Q:  My son's white 100 percent polyester soccer uniform is dirt-stained.  How can I safely bleach it?

A:  I have good news for you: polyester fibers can be safely bleached with Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Chances are the shirt also has a player number and maybe even a name.  If those components are screen prints, then they should also be bleachable.  If they are sewn on, then as long as the shirt’s care label says “100 % polyester” and not “100% polyester exclusive of trim” then the shirt should still be bleachable and you can proceed as follows:

• Start by rinsing away loose soil and ground-in dirt. 


• If the shirt is really dirty, then you could use a bleach soaking solution to really jump start cleaning.  For this, use ¼ cup bleach per gallon of water and fully submerge the shirt for 5 minutes. 


• Drain the soaking solution and then wash the shirt in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent + ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach. 


• If you have localized dirt stains, you could skip the bleach soak and instead pretreat the stains directly using Clorox® Bleach Pen Gel—rub a little of the gel into the stains and then immediately wash the shirt using detergent + ¾ bleach. 

Q:  Will bleach remove sunscreen stains from polyester?

A: I would like to break this question into two:  can you use bleach on polyester, and what's the best way to remove a sunscreen stain.  Polyester fibers can be safely bleached, and usually colored polyester has the colorant applied before the fibers are spun so both colored and white polyester is bleachable. One thing to note:  check the care label to make sure your polyester item does not contain spandex, since this fiber shouldn't be bleached.  In that case, you will need to use Clorox2® plus detergent. 

Regarding the stain, sunscreen has an oily component, and polyester fibers are hydrophobic (meaning water repellant), so they will naturally hold onto the oil.  Breaking up the oily component is the most effective way to remove the stain, and liquid dishwashing detergent is actually one of the best tools to get this process started.  Use it as a pre-treater: apply a little directly to the stain, wait 5 minutes, and then wash in the hottest water recommended on the item's care label using detergent + 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach (to help remove the now less-hydrophobic stain).  Be sure to air dry the item and check for success--a wet or damp garment often hides incomplete removal of an oil based stain, so keeping it out of the dryer is important to avoid heat setting any residual stain.

Q:  How do I get dandelion stains out of a knit top?

A: I don’t have a lot of experience with dandelion stains, so I went out to the front yard and picked a few.  I am assuming you’d like help with stains from the yellow flower petals—they certainly make colorful stains!  Fortunately they are a lot like grass stains, and I found that the following is effective to remove them:

1. Presoak the stained area with a good detergent (that contains enzymes) and warm water for 30 minutes.


2. Rinse away the soaking solution—you’ll still see yellow staining, and now it’s time for bleach.


3. If your stained item is white, then wash in the warmest water recommended on the care label with detergent plus ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.


4. If your stained item is colored, pre-treat the remaining stain directly with liquid Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster.  Wait 3-5 minutes then wash in the warmest water recommended on the care label with detergent plus more Clorox2®.  By pre-treating the stain, you get maximum power from the oxygen bleach in Clorox2®.  Note that because it is a gentler bleach, it’s good to air dry the top and check to make sure all the stain is out. You can repeat this step if any stain remains.

Q: How can I remove sunscreen stains from shirts?

A: For sunscreen stains, it's best to treat the greasy portion first, so don’t apply any water to the shirt.  Instead, blot up any excess with a paper towel or cloth, and try not to rub hard to avoid pushing it further into the fabric.  Next, pre-treat using a good liquid laundry or dishwashing detergent--rub it into the stain and wait 5-10 minutes.

Now, for white items:

1. Wash immediately in hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.


2. Air dry and inspect the item.  If any stain remains, repeat the steps before tumble drying the item.

1. Apply Liquid Clorox 2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, rub it into the stain and wait 3-5 minutes.  Wash in the warmest water recommended using detergent and more Clorox 2®.


2. Air dry and then inspect the item.  If any stain remains, repeat the steps before tumble drying the item.

Q:  We have some Hawaiian Tropic® Sunscreen and it seems to stain all our whites orange when they come in contact with sweat.  Not the whole garment just around the neck or arms or sweat 'zones'.  How do I get these stains out?

A: For sunscreen stains, try pre-treating the stains with either liquid dish soap (like Dawn) or a good liquid detergent to solubilize the oils in the sunscreen—apply, rub in, and wait 3-5 minutes.   After the time is up, wash immediately in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach for white items or detergent and Clorox2® Stain Fighter & Color Booster for colored items.

I hope this is helpful!

Have any readers noticed similar sun screen stains on your clothing?