As you may have noticed on your store shelves, Clorox^® recently introduced Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach, a more concentrated version of its namesake liquid bleach.

You may ask what is different about this product. Concentrated Clorox^® Regular Bleach is the same Clorox bleach product that you have come to know through generations of use, just with less water!  There are multiple benefits and improvements to this new concentration of our classic formula, as well:

Concentrated Clorox^® Regular Bleach is in a smaller bottle that is easier to handle and easier to use in high-efficiency (HE) washing machines.It improves whitening of clothes. It still has the same number of uses per bottle as the product you’re used to, but its smaller size significantly reduces the amount of water and packaging used in each bottle. This change will help reduce the product and The Clorox Company’s environmental footprint.

You can find it on store shelves nationwide with “Now Concentrated” on the label.

Because Concentrated Clorox^® Regular Bleach is more concentrated, the instructions for use are slightly different than you’re accustomed to. Below is an easy reference for common measurements, but as always, please be sure to refer to the label for instructions.

To use Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to whiten and sanitize laundry:

• Add ½ cup of Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to a standard or HE washer following the laundry use directions.
• As with any cleaning or laundry product, it is important to read the product label before use.

To use Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to disinfect hard, nonporous surfaces:

• Wash, wipe of rinse surface with water.
• Add ½ cup of Concentrated Clorox^® Regular Bleach to one gallon of water.
• Apply solution to the surface and let stand 5 minutes before rinsing.
• Rinse thoroughly and air dry.

Click here for more information about Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach.

I noticed when I mix Clorox^® Regular-Bleach with my detergent, the water becomes orange. Why is this? Will Clorox^® Regular-Bleach still sanitize my laundry when this happens?

It depends on whether you see the orange color for just a few seconds, or if it remains for the remainder of the wash cycle. If it’s an orange flash that lasts for a few seconds, then what you are observing is a reaction between the fluorescent whitening agents (also called brighteners) in the detergent with the sodium hypochlorite active in Clorox^® Regular-Bleach. This happens to brighteners suspended in wash water, but it doesn’t happen with brighteners that have already deposited onto the fabric, by the way. Delaying the addition of bleach until 5 minutes after the wash cycle has begun is a great way to allow bleach adequate time to improve cleaning and whitening, as well as time for the brighteners to deposit onto the fabric. That’s why our “for best results” usage instructions recommend delaying the addition of bleach by either using a bleach dispenser with timed addition if your washer has one, or waiting and adding bleach that has been diluted in a quart of water manually.

Another possibility for the color change you observe is the presence of large amounts of metals (like iron and manganese) in your incoming water supply. These can react with the sodium hypochlorite active in bleach to form colored materials, so this could be what’s turning the water orange following the addition of bleach. When there’s a lot of metals present, over time clothing can actually become yellow or dingy from the build-up of the colored complexes on the fabric. If this is an issue for you, you might want to consider installing a water treatment/filtration system to remove impurities.

Regardless of the cause of the orange color, as long as you are using the recommended amount of bleach, you will be sanitizing your laundry. For regular size loads with an average soil level, add ½ cup New Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach. For extra-large or heavily soiled loads, add up to 1 cup. And if you live in the western U.S. and (like me) can’t purchase the new concentrated product yet, then use ¾ cup to 1 ¼ cup of Clorox^® Regular-Bleach depending on the size and soil level of your load.

Can I put Clorox2^® in my LG washing machine bleach dispenser?

The bleach dispenser on your clothes washer should only be used for regular household bleach (i.e. Clorox^® Regular-Bleach). That's because the clothes washer will delay flushing the compartment into the washer until later in the cycle. For best results, Clorox2^® should be added along with the detergent, and the dispenser compartment should be large enough to hold both products. Also, you should use the same form of detergent as you do Clorox2^®, powder + powder or liquid + liquid. For example, you don't want to add a powdered additive with a liquid detergent in the same compartment.

How do I remove colored cake icing?

Frosting usually contains butter or shortening, or some mixture of the two; and so you do NOT want to rinse the stain first before treating it. Instead, start by gently scraping away as much stain as you can (plastic knives work well for this) to minimize the amount of stain you need to actually treat. Next, pretreat with liquid dishwashing detergent—a good liquid laundry detergent will also work well—to solubilize (break down) the concentrated butter/oil. To do his, apply a little directly to the stain and rub in. Wait 3-5 minutes and then rinse in warm water.

Now you can launder the item. For white, bleachable items (always avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex) wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label using your favorite detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach (or ½ cup Concentrated Clorox^® Regular Bleach). For colored items, wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster. Allow the item to air dry and then check for success. This is important because residual oily stains can be hidden on a wet or damp item, and you’ll want to keep it out of a hot dryer to avoid heat setting a stubborn stain that might otherwise come out with a second treatment.

Can I use your Bleach Pen on cross-stitch ivory aida cloth?

I love the bleach pen—it is definitely a product I can't live without! Because it works so well, there's a good chance it will not only remove whatever stain you have on your ivory colored aida cloth, it will also whiten it as well, and then you will end up with a white spot in the middle of the ivory cloth. That's why use of the bleach pen is generally restricted to white, bleachable fabrics, or craft/DIY projects where white spots are desired. Furthermore, some aida cloth is treated with a finish to stiffen it, and the finish may yellow if the treated area isn't washed immediately after applying the gel from the bleach pen. Another consideration is if any of the gel gets onto the embroidery during rinsing and accidentally lightens the colored stitches. If this is your own project and you have some extra aida cloth to practice on, one thing you could try is testing a sample (not your actual cross-stitch) of aida cloth by applying a little of the bleach pen gel, and then immediately pouring a little 3% hydrogen peroxide directly onto the gel to stop any bleaching (this protects the cross stitch pattern). Rinse the treated area thoroughly, and let the fabric air dry. If the ivory aida cloth hasn't lightened where it was treated, then you could try this technique on your cross-stitch, but only after you have confirmed that it's safe to do so.

I am potty training and my children seem to have accidents. It can stink pretty bad and is hard to get the smell out in the laundry. It's not just in the underwear but in the blue jeans or pants they are wearing as well. I don't have an issue bleaching the underwear, but obviously don't want to bleach jeans or colored pants. What can I do to get rid of the smell?

Oh the memories… I noticed from your question that you said you are potty training children, so it sounds like you may have twins—it was a big enough challenge for me training one child at a time! I have some good news for you—more often than not, denim blue jeans can be safely laundered with Clorox^® Regular-Bleach. You can use the bleachability test to check first. Just add 2 teaspoons Clorox^® Regular-Bleach (or if you are using New Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach use 1 ½ teaspoons bleach) to ¼ cup water and apply a drop of that solution to a hidden part of the blue jeans (like inside the pocket facing, or the inside hem). Wait one minute then blot dry—no color change means you can safely bleach the blue jeans! You may also find that if the jeans fade slightly where the drop of test solution was applied, the color change is minimal and something you can live with. You can also use this test to confirm bleachability of the other colored pants—just don’t bother testing leggings or other pants that have spandex in them (check the care label) since spandex will yellow when bleached. Surprisingly, khaki pants are also often bleachable, just be sure to check first because it varies from brand to brand.

For pants that can’t be safely laundered with Clorox Regular-Bleach, unfortunately there isn’t an alternative product that sanitizes any and all colored laundry. To get the pants as clean as possible, first rinse away the solids prior to laundering. Select a hot wash temperature, and be sure to add the recommended amount of a good detergent. Adding Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster along with your detergent will further improve cleaning. Finally, consider washing the pants alone to limit germ transfer to other items in the load. You may also want to try presoaking with Clorox2^®—fill the cap to line 1 and add to 2 gallons hot water. After rinsing away any solids, fully submerge the pants in the soaking solution and let soak for 1 hour. Drain the soaking solution, and then wash in hot water using detergent and Clorox2^®.

Of course you can also limit your kids to wearing only bleachable pants until they are potty trained!

I have a stain on my white shirt. Since it is just one shirt, how can I use Clorox to take out the stain without having to run a load of laundry?

This is a great question--a lot of times when people have a small stain on a white item, they make the mistake of dabbing a little undiluted bleach directly onto the stain--please don't do this! Bleach should always be diluted first before use, otherwise a permanent yellow stain (and eventually a hole) will be left behind where the full-strength bleach was applied to the fabric. To safely use Clorox^® Regular-Bleach to remove the stain on your shirt, try soaking the shirt in a solution of 1/4 cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water (or if you are using new Concentrated Clorox^® Regular-Bleach, 3 tablespoons bleach per gallon of water). Fully submerge the shirt for 5 minutes, and then rinse and air dry.

Something else to consider is what type of stain you are trying to remove. The bleach soak works great for stains like coffee, ball point pen, and red wine, but for an oily food stain, prior to the bleach soak you should pretreat the stain with a little liquid dishwashing detergent. Apply a little to the stain and rub in, wait 5 minutes, and then rinse the stain. This helps break up the oil, making it easier for the bleach to completely remove the stain.

Can using Clorox^® Washing Machine Cleaner affect my septic system?

I have good news for you: Clorox^® Washing Machine Cleaner can be safely used to clean clothes washers that drain into septic systems--septic tank operation is not affected by regular home use of the product. Additionally, when used as directed, Clorox^® Regular-Bleach is safe for use in septic systems. The bleach breaks down rapidly to mostly salt and water.  Please let me know if you have any other questions, and thanks again for writing!

How do I wash out excess dye from denim so that it doesn't rub off on everything?

It’s always a good idea with new denim to wash the item separately for the first few washes since denim tends to bleed into wash water. Even after several washes, always be sure it is only washed along with other dark items in the future. You can get past the major bleeding stage faster by washing and drying the denim 3-4 times before wearing. The hotter the water, the more the dye will come off—using a little detergent will also help. I don’t know if you typically dry your denim in a hot dryer, but if you don’t have to worry about shrinkage, then the heat from the dryer can also help set the dye somewhat. This is all geared toward preventing dye transfer through the wash water—you mentioned that the color is rubbing off. That’s actually called “crocking.” If after washing the item several times your denim continues to be a problem then you would have a good argument for the manufacturer to refund what you paid given that the item probably doesn’t meet industry standards for resistance to crocking. Note that sometimes hang tags for garments include disclaimers that basically remove the manufacturer from any liability—something like “the beauty of this denim is enhanced by the richness of the dye, which may transfer to other items…” You can probably guess my opinion of such disclaimers!

I am a clothes hound college student that is just now learning I need to take better care of these clothes! I ALWAYS separate my colors; whites, mediums, & darks, but I was wondering should I be dividing my mediums? My medium colors consist of anything and everything that isn't navy blue, black, and dark gray. So all of my brights and bold colors with my soft peachy light grays and baby blues are washed together. Is this a bad habit? I want to keep my clothes from fading and looking like the day I bought them.

It sounds like you are the best-dressed student on campus!  Good for you for paying attention to your laundry habits—you are definitely on the right track since you are already sorting into the three main color groupings. For many people, this is enough of a challenge, but for those willing to take the time to further sort what I call the “mixed light colors” load that’s terrific! This load covers a wide range of items, including white items that can’t be bleached (like white camisoles that are a cotton/spandex blend). When these will be part of your mixed colors load, it’s a good idea to limit the other items in the load to pastels and light beige items, and wash the brighter colors in another load if you can. Red items should go into the dark load, although whenever I have enough red items on hand to wash an “only red and pink” load I’ll do just that. The hardest items to sort are the split personality shirts that have a colored body and white sleeves. For these items, initially I’ll wash them by themselves or with a dark load if they are blue or green, and once I’m confident there’s no chance of bleeding I’ll include them in a mixed colors load.

It sounds like your college experience includes housing with easy access to a clothes washer—many students need to spend as little time and money on laundry as they can, so you are lucky!