How do I remove grass stains from a white dress shirt?

A little more information on the type of dress shirt and fiber types would have been helpful. First, check the care label and eliminate any items that include wool, silk, mohair, spandex, and leather. For all other types of fabrics, begin by presoaking the item in cool water using a good liquid laundry detergent that contains enzymes—check the ingredient list to be sure. Allow the shirt to soak for at least 30 minutes to help break up the stain. Then, since your shirt is white, apply Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel directly to the stain. Use the soft scrubber tip to gently rub a little gel into the stain, and the wash immediately in warm water with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach. Air dry the shirt, and check for success. If any stain remains, you can always repeat the treatment, and your chances of eventual success go way up if you keep the item out of a hot dryer (and prevent the stain from being heat-set). Hopefully this is helpful, and thanks for writing.

Does Clorox work in cold water?

Yes, Clorox® Regular-Bleach is effective in all different temperatures of wash water, including cold. Reducing wash temperature is a great way to save energy and important for protecting our planet, but it’s important to note that there is also a performance trade off. Lower wash temperatures aren’t as effective at cleaning as higher wash temperatures, and adding bleach along with your regular detergent is a great way to improve cleaning and whitening when washing in cold water. Adjusting load sizes, pre-dissolving detergent, pre-treating stains, and even spiking cold water with a little hot are all techniques to get better cold water results and save energy. Also, it is particularly important when washing in cold water to not under-use bleach or other laundry products. Doing so will make it even more challenging to get good results than it already is just from the drop in performance that comes with lower wash temperatures.

How can I remove a yellow color on white handkerchief?

I wish I knew more about your wash habits--since your white handkerchiefs have yellowed over time that could indicate a long term cleaning issue.  Here are some factors that affect cleaning and whitening that you may be able to change and see better results.

1. Detergent choice— Make sure you are using a good detergent that contains brighteners and enzymes in addition to surfactants and builders.  Review the ingredient list—better detergents often list the purpose of the ingredients, too. 

2. Use the correct amount of detergent— Under using detergent will result in poor performance, especially if you wash heavily soiled items or extra-large loads, or if you have hard water. That’s when you actually need to add extra!

3. Choose a “hot” wash temperature— The higher the wash temperature, the better the cleaning.

4. Don’t overload the washer—Clothes need to circulate/tumble freely through the wash water for optimum cleaning.

5. Use the correct amount of bleach— ¾ cup for a regular load, and 1 ¼ cup for an extra-large or heavily soiled load.  Perhaps your clothes washer has a bleach dispenser that limits the amount of bleach you can add to 1/3 cup.  In that case, you can experiment with smaller loads, and fill the dispenser to the “max fill” line.

It’s also important to note that there are also a few situations where using Clorox® Regular-Bleach can cause whites to yellow:

--Fabric not safe for bleach—You should never bleach garments made with wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex—they are damaged by exposure to bleach, which can include yellowing as well as fiber deterioration. I doubt your handkerchiefs include any of these, but it's still good to note.

--The fabric finish yellows—Sometimes a finish applied to the fabric/garment will react with bleach and turn yellow.  Hopefully these are garments labeled "non-chlorine bleach only".

--Concentrated bleach exposure—If cotton is exposed to undiluted or extremely concentrated bleach solutions, it can yellow.

--Poor water quality—When the household water supply contains large amounts of metals (like iron and manganese), they react with the sodium hypochlorite active in bleach to form colored materials that can deposit onto clothes.  The best way to handle this problem is to install a water treatment/filtration system to remove the impurities.

Since your handkerchiefs have yellowed over time, there’s a good chance you can whiten them up again (as long as the yellowing wasn’t caused by metals or concentrated bleach exposure).  Here are some techniques you could try:

1. Soak the handkerchiefs in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water.  Fully submerge them for 5 minutes, then rinse the soaking solution and finish up by machine washing in hot water using detergent + ¾ cup bleach (or fill the dispenser to the max-fill line).  This is ideal for dingy yellow build-up from poor cleaning over time.

2. Try an overnight pre-soak with powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster. Add 1 scoop Clorox2® to 2 gallons hot water, and stir to be sure the product dissolves.  Fully submerge the handkerchiefs for 8 hours or overnight.  Rinse the soaking solution, and then wash in hot water using detergent and additional Clorox2®.  This is ideal for white items that contain a small amount of spandex, which should never be washed with Clorox® Regular-Bleach.

You should be able to restore items that picked up color with a bleach soaking solution as long as an item is safely bleachable.  First, check the care labels - Don’t use the soaking solution on items that contain wool, silk, mohair, spandex, and leather - These should never be bleached.  Next, you didn’t say if the items that picked up color are white or another color (or combination of colors, so you may need to check for colorfastness to bleach with this simple bleachability test:  dilute 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water; apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the each item (like a hem, cuff, collar, or inside seam); wait 1 minute then blot dry; no color change means the item can be safely bleached.  Now for the bleach soak:  fully submerge the item in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach diluted in 1 gallon cool water for up to 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.  Air dry the item, and check for success (it’s important to keep the item out of the dryer so the heat doesn’t set any remaining dye).  Hopefully the fugitive color will be gone, but if it is lighter, then repeat the bleach soak again.  However, if the bleach soak leaves the dye transfer color unchanged, you may need to try RIT Color Remover, which can usually be found at drug and hardware stores.  A dilute RIT solution works best to limit the stripping-off of the original color of an item in addition to the fugitive dye, so be careful.  Good luck, and let me know how it turns out.

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:  How do I remove color bleeding during laundering?

A: Most garments that are new bleed a little, but usually they stop after a few cycles, so washing newer items alone or only with like colors is an effective strategy for limiting dye transfer.  To restore items that have picked up fugitive color during the wash cycle, you can often do this with a bleach soaking solution as long as the items are safely bleachable.  First, check the care labels and don’t use the soaking solution if the item contains wool, silk, mohair, spandex, and leather--these should never be bleached.  Also, depending on whether your items are white, another color or a combination of colors, you may need to check for colorfastness to bleach with a simple bleachability test:  dilute 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water; apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the each item (like a hem, cuff, collar, or inside seam); wait 1 minute then blot dry; no color change means the item can be safely bleached.

For items that are not on the “avoid bleaching” list and pass the bleachablility test, try a bleach soak:  fully submerge the item in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach diluted in 1 gallon cool water for up to 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.  Air dry the item, and check for success (it’s important to keep the item out of the dryer so the heat doesn’t set any remaining dye).  Hopefully the fugitive color will be gone, but if it is lighter, then repeat the bleach soak again.  However, if the bleach soak leaves the dye transfer color unchanged, then you may need to try RIT® Color Remover, which can usually be found at drug and hardware stores.  A dilute RIT® solution works best to limit stripping off the original color of an item in addition to the fugitive dye, so be careful.

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:  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!