How do you get sticky candy out of clothes?

Happy Halloween! This is the one downside to trick-or-treating – plenty of sticky candy laundry. You didn’t say what type of sticky candy, but I’m guessing it is chewing gum. For that, you can use ice cubes to freeze the gum and then gently scrape away the hardened chunks. Just put the ice directly onto the gum—the ice will melt as you hold it on the gum so plan on using multiple ice cubes—enough to harden the gum. If you can’t scrape all of it away, then pretreat what is left with a little DeSolvIt or Goo Gone, which you can find at hardware stores. You should first test these solvents for colorfastness (apply a drop to a hidden part of the garment, rinse, and blot dry) to be sure the products are safe for the fabric. If there is no color change, spray or rub a little onto the gum and then wash with detergent in the hottest water allowed (check the care label). Allow to air dry and then check for success.  You can also use ice to jumpstart removal of other sticky candies such as tootsie rolls, lollipops, and salt water taffy.  Any remaining stain can be pretreated with liquid Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster before washing in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and more Clorox2^®.  Hopefully this is helpful—please let me know if you have any other questions, and thank you for writing!

This summer, mildew built up all over my sidewalk. How can I use Clorox to remove it?

What a great project to tackle at the end of summer mildew buildup! For mildew removal on concrete (such as a patio), use a dilution of 1 cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water.  Here’s how to proceed:

1. 1. Protect nearby plants and grass by watering area thoroughly before and after product use.


2. 2. Hose patio to remove loose debris.


3. 3. Apply the solution as needed to keep the area wet for 5 minutes. Brush as needed to remove stains.


4. 4. Rinse thoroughly and avoid excessive runoff near plants.

Good luck with your clean up!

On Monday, I gave some tips on how to store your summer apparel to ensure they are ready to wear next Memorial Day. Today, I wanted to provide some extra tips on how to best whiten a pair of white pants or denim. After three months of use, this popular style may have started to look a bit less crisp than at the start of summer. With some quick care tips, you can change this so they are ready for next year!

First, one final wash before storage is always a good idea—be sure to pretreat any stains before washing so you don’t have surprises next spring! Start by checking the label to see if an item includes any spandex. 100% cotton items and polyester-cotton blends can be pretreated with Clorox^® Bleach Pen Gel—rub a little of the gel into the stain with the soft scrubber tip and then wash the item immediately in hot water using detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach. For white cotton and polyester-cotton blend items that also include spandex, you can pretreat stains with Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster:  apply a little directly to the stain and rub in. Wait 5-10 minutes (set a timer—never leave full strength Clorox2^® on fabric for longer than the recommended time, and never let it dry out on fabric!) and then wash in hot water using detergent and additional Clorox2^®. Air dry any items that had stains that you pretreated. Now you are ready to pack them away!

With summer coming to a close, not only is it time to put away your summer whites, it’s also back to school season! During the next few weeks, we will feature some tips on how to best prepare for the end of summer and some of those pesky back-to-school stains. If you have any school stains you would like to see covered, be sure to leave a comment or submit the stain in the “Ask Dr. Laundry” box.

To start, I wanted to feature some tips on the best ways to store summer apparel to ensure items are fresh and ready-to-wear for the next spring/summer season!

• Be sure items are thoroughly dry when you pack them away. This is critical because any moisture trapped in clothing can allow mildew to develop during storage. Be diligent and check parts of garments that take longer to dry, like the inside hood of a sweatshirt.


• Ideally, hang items for storage in garment bags. This will protect them from collecting dust, and limit wrinkles.


• If you will be using storage bins, choose containers with tight fitting lids to keep dust out. Pack items loosely to reduce the need to steam away wrinkles next summer.


• Generally, cotton and linen fabrics (as well as silk and synthetics) are naturally resistant to moths.  You can still add a few cedar drawer liners to your garment bag or storage bin to add a nice scent to your stored clothes.

What do you do before putting away your summer clothes?

What is the best way to remove stains from a colored football jersey?

It is almost football season and this is a very common problem thanks to two-a-days and preseason games! Treatment really depends on the fiber composition. Dyed cottons are much more prone to bleeding/dye transfer and should always be washed separately according to the garment’s care label (usually in cool water). This makes it much more difficult to get really clean, however. So, scanning items for stains/spots and pretreating before washing is a must for any colored item. For colored synthetics (polyester/nylon), you usually have more flexibility as the dyes are more "permanent" and can take more aggressive treatment and washing. Use the warmest wash recommended on the care label (the hotter the water the better the cleaning/stain removal), the recommended amount of detergent and consider adding the appropriate bleach. A lot of these items can be bleached. To find out which items can safely be bleached, I recommend consumers do the quick Bleachability Test (2 tsp Clorox^® Regular-Bleach in 1/4 cup water; apply a drop on a hidden colored 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. Any color change could also show you the amount of change in color that likely will occur if you proceed with the liquid bleach usage. If you can't bleach the items, wash in the hottest water recommended on the care labels using detergent and an oxygen bleach like our Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster, or even a short 1/2 hour presoak in the oxygen bleach before the wash. Check for success before drying. It might require multiple treatments to get the desired result.

How can I remove a sunscreen stain from red and navy cotton t-shirts that remained after washing?

During summer, this is a very common stain! I suspect the oily part of the sunblock formula is what remains on your shirts, and you should be able to get this out as long as the shirts have been kept out of the dryer. Try applying a little liquid dishwashing detergent directly to the stains, and gently rub it in. Wait 5 – 10 minutes (but don’t let it dry on the fabric!) and then wash the shirts in hot water and a good detergent. Air dry the shirts and check for success—this is important to not heat-set stubborn oily stains that would come out all the way with an additional treatment. Also, air drying will help preserve the color of your dark t-shirts.

How can you remove a red Popsicle stain out of a swimsuit?

With sweltering heat all over the country right now, it is hard to resist a popsicle! Red stains can be particularly difficult to remove, but I would try the following:

1. Apply liquid Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster directly to the stain, and rub it in.


2. Wait 3 - 5 minutes -- don't let it dry on the fabric!


3. Wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent + more Clorox2^®.

You could also try a Clorox2^® pre-soak (if there are two pieces soak them together) using a capful of Clorox2^® added to 2 gallons of warm water. Allow the item to soak for 30 minutes, then wash as directed above.

What is the best was to restore a dingy, white bathing suit to its original pure white color?

It can be very difficult to keep an item white that picks up body soil and sunscreen that may also have a “hand wash in cold water” care label.  If the swimsuit contains any spandex, then using a sodium hypochlorite based bleach like Clorox^® Regular-Bleach is out of the question.

To improve the appearance of your swimsuit, you can try an overnight presoak using powdered Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster.  Dissolve 1 scoop powder in 2 gallons of very hot water, fully submerge the suit in the soaking solution, and let it soak overnight.  Use a dishwasher safe dinner plate to weigh it down if necessary so the suit is all way into the soaking solution.  Let it soak for up to 8 hours or overnight, then pour off the soaking solution and wash the swimsuit in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and more Clorox2^®.

How do I remove mustard stain?

First, blot away any excess and rinse the stain with a little cool water, reducing the amount of stain you have to work on.  Next it’s important to pretreat the stain—what you use depends on the color and fiber content of the item.

For white bleachable items (always avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex) rub the stain gently with Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel just before laundering.  After pretreating, wash immediately in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Air dry the item (it’s important to keep it out of a hot dryer to avoid heat setting any residual stain) and check for success.  If any stain remains, repeat the treatment.

For colored items (and white items labeled “color safe bleach when needed”), apply Clorox 2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster. Rub it into the stain and wait 3-5 minutes.  Wash immediately in the warmest water recommended on the care label using detergent and Clorox 2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster.  Air dry the item and check for success—again, it’s good to keep the item out of a hot dryer so can repeat the treatment if the stain is stubborn.

How do I remove massage oil from sheets and towels?

Oily stains benefit from more concentrated cleaning solutions.  Larger items like sheets and towels that have the stains spread over them can be presoaked for more complete stain removal.  To do this, use powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster. Fill the scoop to line 3 and add to 2 gallons of very hot water (or the hottest water recommended on the care label) and stir to dissolve.  Fully submerge the sheets and towels (remember to sort whites and colors, and soak them separately) 30 minutes for colored items or up to 8 hours for white items.  When the presoak time is complete, drain the soaking solution and then wash the items as follows depending on the color:

--For white sheets and towels, use detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach in the hottest water recommended on the care label.

--For colored sheets and towels, use detergent and more Clorox2® in the hottest water recommended on the care label.

Air dry the items and check for success—it may be that if the care label recommended cold or warm water, you may not have achieved complete removal, but you can rewash the items in hot water and get much better results as long as residual oil has not been heat-set in a hot dryer. Or if you went with a shorter presoak time, you could try soaking for the full 8 hours. Something else to consider is your detergent choice--powdered detergents generally clean better than liquids so that can help, and you want to be sure to use the recommended amount.  Using too little detergent also can hurt cleaning performance.  I also want to mention the importance of using hot water again—sheets and towels generally can (and should) be washed with hot water for maximum cleaning.  When you consider the amount of body soil these items pick up, it’s really critical to get them as clean as possible.

Since you didn’t say how large the stained area is, I also want to address what to do if the massage oil is localized—that is you have a small spill in one area.  You can definitely pretreat the stain directly with a little liquid Clorox2® or liquid laundry detergent.  Apply a little product directly to the stain and rub in, wait 5-10 minutes (but don’t let the product dry out on the fabric), and then wash the towels as described above.

Finally, I have one last suggestion.  If your sheets and towels are colored, check to see if you can safely bleach them with Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  To do this, add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach to ¼ cup water and apply a small drop to a hidden part of the item.  Wait one minute then blot dry—no color change means the item can be safely bleached.  In that case, you would either presoak or pretreat the sheets/towels as described above, and then wash with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.