Q: Can I dye blue jeans white with Clorox® Regular-Bleach?

A:  It really depends on how the jeans were made and what type of dye was used to color the blue yarns.  Depending on the dye class, the blue color could actually be safe for bleach.  On the other hand, if the blue color is from a fiber reactive dye, you probably could use bleach to strip the color, although not all the way to "white".  You can predict the outcome with a simple bleachability test:  add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach to 1/4 cup water and apply a drop to a hidden part of the jeans, like the inside hem.  Wait 1 minute and then blot dry; a light colored spot predicts the color loss you can expect from bleach (typically 5 regular washes). 

If it looks like there will be some fading, you can try to speed things up by pre-soaking the jeans in a solution of 1/4 cup bleach per gallon of water for 5 minutes (make sure the jeans are completely submerged).  After 5 minutes, drain the soaking solution and then wash the jeans in a little detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Air dry the jeans, and then repeat the treatments if you are making progress.

Q:  Can I use Clorox® Regular-Bleach on a slipcover that’s not solid white? I don’t mind if the bleach lightens the fabric, it’s just so soiled that I want it brighter.

A:  If the slipcover is cotton or cotton/polyester, then you can wash it with Clorox Regular-Bleach.  Here are some other considerations for how you can proceed.

1.  Wash in hot water using a good detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.

2.  If the slipcover is very dirty, start by soaking the entire slipcover (and any cushion covers) fully submerged in a bleach solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water for 5 minutes.  Drain the soaking solution and then wash as described above.

3.  Avoid shrinkage—keep it out of the dryer.  Instead, put it back on the couch before it dries.  This is especially important for cushion covers, which need to be stretched over the cushions while still damp or they won’t fit back on again.

4.  If the slipcover is made of nylon or rayon, I would still expect it to be bleachable, but I would confirm this first with a bleachability test:  add 2 teaspoons bleach to ¼ cup water and apply a drop of this solution to a less-visible part of the slipcover.  Wait 1 minute and then blot dry—any color change will give you an idea what to expect if you bleach it.  In fact you may even want to do this if the slip cover is made of cotton, and you may also want to check any topstitching thread to see if that will shift color when bleached.

5.  If you decide you don’t want to use bleach on the slipcover, then I would try an overnight pre-soak using Powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster.  Use 1 scoop per 2 gallons of very hot water—make sure the powder has completely dissolved and then add the slip cover to the soaking solution.  Make sure it is fully submerged (weight it down if you need to) and let it sit overnight or up to 8 hours.  Drain the soaking solution and then wash in hot water using detergent and more Clorox2®.  Air dry as described above.

Q:  I regularly use ammonia in my laundry, but when the whites won't come clean I use bleach.  Should I be worried about the ammonia and bleach interacting?

A:  Bleach and ammonia should NEVER be mixed since when the two combine, toxic gas is formed that could be fatal.  And it’s not just ammonia or products containing ammonia (like window cleaner) that can be a problem.  Therefore, as a general rule, bleach should not be mixed with other household cleaners such as toilet bowl cleaners, rust removers, and acids (vinegar, for example) since toxic gas can also form.

Washing your whites in hot water using a good detergent + ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach will give you excellent cleaning and whitening—definitely don’t add any ammonia!  For your other loads, you may want to try using Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster along with your regular detergent to give you improved cleaning and brightening.  Then you wouldn’t need to worry about ammonia carrying over into other loads – otherwise you should be running a clean out cycle after washing a load that contains ammonia.  Finally, take a look at how you are storing your ammonia and your bleach, and make they are kept apart so they can't combine together (for instance being knocked to the floor during an earthquake).

Have any readers switched from using ammonia to bleach and seen greater success?

Q:  I have a job where I get dirty. I wear jeans and Dickies® work pants. They get really dirty. I can't get the stains off them with just detergent. And when it comes to bleach, I've only used it on whites. Don't know if I can use it on my work pants. I have grey, tan, dark blue and black work pants not including my blue jeans.

A: Your blue jeans may be able to be safely bleached, with some slight fading over time.  There's a really good chance your Dickies® work pants can be safely bleached, but you will need to check first with a simple bleachability test (check your blue jeans, too).  Add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach to 1/4 cup water and apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the work pants like the inside hem.  Wait 1 minute and then blot dry.  No color change means the pants can be safely bleached.  Assuming they pass, wash them in hot water using detergent + 3/4 cup bleach.  Air drying takes longer, but will preserve the dark blue and black colors, since the heat from the dryer can contribute to fading.

If the pants don't pass the bleach test (or you don't want faded blue jeans), then I would use powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster as a pre-soak.  This works really well to combat heavy soil.  To do this, add a scoop of the powder to 2 gallons of very hot water and stir to dissolve.  Fully submerge the pants for up to 8 hours or overnight.  In the morning, drain the soaking solution, and then wash the pants in hot water with detergent and more Clorox2®.  Again, air dry and check for success.

Something else to consider is whether or not the heavy soil you need to remove includes an oily component. In that case, you might end up with incomplete stain removal, and so adding in a pre-treating step following the pre-soak would be helpful. Apply a little liquid Clorox2® directly to any stains, wait 3-5 minutes, and then wash.  Really dirty clothes do take a lot of work to get clean, but pre-soaking and pre-treating work well to improve results.

Does anyone else have work related stains that are difficult to remove?