Q: Dear Dr. Landry, I found your website very informative, and seek your help. I carefully washed the laundry with pastel colors and my husband’s brand new and favorite t-shirt came out with light blue stains caused by bleeding. I soaked it in Oxy Clean, Clorox for Colors, Borax and Lestoil to no avail. What do dry cleaners do? I appreciate any suggestions.

A: Dye transfer can be difficult to remove as noted by the variety of products you have used. The issue is you basically dyed the spot blue and then probably dried it which set the color. You don't say what color the t-shirt area was before it became blue. If it was white, I would recommend a couple of thoughts:

• Consider Clorox Bleach Pen Gel on the blue area. If unsure, do the Bleachability Test before proceeding (see the label or the link on my blog on the left). Simply apply the product; rub with the scrubber; wait a couple of minutes then wash in hottest water recommended for item using detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach. Check for success before drying as you may have to repeat the treatment.


• Consider a short soak using 1/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach in a gallon of cool water for 5-10 minutes then wash in hottest water recommended for item using detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach. Check for success before drying as you may have to repeat the treatment.


• Another great product is our Clorox UltimateCare Bleach. It's thick creamy texture is gentle enough to pour directly on white clothes; so you could pour on, rub into the blue area then wash as above. Check for success before drying as you may have to repeat the treatment.

Dry cleaners use solvents for their cleaning; this may not be appropriate for a cotton t-shirt. Usually, if it is cotton, the dye will slowly be removed with each subsequent washing. You can accelerate this by washing in hotter water.

Q: I own a tanning salon and a bottle of tanning lotion exploded on my new blouse. I rinsed it out but now I have a white ring around the stain. Is there anything I can do to get these stains out? Your response would be appreciated.

A: Tanning lotion usually contains a lot of oily components and some solids for protection that may be best be treated by pre-treating with a good liquid detergent (apply, rub in and wait 5-10 minutes). Next, wash in the hottest water recommended for the item (check the care label) using detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox Regular-Bleach if white OR detergent + recommended amount of Liquid Clorox2 Bleach for Colors if colored. Don't forget to check for success after washing and repeat procedure if needed before drying. If you’re not sure if successful, then it's best to air dry and then retreat item if needed. AVOID dryer drying as this may "melt" the oils into the fibers making them difficult/impossible to remove.

Q: I have a christening gown with a yellowish stain around the collar. It has been in a box for years. I need to clean it for the next generation to wear in June. Please help!

A: You didn’t give me much detailed information (e.g., the color of the item, what you might have tried, etc). I’m assuming it is white.

I suggest you at least wash it in the hottest wash recommended for the item. You may want to consider a quick bleach soak if appropriate for the item/color. (1/4 cup bleach in gallon of cool water for 5-10 minutes) prior to that hot water wash with detergent and liquid Clorox bleach. Do the quick Bleachability Test (2 tspn liquid bleach in 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden 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.) A few other bleach options:

• Try the Clorox BleachPen Gel on the yellow spots. Apply using the scrubber tip; then wash in hot water with detergent and Clorox bleach


• Try the Clorox UltimateCare bleach which is safe enough to pour directly onto the yellowed stain; rub in and then wash in hot water with detergent and Clorox bleach

Q: The first time I washed and dried a red velour outfit, I discovered it had blue spots on it, though it didn't have them when I put it in the wash. I remembered my daughter brushed the sleeve on some chocolate, so I had spot-treated with Shout. I use Free and Clear Arm and Hammer detergent. The stain was a bright blue stain....and has spots....in a small cluster. The washer was not overloaded and no fabric softener was used.

The second time it was a pink pair of sweat pants...brand new...same combination of Shout and Arm and Hammer Free and Clear detergent. This time I took the pants out of the washer with this stain present....the item never reached the dryer. Do you know what could be causing this stain? What can get it out?

A: This certainly is baffling. I know of no reason that either the Shout or Arm & Hammer Free & Clear would create blue spots/stains on new clothes. If it were incomplete removal of the stain, it is very unlikely it would "turn" blue. No liquid fabric softener removes that possibility. I have sometimes seen what I call a brightener spot when liquid detergent is applied for pre-treating and dries on the fabric. Once these dry they are nearly impossible to remove. So I am assuming the Shout and detergent were not dried on the items. Also, it helps if the detergent was dispersed in the wash water before you add the items.

A couple of other thoughts: in some of the high-efficiency (HE) machines, residual water can be left that may be mixed into the next load. If this contained bleach it might "splatter", and react quickly with a small area and discolor it.

Q: I have used Lestoil for removing stains from clothes for years. I love this product but I have found that the store I usually shop in, Giant Eagle, does not carry it any more. Is there somewhere that still sells Lestoil?

A: Lestoil is a unique product and very good for removing certain stains. Unfortunately, it is not widely available. I find the best chances to find it are in hardware stores as most of the other stores you mentioned do not usually carry it.

Q: My father recently passed away and left behind two, white straw cowboy hats. I would like to give the hats to my young grandchildren, his great grandchildren, as a remembrance. We have several pictures of him in those hats and the youngsters remember him that way. The problem is, the hats are sweat stained and I would like to get them clean. How can I do that?

A: Sorry to hear about the loss of your father. Unfortunately, I don't have a good solution for your sweat stained hat brim. I could recommend some products to treat the sweat areas but any washing might weaken the straw and I would not want to risk compromising the hat. Another concern is that as some components of the sweat age, they change color usually to yellow/brown and the best option is usually bleach to clean that up. I am worried that bleach would be too strong and damage the hats. Not sure if there is a way to try steam cleaning them carefully, but that is the best alternative I can think of at this time.

Q: My husband got sprayed with diesel fuel. He came home and washed his clothes right away in hot water. However, the yellowish stain is still there and the smell is awful. Do you have any suggestions on how to get even the smell out of that? Thank you!

A: I'm assuming that you have already dried them in clothes dyer so the stain may be set and tougher to remove. Always be very careful not to get a diesel/gasoline smelling clothes too hot in the dryer; you may want to consider air drying until the smell dissipates. Sometimes a good long soak can help; would probably try a detergent and appropriate bleach (Clorox if whites or Clorox 2 if colors) in presoak even overnight. Try rubbing the yellow stain with good liquid detergent before washing after soaking. Use hottest water recommended for the garments in the follow-up washing. It may take a couple of these treatments to be successful.

Q: My husband washed a red sweatshirt with his whites which are now pink. Can his dress shirts be saved and turned white again? They are cotton/polyester blend.

A: Oops on the red sweatshirt! After the shirts have been dried they are pretty well dyed pink from the red dye. If they are white you might try soaking in Clorox Regular-Bleach (¼ cup in gallon of cool water for 5-10 minutes) then wash in hot water with detergent plus ¾ cup Clorox Regular-Bleach. If that doesn't work, the last resort is dye remover like Rit, but this is kind of powerful stuff. If all else fails might be time for some new dress shirts....

Q: Dr. Laundry, how do I remove mildew from my table cloth? It is 52% cotton and 48% polyester. Please help!

A: The best thing for removing mildew is Clorox Regular-Bleach. Assuming the tablecloth is white or bleachable (See Bleachability test if unsure). I would either do a short soak (¼ cup Clorox Regular Bleach in gallon of cool water for 5-10 minutes) then wash in hottest water recommended for the tablecloth using detergent plus ¾ cup Clorox Regular-Bleach. An alternative would be to use the Clorox Bleach Pen Gel if a few spots are involved. Simply rub on the mildew spots then wash in hottest water recommended for the tablecloth using detergent plus ¾ cup Clorox Regular-Bleach.

If colored, you might try wetting with cool water, applying Clorox 2 and rubbing into the mildew, waiting 5-10 minutes then wash in hottest water recommended for the tablecloth using detergent plus the recommended amount of Clorox 2. Since Clorox 2 is weaker bleach, you may have to repeat the procedure.

Q: I have a lot of white clothes that look a bit yellow. I always add bleach to water and pour in after washer is full. I even add a bit of bluing the same way. But they continue to look dingy or yellowed. Can you help me?

A: There are several potential causes of yellowing whites. Some are easier than others to correct. A couple of clarifying points on your laundry practices: When you add the liquid bleach is this after the clothes have started to agitate or is this just before agitation starts? Direct application without the agitation can sometimes cause yellow spotting.

• Metals in water supply: Several metals, especially iron and manganese react with liquid bleach, change to a yellowish brown and deposit on fabrics. Clorox® Regular-Bleach has a patented polymer to wrap-up these metals and prevents them from reacting with bleach. Unfortunately, if you used another liquid bleach and this reaction occurred and the reaction products deposited on the fabrics, it is nearly impossible to remove. The only potential solution to already "stained" clothes is a dye remover product like Rit, but these are pretty harsh and should be used as a last resort.


• Over packing the washer/under using detergent or Clorox® Regular-Bleach: Over packing means the washer agitator energy has to be spread across more clothes and leads to less cleaning. The under usage means these products have to work harder and if you have hard water or dirty clothes, there just aren’t enough goodies to get the clothes clean. Slowly overtime the residual soil will discolor and leave a dingy appearance.


• Bluing is a dye that is meant to enhance the white hue on clothes. If the clothes are not clean and white, the blue hue can actually make them appear dingier/less clean.

So standard washing procedure should be: sort; don't overload; use hot water; use appropriate amount of detergent and bleach; if you have hard or well water make sure you are using Clorox® Regular-Bleach with Whitest Whites Patented Technology on the label to bind up the metals and keep them from discoloring your whites.