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^®.

Can Clorox be used on white clothing with black embroidery?

Normally I recommend the bleachability test to determine if a colored item can be safely washed with Clorox^® Regular-Bleach: Add 2 teaspoons bleach to ¼ cup water and apply a drop of the solution to a hidden part of the item; wait 1 minute and blot dry; no color change means the item can be safely bleached. With embroidery, it’s a little more complicated since it is virtually impossible to test for bleachability on a “hidden area” without potentially discoloring the embroidery thread if it isn’t bleach-fast. It would help if you knew the fiber content of the embroidery thread—if it’s polyester, there is actually a good chance that it will be bleach-fast, but this information is generally not provided, making it difficult to know for sure without giving it a try. With cotton embroidery thread, whether or not it is bleach-fast depends on what type of dye was used. Assuming you decide bleaching the item is important enough to take the chance that the embroidery may fade slightly or discolor, I would follow our “for best results” instructions, delaying the addition of the bleach as follows: Dilute ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach in 1 quart water and add to the washer 5 minutes after the cycle has begun agitating.

If you decide against bleaching the entire item, you may want to try applying Clorox^® Bleach Pen Gel to any specific stains you are trying to remove. Just be sure to wash the item immediately after pretreating. Or, you could try an overnight pre-soak with powdered Clorox2^® Stain Fighter and Color Booster. Dissolve 1 scoop or 1 pack in 2 gallons water and fully submerge the item for up to 8 hours. Drain the soaking solution then wash the item in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent + more Clorox2^®. This approach is particularly good for white items that include spandex and therefore can’t be washed with Clorox^® Regular-Bleach or Clorox^® Bleach Pen Gel.

Is it sanitary to wash white towels and dish cloths and underwear?

Whether or not you combine all your white bleachable items with your underwear into one load or separate a few items to wash depends on the condition of the underwear. If there are any fecal solids present then I would consider washing those items separately from kitchen towels and cloth napkins. Otherwise it's perfectly reasonable to combine all your white items into one load. That said here are some other considerations to make sure you are properly disinfecting your laundry:

1. Use 3/4 cup of bleach for a regular size load with an average soil level, and 1 ¼ cup for an extra-large or heavily soiled load.  Using less than the recommended amount will not provide the correct amount of bleach active to disinfect the load.

2.  Don't overload the washer with too much laundry. Items need to circulate or tumble freely through the wash water for optimum cleaning.

3.  Don't overload the washer with items that have excess stain remnants still on the fabric. In that case it's important to increase the amount of bleach to 1 1/4 cup or wash two smaller loads if you must use a bleach dispenser to add bleach to your washer and it limits the amount of bleach you can add.

How do you remove tea stain from light blue jeans?

Since your tea stain is on denim, you can treat it by applying Liquid Clorox^® 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster into stain and rub it in. Wait for 5-10 minutes, then wash immediately in the hottest water recommended using detergent and Clorox^® 2 Stain Fighter & Color Booster. Allow to air dry and check to make sure the stain is completely removed. It's important to keep a stained item out of a hot dryer to avoid heat setting any residual stain. That way if any stain remains, you can repeat the treatment as needed.

How do you remove pine sap from a cotton t-shirt?

Tree sap is a very challenging stain to get out. Try treating the stain directly with DeSolvIt^® or Goo Gone^®, which you can find at hardware stores. You should first test for colorfastness (apply a drop to a hidden part of the garments, rinse, and blot dry) if you want to be sure the product is safe for the fabric. If there is no color change, rub a little into the sap and then wash with detergent in the hottest water allowed (check the care label). Allow to air dry and then check for success. You may need to repeat the treatment to remove the stain fully, so it's very important to keep the item out of a hot dryer to avoid heat-setting any residual stain that would otherwise come out with a second treatment. You can also increase the length of time you pre-treat the stains before washing—just don’t let the product dry on the fabric.

How do I remove grass stains from a white dress shirt?

A little more information on the type of dress shirt and fiber types would have been helpful. First, check the care label and eliminate any items that include wool, silk, mohair, spandex, and leather. For all other types of fabrics, begin by presoaking the item in cool water using a good liquid laundry detergent that contains enzymes—check the ingredient list to be sure. Allow the shirt to soak for at least 30 minutes to help break up the stain. Then, since your shirt is white, apply Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel directly to the stain. Use the soft scrubber tip to gently rub a little gel into the stain, and the wash immediately in warm water with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach. Air dry the shirt, and check for success. If any stain remains, you can always repeat the treatment, and your chances of eventual success go way up if you keep the item out of a hot dryer (and prevent the stain from being heat-set). Hopefully this is helpful, and thanks for writing.

Does Clorox work in cold water?

Yes, Clorox® Regular-Bleach is effective in all different temperatures of wash water, including cold. Reducing wash temperature is a great way to save energy and important for protecting our planet, but it’s important to note that there is also a performance trade off. Lower wash temperatures aren’t as effective at cleaning as higher wash temperatures, and adding bleach along with your regular detergent is a great way to improve cleaning and whitening when washing in cold water. Adjusting load sizes, pre-dissolving detergent, pre-treating stains, and even spiking cold water with a little hot are all techniques to get better cold water results and save energy. Also, it is particularly important when washing in cold water to not under-use bleach or other laundry products. Doing so will make it even more challenging to get good results than it already is just from the drop in performance that comes with lower wash temperatures.

How can I remove a yellow color on white handkerchief?

I wish I knew more about your wash habits--since your white handkerchiefs have yellowed over time that could indicate a long term cleaning issue.  Here are some factors that affect cleaning and whitening that you may be able to change and see better results.

1. Detergent choice— Make sure you are using a good detergent that contains brighteners and enzymes in addition to surfactants and builders.  Review the ingredient list—better detergents often list the purpose of the ingredients, too. 

2. Use the correct amount of detergent— Under using detergent will result in poor performance, especially if you wash heavily soiled items or extra-large loads, or if you have hard water. That’s when you actually need to add extra!

3. Choose a “hot” wash temperature— The higher the wash temperature, the better the cleaning.

4. Don’t overload the washer—Clothes need to circulate/tumble freely through the wash water for optimum cleaning.

5. Use the correct amount of bleach— ¾ cup for a regular load, and 1 ¼ cup for an extra-large or heavily soiled load.  Perhaps your clothes washer has a bleach dispenser that limits the amount of bleach you can add to 1/3 cup.  In that case, you can experiment with smaller loads, and fill the dispenser to the “max fill” line.

It’s also important to note that there are also a few situations where using Clorox® Regular-Bleach can cause whites to yellow:

--Fabric not safe for bleach—You should never bleach garments made with wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex—they are damaged by exposure to bleach, which can include yellowing as well as fiber deterioration. I doubt your handkerchiefs include any of these, but it's still good to note.

--The fabric finish yellows—Sometimes a finish applied to the fabric/garment will react with bleach and turn yellow.  Hopefully these are garments labeled "non-chlorine bleach only".

--Concentrated bleach exposure—If cotton is exposed to undiluted or extremely concentrated bleach solutions, it can yellow.

--Poor water quality—When the household water supply contains large amounts of metals (like iron and manganese), they react with the sodium hypochlorite active in bleach to form colored materials that can deposit onto clothes.  The best way to handle this problem is to install a water treatment/filtration system to remove the impurities.

Since your handkerchiefs have yellowed over time, there’s a good chance you can whiten them up again (as long as the yellowing wasn’t caused by metals or concentrated bleach exposure).  Here are some techniques you could try:

1. Soak the handkerchiefs in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach per gallon of water.  Fully submerge them for 5 minutes, then rinse the soaking solution and finish up by machine washing in hot water using detergent + ¾ cup bleach (or fill the dispenser to the max-fill line).  This is ideal for dingy yellow build-up from poor cleaning over time.

2. Try an overnight pre-soak with powdered Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster. Add 1 scoop Clorox2® to 2 gallons hot water, and stir to be sure the product dissolves.  Fully submerge the handkerchiefs for 8 hours or overnight.  Rinse the soaking solution, and then wash in hot water using detergent and additional Clorox2®.  This is ideal for white items that contain a small amount of spandex, which should never be washed with Clorox® Regular-Bleach.

You should be able to restore items that picked up color with a bleach soaking solution as long as an item is safely bleachable.  First, check the care labels - Don’t use the soaking solution on items that contain wool, silk, mohair, spandex, and leather - These should never be bleached.  Next, you didn’t say if the items that picked up color are white or another color (or combination of colors, so you may need to check for colorfastness to bleach with this simple bleachability test:  dilute 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach in ¼ cup water; apply a drop of this solution to a hidden part of the each item (like a hem, cuff, collar, or inside seam); wait 1 minute then blot dry; no color change means the item can be safely bleached.  Now for the bleach soak:  fully submerge the item in a solution of ¼ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach diluted in 1 gallon cool water for up to 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.  Air dry the item, and check for success (it’s important to keep the item out of the dryer so the heat doesn’t set any remaining dye).  Hopefully the fugitive color will be gone, but if it is lighter, then repeat the bleach soak again.  However, if the bleach soak leaves the dye transfer color unchanged, you may need to try RIT Color Remover, which can usually be found at drug and hardware stores.  A dilute RIT solution works best to limit the stripping-off of the original color of an item in addition to the fugitive dye, so be careful.  Good luck, and let me know how it turns out.

Q. What will remove cooking oil from a t-shirt?

A. I would start by pretreating the stain with something to help solubilize the cooking oil, breaking it up to make it easier to remove.  Try liquid Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster or liquid dishwashing detergent.  Apply a little and rub it into the stain, and wait 10 minutes (but don't let it sit too long or dry out on the fabric).  How you proceed next depends on the item.  Here are some options for different color types and fabric:

If the t-shirt is white and bleachable (avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex) then wash it in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Air dry and check for success – hopefully the stain will be gone. If a little remains you can repeat the treatment with a decent chance of eventual success; if the t-shirt has been kept out of a hot dryer.

If the t-shirt is colored, then wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and more Clorox2®.  Again, be sure to air dry the shirt and then check for success, and repeat the treatment if necessary.