Q: When washing cloth diapers, I use a very small amount of bleach to sanitize along with hot water (I own a diaper service). As long as people do what I ask them to do with the diapers, I have no problem removing stains with my organic detergent and this tiny amount of bleach. Now, when people do not follow my instructions and do the worst thing possible, dunk the diapers in their toilet before putting them in a pail, I get a bag full of brown diapers to wash. I don't know why people ignore what I say and do this, but they do, and then I have to soak them in bleach water using the recommended amount, and then wash and rinse them an extra three times on top of what I already do to make sure there is no bleach left in the fabric.

Some people who use cloth diapers believe that if you use bleach at all, you are doing very harmful things to the environment and hurting your baby's skin. Some actually warn against using a diaper service because they use bleach. I always thought that the chlorine in the bleach would wash out in the rinse. I've never had a customer complain of rashes. People that do complain of rashes with cloth use detergents like Dreft that leave a residue. Also, I wouldn't feel comfortable giving people diapers that haven't been sanitized. Bleach and hot water together kill germs.

So, does the chlorine wash out? Am I putting people's children at risk? Am I killing the environment? How many times should I wash and rinse after soaking in bleach water?

A: I battle these bleach myths quite often and I get very agitated about the misinformation floating around out there. Answers to your questions:

• “Does the chlorine wash out?” Yes, sodium hypochlorite active is very reactive and with the "soil" load you are dealing with it will be virtually all reacted and gone in the initial laundering/soak. The extra rinses are good "insurance" and definitely give you peace-of-mind that it has been removed.


• “Am I putting people's children at risk?” No, you are definitely not putting any children at risk. Actually, by doing the thorough cleaning and sanitizing of the diaper, you are helping prevent diaper rash and spreading unremoved germs.


• “Am I killing the environment?” No you are NOT killing the environment. Sodium hypochlorite is made from salt and water and after it reacts with the satins and soils in the laundry, 93-97% of it returns to salt and water again. The remaining 3-7% is easily removed in waste treatment and is biodegradable.


• “How many times should I wash and rinse after soaking in bleach water?” I think 1-2 rinses should be plenty.
  

Q: My toddler has an off-white stuffed lambie that she loves to suck on the ears and legs. It begins to stink very bad with her saliva germs from her mouth so I have washed it and disinfected it with Clorox Bleach. After 3 days or so, I have to bleach it again. She also has a colored bunny. My question is: Does Clorox2 for Colors have the same disinfecting ingredient as the Clorox Bleach for whites? I would like to disinfect this bunny too. Thanks for you help.

A: Kids always seem to have those favorite toys/blankets that have to go everywhere with them. The white one might benefit from a short bleach presoak (1/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach in gallon of warm water for 5-10 minutes) before laundering. Then, launder in hot water using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach. This might extend the "life cycle."

On the colored one, this is a question that I get a lot. Unfortunately, there currently is NOT a product for disinfecting colored clothes/items. Our Clorox2® for Colors contains hydrogen peroxide as its active ingredient. It is a much weaker bleach than the sodium hypochlorite found in Clorox® Regular- Bleach and is not capable of meeting EPA disinfecting requirements.

As I have written previously, the best way to reduce germ counts in (colored) laundry are:

• Use the hottest wash water recommended on the care label; you might also do more than one wash on these items to further reduce the bacteria count.


• Use the hottest dryer setting recommended on the care label. While the dryer isn't capable of completely killing, it will help lower the germ count.


• Check the items for Bleachability. It's surprising how many things labeled as "Do Not Bleach" are actually OK to use liquid bleach. Do the quick Bleachability/colorfast test on a hidden part of the colored item (2 tspn liquid Clorox® Regular-Bleach in 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden color section area like inside seam, hemline or cuff; wait 1 minute and then blot with towel); no color change means it is safe to use bleach on the item. If bleach-fast, consider a quick bleach soak (1/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach in gallon of warm water for 5-10 minutes) before washing in the hottest water recommended on the care label.

Q: My physician just recommended to me that I use regular bleach in my wash to disinfect my whites to kill any bacteria or yeast that may be present. He said that normal detergent doesn't always kill them. My question for you is concerning color safe bleach. Does Clorox 2 color safe bleach have the same disinfection and sanitization capabilities as Regular Clorox bleach?

A: Your doctor is correct that regular detergent washing is not sufficient to control yeast. 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular - Bleach added with your detergent and washed in warm/hot water should provide the result you are looking for.

Unfortunately Clorox2® for Colors has hydrogen peroxide as its active ingredient and this is NOT sufficient to provide any sanitizing or disinfecting benefit.

I also find a lot of garments including colored ones that can be safely bleached. You might want to try the Bleachability Test on a hidden part of these garments (2 tspn liquid Clorox® Regular - Bleach in 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden color section area like inside seam, hemline or cuff; wait 1 minute and then blot with towel); no color change means it is safe to use bleach on the item. If the item is bleach fast, you can use the instructions for hot water wash in detergent and Clorox® Regular - Bleach mentioned above.

Q: Do you make or know of a laundry additive (Clorox 2) which is safe for colors but also kills germs like regular Clorox does?

A: This is a great question and one I hear a lot. Unfortunately, there currently is NOT a product for disinfecting colored clothes. Our Clorox2® for Colors contains hydrogen peroxide as its active ingredient. It is a much weaker bleach than the sodium hypochlorite found in Clorox® Regular- Bleach and is not capable of meeting EPA disinfecting requirements.

As I have written previously, the best ways to reduce germ counts in (colored) laundry are:

• Use the hottest wash water recommended on the care label; might also do more than one wash on these items to further reduce the bacteria count.


• Consider washing the items of concern separately so that the germs are NOT spread to more items; transfer can occur in the washer and when transferring/handling from the washer to dryer.


• Use the hottest dryer setting recommended on the care label and dry the items separately to maximize germ reduction. While the dryer isn't capable of completely killing, it will help lower the germ count.


• Check the items for Bleachability. It's surprising how many things labeled as Do Not Bleach are actually OK to use liquid bleach. Do the quick Bleachability/colorfast test on a hidden part of the colored item (2 tspn liquid Clorox® Regular - Bleach in 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden color section area like inside seam, hemline or cuff; wait 1 minute and then blot with towel); no color change means it is safe to use bleach on the item. If bleachfast, consider a quick bleach soak (1/4 cup Clorox® Regular - Bleach in gallon of warm water for 5-10 minutes) before washing in the hottest water recommended on the care label.


• Finally, to prevent further germ spread, I would do a white load using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular - Bleach after these items had been washed. Kind of like a mouthwash for your washer.

Q: I work at a restaurant sometimes doing dishes. The health department says that the dishes should be washed in hot soapy water, then rinsed in hot water, then rinsed in a cold water solution with 1 tablespoon of bleach per 3 gal water. I’ve heard that too much bleach doesn't serve the purpose and hot water kills the effect of bleach. My employer insists that the rinse with bleach is to be in hot water with a lot of bleach. Is it safe to wipe the dishes? I worked at a college where they insisted that the last rinse be with bleach in cold water. Which is the most effective way to rinse in bleach to kill most germs?

A: Clorox Regular -Bleach is a quick and effective way for a restaurant to insure the completion of the dishwashing process. Here are the instructions from our Master Label:

And this is the picture that was developed to communicate this info:

So to answer your specific questions:

• Always wash in hot soapy water; then rinse with hot water then apply/rinse in bleach solution.


• Better to use 1 tablespoon per gallon of water; this produces the 200ppm concentration recommended/needed for sanitizing these surfaces. One can add more, but only 200ppm is needed for this application.


• Note the water temperature for the bleach solution is recommended to be 75F which would be cool.


• After the 2 minute bleach solution dip, it is recommended to air dry the items. This allows the solution time to complete the germ kill. It is not recommended to wipe the dishes immediately after the rinse. One reason is the towels can have residual germs that may defeat the purpose of the bleach rinse/dry procedure.


• So I would use the materials I provided above to get the best/desired outcome.