Q: I used Clorox Bleach on some new white men's briefs. They turned yellow. I have never had this to happen before. Do you know what may have caused this?

A: It would have been helpful if you indicated how the bleach was used to narrow down the possibilities for you, and whether the yellowing was spotted or more uniform Here's my best guesses.

First, I NEVER recommend using Clorox® Regular-Bleach full-strength on any item or surface. Hopefully you did not do this treating a specific area/stain. It should always be diluted because it is so strong. If unrinsed, it can actually cause little holes in the garment. That can happen if there is accidental liquid bleach spillage and someone brushes against the washer.

If you touched up a stained area, you could have destroyed the fabric whiteners in that area, which would be seen as a yellow spot. Not much you can do for this problem, but repeated washing may lessen the yellow appearance.

The most likely culprit is poor water quality with metals (iron or manganese) in the water or pipes. Summer is notorious for sudden changes in water quality and is more pronounced in rural or well water areas. These react with the sodium hypochlorite active in Clorox bleach, forming more colored materials that deposit on the clothes. After drying, the clothes are essentially dyed with the colored material. If all the items have a uniform discoloration, then this is the most likely cause.

Also, I assume this product did NOT have polyacrylate to help complex the metals. You may need to start using separate products to treat the wash water supply – here, we use IronOut – as sometimes the hot water heater can also have build-up. For the clothes, a separate product can be used to strip the discoloration away.

Q: My sailboat sails are made of Dacron, white in color. I have seen small black specks in certain areas, which I believe to be mildew stains. Could you please tell me how best to remove the black specks and also let me know is Dacron is susceptible to fabric damage from the use of mildew cleaners? Thank you. E.M. Raasch

A: Short answer here is that Dacron™ is a trademark name for polyester. This material is widely used in such things as tires, fire hoses and curtains as well as clothing. It is also widely used in boating for sails, ropes and even combined with fiberglass for the hulls.
One of the reasons this material is used is it can be easily cleaned and bleach is not a problem here.

For the mildew stains I would try:

• Brush the area with a stiff brush to remove as much as possible.


• If the sail has been removed, you can place affected area in a solution of 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach/ gallon of cool water to soak for 5 to 15 minutes. Wash/scrub the area thoroughly and rinse with fresh water. Repeat if necessary. I probably would wear some rubber gloves if prolong contact with the cleaning solution is required.


• Another approach if the sails are not removed, would be to wash/scrub the stains with hot, sudsy water and some Clorox® Regular-Bleach added; then rinse and dry. Repeat if necessary. Again, I probably would wear some rubber gloves if prolong contact with the cleaning solution is required.

Q: I have 26 - 85% polyester, 15% spandex little league football pants that are 75% white and 25% dark blue, and full of dirt, grime and grass stains. I put liquid Clorox 2 on the stains and let them sit a little too long, and the white went yellow. How do I get them back to white? Please help! I’m a coach in trouble with kids and parent organization.

A: The yellow is from allowing the Liquid Clorox 2 to dry out on the fabric. Unfortunately, once this occurs, the Clorox 2 brightening agent has become affixed to the garment and is slowly removed with repeated washing. You might try re-applying the Clorox 2 and then re-washing within 3-5 minutes in the warmest water recommended for the garment. It might re-solubilize some of the brightener, but doubtful for all of the brightener. It’s possible this will make it less obvious and usable while repeated washing will help slowly remove the problem over time.

I received this inquiry recently from Robert, who has been dealing with a tough stain!

Q: Can a small amount of Lestoil be added directly to a load of greasy restaurant clothing? I know it is used directly on a stain for pre-washing, but can I add a bit to the wash load when all clothing in the load is greasy? Thanks!

A: The simple answer is yes. You can add Lestoil to washer, but for greasy clothes, it is best to apply products full-strength to the grease. That way it can start dissolving it before it gets into the wash water. Grease and oil don't mix well together. So adding Lestoil or other grease cutters to wash simply dilutes them and then they must seek out the greasy stains in the wash water. Both very inefficient practices. Hope this helps!

Q: Help! I have tried, in vain, to remove sweat stains that have yellowed my beautiful white sheets. Do you have any recommendations or should I just buy yellow sheets?

A: The yellowing is most likely from body soil that has not been totally removed and is building up over time. Check out the posts I did earlier on body soil including some real close-ups of what the stuff looks like. The best solution is each time the sheets are washed:

• Wash in the hottest water


• Use a good detergent and ¾ cup of Clorox Regular-Bleach

On old, set-in stains, you might try a bleach soak (¼ cup per gallon of Clorox Regular-Bleach for 5-10 minutes) followed by a hot wash using detergent and Clorox Regular-Bleach. Not sure if this will remove it all, but repeating this process 2-3 times may get you back on track. If not, your yellow sheet idea is a good one if the rest of the family can be OK with the color. If you get new sheets, remember to follow the washing instructions above to avoid the stain problem in the future. Good luck and let me know if this works for you.

Fresh off Memorial Day and the unofficial kick off of summer, it’s only a matter of time before outdoor activities leave their mark on clothing. Getting in the spirit of summer white season, we did a recent survey to understand more about laundry habits—what's your laundry IQ?

And we did it just in time, as a whopping 65 percent of respondents said they wear more white clothing during the summer months! I hope I can help you lessen the time you spend scrubbing stains in the laundry room so you can get out and enjoy the sunshine.

Thirty-five percent of respondents with children in the household said they are more likely to avoid wearing white for fear of nasty stains.

If you have a tough stain that even your best attempt won’t clean, post your laundry dilemma here and I’ll be happy to assist you with salvaging your favorite summer outfit.

As white pants and white dresses come out of storage this month, don’t forget to wash them first! More than half of survey respondents said they don’t wash their summer clothes again before they wear them, even though they’ve been tucked away in a drawer or closet all year! Washing your warm-weather clothes first will freshen the outfit and your look to kick off the summer season with style.

Since we’re all getting back from Memorial Day weekend, I’d like to take a moment to recognize this special holiday. Memorial Day is a time to pause and reflect on those who have paid the ultimate price in the service of our great country. Unfortunately, too many Americans view it as the first long weekend of summer. This view continues to be propagated as we sanitize our history for political correctness and rob our youth of the awareness of the price paid by others so they can enjoy the current lifestyle. I have heard it repeatedly said that the current generations do not understand, empathize or support the men and women who our armed forces. It is such a shame that these warriors are shunned, neglected and faceless by the majority of Americans.

Regardless of your feelings about the current conflict, these are sons and daughters of parents or husbands and wives of your fellow countrymen who signed on to do a job which many probably don’t have the guts to do. They underwent rigorous training and accepted their assignments without complaint because they felt it was important to serve and protect our way of life. Some return “whole” while others suffer mental illness or serious injury or loss of limbs and organs. Quite a price!!

So please pause and thank them in your own way and support the efforts to aid them when they return home. Without them, you would NOT have the freedoms or opportunities that you enjoy today and expect to enjoy in the future.

The days are getting longer; the temperature is rising, cherries are ready to pick and I find myself spending more time gazing out the window at work. It must mean summer is just around the corner.

Summertime and the staining is way to EASY!!!

Summertime means a whole new set of stains to get ready to deal with. I am very familiar with the left behinds of summer fun: burger grease slicks, barbeque sauce and ketchup drips and iced tea spills on everyone’s clothes. I recently completed worked on my stain hotline and updated it with a variety of summer stains.

My summer stain removal tips include the usual suspects of summer stains—juices, ice cream, mud, dirt and sunscreen, in addition to others. With my tips, hopefully it will be easy to keep the summertime fun (and clean) for everyone!

Check it out at 1-877-STAIN-411 (1-877-782-4641) for solutions to your summertime stains—or feel free to post your questions or comments here!

I’ll address individual stain solutions in posts in the near future!