Splash-Less Bleach, making it easier to pour and control, also make the bleach solution sudsy. Therefore, for sanitizing food contact surfaces, the facility should use Clorox® Regular-Bleach, our EPA-registered disinfectant. From our EPA master label, the instructions for sanitizing food contact surfaces and equipment, such as dishes, pots and pans, glasses, utensils, refrigerators, freezers and more, are as follows:

• Wash surfaces and equipment thoroughly; then soak two minutes in a 200 ppm available chlorine solution made with hot water. Use chlorine test strips to adjust to 200 ppm available chlorine. Drain dry. (Do not use on steel, aluminum, silver, or chipped enamel. Disinfect these by scalding.) To mix a 200 ppm available chlorine solution, dilute 1 Tbsp. Clorox® Regular-Bleach per 1 gallon of water. Note that you don’t rinse the items once you apply the bleach solution—they are simply allowed to air dry.

  You may also want to sanitize mops, brushes, and rags—this requires a longer contact time with a more concentrated solution made by mixing ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach in 1 gallon of water. From the EPA master label:

• After using brushes, mops and brooms, wash thoroughly; then soak for 5 minutes in a 2700 ppm available chlorine solution made with warm water. Rinse with clear water; dry. Not recommended for cellulose sponge mops.
  Note that you do need to rinse brushes, mops, and brooms following soaking, before they air dry. There is also a nice chart on the Master Label that lists typical quantities of bleach solution that are mixed up for the different applications.

Q: I have a water softener, and know that I can use less detergent to clean my clothes than when washing in hard water. Should I also use less Clorox^® Regular-Bleach and Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster?

A: Using a water softener to treat hard water definitely leads to better laundry results. Hard water causes a variety of problems, resulting in the need to increase laundry product usage above the normal amount. Therefore, it is important to be careful not to underuse laundry detergents and additives when adjusting for normal water quality. Additionally, be sure to take into account the load size and soil level when determining how much of any product to add. In a standard washer, we recommend detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach for normal loads, and up to 1 ¼ cup bleach for extra large or heavily soiled loads. These measurements are also the correct amounts to use when disinfecting laundry. With hard water, a consumer needs to use more bleach if there is high calcium and magnesium content, but use absolutely no bleach if there is iron and manganese present. These minerals can react with the bleach causing the fabric to yellow. For Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, you also need to consider load size and soil level. For lightly soiled clothing or smaller loads, fill the cap or scoop to the first line. As load size and soil levels increase, boost product usage accordingly.

High efficiency washing machines use much less water. Removed soils suspended in the wash water are more concentrated, and bleach breaks down much faster. We still recommend using ¾ cup Clorox&^® Regular-Bleach in HE washers, or for those HE machines with small-capacity bleach dispensers, filling the bleach dispenser to the “max-fill” line. Again, you should also use load size and soil level as a guide for determining how much bleach to add. Instead of adding more bleach, however, consider washing two smaller loads. This is because the dispenser limits the amount of bleach that can be added, so washing two smaller loads is the best way to adjust bleach usage for soil level. For Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, fill the cap or scoop to line 1, and again consider two small loads if you have heavily soiled laundry. If there is no dedicated dispenser for color-safe bleach, then add it to the detergent compartment, also being sure to use a HE detergent.

Finally, monitor your laundry results over time. Sometimes laundry habits, like using less detergent, may seem sufficient after one or two washes, but over time, the cumulative effect of insufficient cleaning can lead to dingy clothes.

Q: I am embarking on a baseball season with two boys wearing white pants and white undershirts. What are the best ways to remove red dirt and possible juice stains?

A: The undershirts are most likely white cotton, therefore to remove any juice stains, wash the shirts with detergent + ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach in hot water. For colored shirts, pre-treat juice stains with Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, and then wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent + more Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster. We also have a live demo of removing juice stains on the video page of the blog, in the Kids 101 video.

Unfortunately, white baseball pants are a challenge because they can contain a combination of stains. Dive for that catch in the outfield, and you’ll have mud and grass; slide for home in the infield, and the fine clay particles get ground into the fabric. This combination of stains is hard to get out. First, it is important to start as soon as you return home from the game. Scrape away as much excess mud and grass that you can, and then pre-soak the pants with one scoop powdered Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster dissolved in one gallon hot water. Make sure the powder is dissolved and the pants are fully submerged, letting them soak overnight. In the morning, drain the soaking solution, and wash the pants with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach in hot water. Air-dry the pants to avoid heat-setting any stain that may linger. If any stain remains, repeat the pre-soak and wash process. The good news is the pants are most likely polyester and should dry very quickly!

Q: In searching for a method to safely disinfect baby clothes that do not pass the bleachability test, I came across a product online that claims to disinfect and be “safe” to use on colored clothes. However, there is no information regarding this product on the EPA site. Are all registered disinfecting products listed by the EPA?

A: To confirm that clothes have been properly disinfected, an EPA registration is important. In order for a product to obtain this registration, a product must undergo and pass tests for efficacy. The results of these tests turn into label instructions that provide guidelines such as the effective ratio of product to water and the use conditions necessary to kill germs. Any product sold in the US as a disinfectant must have an EPA registration.
In order to reliably remove germs with detergent alone, CDC guidelines state that you need to wash items at 160°F for 25 minutes. However, using hot water and a hot dryer cycle increases the chance of fading and shrinkage, but it is a trade-off one makes if you cannot use Clorox® Regular-Bleach to disinfect.

Below are some additional links that parents may find useful:

http://www.clorox.com/clorox-cleaning-and-laundry-advisor/healthier-home-and-family/new-moms/

http://www.clorox.com/blog/2011/03/03/open-letter-of-apology-for-pre-baby-folly/?ref=clorox_footer

http://www.clorox.com/blog/2011/03/16/arent-we-all-new-moms/?ref=clorox_footer

Q: I have algae growing on an exterior surface of my home and was wondering if I can remove it using a combination of Tide® Laundry Detergent and bleach.

A: Unfortunately, we have never studied the combination of Tide® Laundry Detergent and Clorox® Regular-Bleach as an effective and safe way to remove algae from exterior surfaces. I would recommend that you contact the manufacturers of Tide® Laundry Detergent to determine whether it is safe for outside use as runoff could negatively interact with plants and animals. In regards to Clorox® Regular-Bleach, it is an EPA-registered disinfectant and is an approved and safe product to help eliminate moss, mold and mildew from outdoor siding, tile, brick, stucco and patio stone. Below is information on how to use Clorox® Regular-Bleach to remove patio moss, mildew stains and exterior mold:

Q. I miss read the directions and think I added too much Oxi-Magic® to my clothes. Is there any way to correct the discoloration that occurred?

A. I wish I knew more about exactly how you used the product, and what type of discoloration you ended up with. If you added too much Oxi-Magic®, but did allow it to dissolve before adding the clothes, you probably have overall fading. If you added it to the machine with the clothes before it started to fill with water, then you probably have multiple small faded spots that formed when the product initially dissolved while directly contacting the fabric. Oxi-Magic® is pretty concentrated until it can disperse into the wash water. With overall fading, there is not much you can do other than learn to live with the new color. With bleached spots, you can try coloring them in with a permanent marker—this works really well on black items, but is a little more challenging with colors because it isn’t always possible to get an exact color match.

Q. I recently purchased a yellow dress that I would like to wear for my wedding. The dress is currently a lime-yellow green, mostly yellow, but ideally I would like it to be white, off-white or just lighter yellow. The tag says it's 100% polyester (like a satin look and feel) and dry clean only. Do you think I could soak it in a bleach bath?

A. I wish I could offer you a solution for how to alter the color of your dress, but I am limited by the fiber content. Since the dress is 100% polyester, it will be very difficult to remove the color, and a bleach soak will likely have no effect. Dyes for polyester are generally insoluble, so once they are incorporated into the fiber they are very difficult to remove or de-color. As a result, polyester is extremely colorfast and a home remedy is unlikely to alter the color.

Another potential problem is the “dry clean only” label—not knowing what the dress/fabric looks like, I am guessing that something in the construction of the dress requires dry cleaning to prevent water spotting. I would check with your dry-cleaner for a referral to a place that dyes shoe and see if they also offer a treatment to remove color from polyester. I would also ask them to show you examples or provide you with references of other customers who had this done before you proceed, especially if the treatment is expensive.