Q:  My husband has oily hair and has left the pillowcases yellowed. How do I make them white again and do I soak them (how much and how long) before washing? I'm afraid this has built up over time.

A:  This is quite a problem, not just because of the oil build up, but also from the likelihood that these pillowcases have been going into a hot dryer following each wash cycle.  Heat from the dryer can “set” stains, making them very difficult to get out.  However, with a series of soaks you should be able to whiten the pillowcases substantially.  I would pre-soak several times with a couple of different products so you can solubilize the oil, as well as break up and remove residual body soil.  It’s best to work on the oily residue first:

• In a plastic dishpan, dissolve 1 scoop of powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster in 2 gallons of very hot water—getting it up to around 160°F (using water from a tea kettle with hot tap water works well). Completely submerge the pillowcases (weigh them down if necessary—glass pie dishes work well) for 8 hours or overnight.  Rinse the pillowcases and dish pan before the next step.


• Pre-soak with a Clorox® Regular-Bleach soaking solution.  Add ¼ cup bleach to 1 gallon of water and fully submerge the pillowcases for 5 minutes.  Drain the soaking solution and then wash the pillowcases in hot water using detergent + ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.


• Air dry the pillowcases and check to see if any yellowing remains.  If it looks like you are making progress, then repeat the steps if necessary.

In the future, make sure you always wash your sheets and pillowcases using hot water, a good detergent that contains enzymes, and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Pretreating the area of the pillowcase that gets oily with a little liquid laundry detergent before washing will also help keep the oil build-up under control.  Good luck!

Q:  Can you use Clorox Regular-Bleach® on a newborn’s clothes?

A:  I have good news – you can definitely use Clorox® Regular-Bleach to launder newborn clothing, bedding, car seat liners…you name it!  However, the items do need to be made of fibers that can be safely bleached.  Start by checking the labels and don’t use bleach on any items containing wool, spandex, silk, mohair, and leather.  For any colored items, you need to check their colorfastness to bleach via a bleachability test:

• Dilute 2 teaspoons bleach in ¼ cup water.


• Apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the items.  Inside hems, cuffs, under collars, and seams work well.  For multicolored items be sure to check each color.


• Wait 1 minute then blot dry.  No color change means the item can be safely bleached.

I expect that you will have good luck with items made of polyester fleece and items where the color is printed onto the fabric, plus some denim clothing.  It comes down to what dye is used and how it is applied. 

Wash the items that pass the bleachability test in detergent + ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Your clothes washer should adequately rinse the bleach from the clothes, but you can also select an extra rinse cycle if you prefer.  Hopefully this is helpful!

Are any other readers first time parents?

Q:  Can I use Clorox to remove or prevent stains on my laundry?  They are sort of rust colored and may be from our well hard water. 

A:  That’s too bad about the rust stains in your laundry, and that you have hard water.  Unfortunately rust stains can NOT be removed with Clorox® Regular-Bleach (or any chlorine bleach for that matter).  You need to use a rust remover product instead, and these can be found at hardware stores. Just be sure to read and follow the package directions, including testing items for colorfastness to the rust remover, and wearing gloves.

I would also consider installing a water filtration/softener system for your clothes washer—the brown stains you are getting indicate that your well water includes metals (probably iron and manganese) in addition to higher concentrations of calcium and magnesium.  Until they are removed, using bleach will exacerbate the problem.  Improving water quality will get you better laundry results in the long run and is worth it! 

Does anyone else suffer from hard water stains?

Q:  I would like to wash my fine washables with Clorox® Ultimate Care® Bleach. Do I use it full strength or do I mix it with something so it is not as strong?

A:  How you use Ultimate Care® Bleach depends on your needs for the items you are washing.  You can add it along with your favorite detergent to gently whiten the entire load you are washing.  You can also use it full strength to pre-treat a stain as long as the item is white and you wash it immediately after pre-treating.  Additionally, since it has the same sodium hypochlorite active as Clorox® Regular-Bleach (but at a lower level) you should not use it for washing wool, silk, mohair, leather and spandex.  Pay special attention to the garment care labels, and check for small percentages of these fibers. For example, even small amounts of spandex in cotton tops should not be bleached. 

Readers, do you prefer to wash your delicates in a washer or by hand?

Q:  I workout often, and it seems some shirts have a permanent odor of sweat or mold. Will Clorox 2® help on my colored laundry?

A:  The bleach active in Clorox2®, hydrogen peroxide, is a gentle bleach, making it safe for almost all washable colored items.  However, it doesn’t meet EPA disinfecting requirements, and so it won’t kill the germs on your workout clothes like Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  You may actually be able to use Clorox® Regular-Bleach to safely wash some of your workout clothes provided they are colorfast to bleach and don’t contain any spandex.  You’ll need to check the items with a quick bleachability test as follows:

• Mix a test solution by diluting 2 tsp Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water


• Apply a drop to a hidden part of the item such as an inside hem, cuff, or seam.  Wait one minute and then blot dry


• No color change means the item can be safely bleached

For items that don’t pass the bleachability test, you can try the following techniques to at least reduce the germ count.

• Always wash in the hottest water recommended on the item’s care label.


• Pre-soak with Clorox2® before washing.  Dissolve 1 scoop of the powder in 2 gallons hot water; fully submerge the items for up to 8 hours or overnight.  Drain the soaking solution before washing.


• Wash any items of particular concern separately from other items to avoid germ transfer


• Use the hottest dryer setting recommended on the care label, and dry items separately - or at least with some white towels so the items tumble properly in the dryer.

Periodically run a washer clean-out cycle with an empty washer and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach to be sure the clothes washer is disinfected and germs don’t transfer to other loads. 

Do any readers have suggestions on eliminating gym clothes odor?

Q:  Something in the wash load faded onto white clothes and partially white clothes.  How can I get rid of the unwanted color?  Do I need to do something different if the fabric says "use non chlorine bleach"?

A:  What you describe sounds like dye transfer and you should be able to restore any bleachable items with a bleach soaking solution.  Start by figuring out if any of the partially white items are safely bleachable (even if they are labeled "only non-chlorine bleach").  First, check the care label and eliminate any items that include wool, silk, mohair, spandex, and leather--these should never be bleached.  For the remaining items, 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.  For the white items, and any partially colored items that passed the bleachability test, try soaking them 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 items, and check for success (it’s important to keep the items 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. 

Has anyone had success removing dye transfer?

Q:  What is the best way to get machine oil off my husband’s work shirts after they have sat in a hamper for two days?

A:  With dark, grimy machine oil it's important to use a good solvent to dissolve the oil stains, preferably before they are wet from the wash water, so pre-treating is important.  Checking for colorfastness is also important, and you can do that as follows:

1. Apply a drop on a hidden part of the garment like a hem, inside seam or cuff.


2. Wait 1 minute then rinse and blot with a towel.


3. If there is no color change then you can safely use the product on the item.

With that, here are some suggestions:

• Apply a good liquid laundry detergent or even dishwashing detergent, like Dawn, degreaser, Stanley or Goo Gone. Rub into the stain and let sit 3-5 minutes. This helps solubilize the grease/oil/fluids and jumpstarts removal. Hopefully the stains are localized and not spread out all over, which makes pre-treating more difficult.


• Always wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label. The hotter the water, the better the removal.


• Don’t underuse detergent—you probably need a little extra. Remember you are trying to “pull” the grease/oil off the fabric and once it’s removed you want it to stay in the wash water and NOT redeposit back onto the clothes. This is one of the jobs of the surfactants in detergents.


• Finally, air dry the items and check for success.  You have a much better chance of completely removing the stains if they are not heat set in a dryer.  You can retreat if necessary. 

Readers – have you experienced trouble with machine oil stains?  What’s worked best for you?

Q:  I need some help with clothes flooded in Hurricane Irene, in particular items that cannot go in hot water (delicate fabrics).  How do I handle them?  There is not a lot of mud, but water came reached them and wicked into the fabric.

A:  Watching the images on TV of the storm damage from Irene is really sobering, and I have been thinking about the people who have the daunting task of cleaning up.  Hopefully the flood waters you encountered were not contaminated, and your household water supply is safe for human consumption and skin contact.  Note that if your incoming water is not yet safe for drinking, you should not use it for any laundry unless you are hand-washing and using bleach.  Bleach needs to be added to both the wash and rinse water.  Thankfully it sounds like you have passed this hurdle.  Unfortunately, there is currently not a product for disinfecting any and all colored laundry items or fabrics made from wool, silk, mohair, spandex and leather.   Clorox2® has a different bleach active, hydrogen peroxide, which is a much weaker bleach and therefore safe for colors.  However, it doesn’t meet EPA disinfecting requirements.

To guarantee disinfection, you will need to wash as many items as possible with detergent + ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach in the hottest water recommended on the care label, so figuring out which of your items can be safely bleached is an important first step.  There actually are many colored fabrics than can be safely bleached, and it depends on which type of dye was used to color the fabric.  Also, “delicate” fabrics can often be bleached as long as they are not made from the fibers listed above.  Cotton and nylon underwear, for example, are delicate and perfectly bleachable from a fiber standpoint.  For colored items that you are unsure about, you can easily test bleachability as follows:

• Mix a test solution by diluting 2 tsp Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water


• Apply a drop to a hidden part of the item such as an inside hem, cuff, or seam and then blot dry


• No color change means the item can be safely bleached.  A color change shows what to expect following approximately five cycles with bleach.

I have had success safely bleaching light colored linens and towels, and 100% polyester fleece, to name a few.  Also, you only need to bleach your flood damaged items once.  Some of them could probably handle one wash cycle with bleach, but would fade after 5 cycles (blue jeans often can handle occasional bleach washing).  Because of the severity of the situation (and the possibility that your clothing could have been exposed to contaminated water), it would be worth it to try to bleach as many items as you can.  However, there are items that you simply can’t bleach, and for those you can try the following techniques to reduce the germ count as much as possible:

• Wash in hot water even if it is not what’s recommended on the care label.  This is especially important if your hot water heater is set at a lower temperature.


• Wash any items of particular concern separately from other items to avoid germ transfer, and consider washing them twice


• Use the hottest dryer setting recommended on the care label.


• Air dry items made from wool outdoors in the sun.

Follow up with a washer clean-out cycle (running one cycle with the washer empty) with ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach to be sure the clothes washer is disinfected and germs don’t transfer to other loads.  Hopefully you can restore as many of your flood damaged non-bleachable items as possible. 

I also have some additional disaster preparedness bleach tips that might be helpful:

• If water supplies are compromised and you are unable to boil water for one minute (3 minutes at high elevation) you can create potable water by using regular liquid bleach. Add 1/8 teaspoon (8 drops) of bleach to one gallon of water. Let sit for 30 minutes. Properly treated water should have a slight chlorine odor. If not, repeat dosage and let sit another 15 minutes. Use ¼ teaspoon of bleach (16 drops) for cloudy water.


• Disinfect surfaces, like counter tops, by first washing away all visible dirt. Apply a disinfecting solution of ¾ bleach per gallon of water. Let the solution stand for 5 minutes. Rinse thoroughly and let air dry.


• Make a family preparedness plan for communication in the event of an emergency. Put together an emergency preparedness kit that includes food, water (at least 1 gallon per person per day) a first aid kit, flashlight, radio, personal documents and sanitation supplies such like regular liquid bleach.


• In the wake of disaster, there is much to do as you assess the health and safety of your household as well as next steps to rebuild your life.  The first thing you’ll want to do is check communication channels to ensure that local officials have declared it safe to return home. When home, cleaning up after a natural disaster can be a daunting task so it’s important keep your health top of mind using these steps:
  
  
  
  • Before entering the home, look outside for loose power lines, damaged gas lines, foundation cracks or other damage
  
  
  • During cleanup, wear protective clothing, including rubber gloves and rubber boots
  
  
  • Look for flooding or large pools of standing water surrounding your home. These waters can be contaminated with high levels of bacteria that can make you sick, so disinfecting with a solution of bleach and water may help prevent the spread of infections and illness
  
  
  
  

Q:  How do I get the smell of bait out of my boyfriends’ clothes?

A:  Wow—I could really get into this question given that I go fishing every summer.  I would need some more information, though.  What type of fishing does he do—salt or fresh water?  What type of bait does he like—PowerBait, salmon eggs, worms, etc…  Also, what type of clothing does he wear for fishing?  Personally, I swear by a Gold 502 Super Duper lure for high alpine lakes in the Eastern Sierra.  I wash my fishing related clothing in hot water with detergent and  powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, but I only have to deal with stains and odors related to cleaning fish—lures don’t leave behind an odor.

Readers – how do you remove that fishy smell from your clothing?