Q:  How do I remove color bleeding during laundering?

A: Most garments that are new bleed a little, but usually they stop after a few cycles, so washing newer items alone or only with like colors is an effective strategy for limiting dye transfer.  To restore items that have picked up fugitive color during the wash cycle, you can often do this with a bleach soaking solution as long as the items are safely bleachable.  First, check the care labels and don’t use the soaking solution if the item contains wool, silk, mohair, spandex, and leather--these should never be bleached.  Also, depending on whether your items are white, another color or a combination of colors, you may need to check for colorfastness to bleach with a 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.

For items that are not on the “avoid bleaching” list and pass the bleachablility test, try a 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, then 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 stripping off the original color of an item in addition to the fugitive dye, so be careful.

Q:  I just found an old dried in stain from my puppy on my comforter.  How can I get this stain out without having to throw away the comforter?

A:  Congratulations on the new member of your family, dogs are a wonderful addition!  If the comforter is white and made with synthetic fill, simply wash it in hot water using detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  If it’s colored, you still may be able to bleach it depending on what dye was used.  You can check for colorfastness with a quick bleachability test.  To do this, add 2 teaspoons bleach to ¼ cup water and apply a drop of the solution to a hidden part of the comforter (be sure to test all colors).  Wait 1 minute, then blot dry.  No color change means the item can be safely bleached, and you can wash it as described above. 

However, if the comforter is down-filled, or the fabric does not pass the bleachability test, then you can wash the comforter with Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster.  Begin by pretreating the stain with a little liquid Clorox2® - apply it directly to the stain and rub in, allow it to sit for 5 minutes and then wash in hot water using detergent and more Clorox2®.  Air dry and check for success—repeat the treatment if necessary.  Air drying is good if you can—the cover should dry faster than the fill so just let it air dry long enough to make sure the stain is out, and then finish drying the comforter in a hot dryer (this is important to avoid the comforter mildewing). 

Another great tip is to include some clean tennis balls when transferring the comforter into the dryer.  This helps bounce the loft back into the comforter!  You may also want to consider taking the comforter to a launder mat for drying if your dryer is small and won’t allow it to fluff all the way out. 

Does anyone else have puppy or kitten stain that need to be removed?

Q:  I was painting & got green paint on my white north face jacket. I used bleach (plenty of it) & the stain is still there. 

A:  The problem you have is similar to cleaning dried latex paint off a brush with synthetic (nylong or polyester) bristles.  With brushes, you can easily soak them in a solvent for an extended period of time; unfortunately, you cannot safely adapt this technique to clean your jacket.  The solvents used by painters for this purpose are flammable, and fabrics (i.e. rags) that are used for applying or wiping up paint solvents should NEVER go into a clothes washer or dryer due to the risk of spontaneous combustion.  Appliance manufacturers include warnings to this effect in the user’s guide and on the machines themselves because this is such a big safety issue.

However, I did find one website that mentions a method for using a liquid fabric softener + water solution for cleaning paintbrushes, and you can read about it here:  http://nwrenovation.com/painting-articles/paint-brushes-101/ .  Scroll down to the section on cleaning brushes, and hopefully this will work for you.

Paint stains can certainly be pesky!  Do any of my readers have any tricks or tips for removing paint from clothing?

Q:  I have a beach towel and no matter how many time I wash it, the first time I get it wet, it stinks like mildew.   How can I get rid of the smell?

A:  Smelly towels usually indicate that there is soil build-up inside the inner workings of your clothes washer that harbors odor-causing bacteria.  The odors transfer from the washer to your laundry, and it is particularly noticeable on towels once they get wet.  Here are some tips that should help with the problem:

1. Clean out your washer.  Run an empty washer through a clean-out cycle with hot water and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach (or fill dispenser to the “max fill” line).  Select the extra rinse option if your machine offers this; otherwise run an extra rinse cycle when the first cycle is complete.  Depending on how bad the build-up is, it might take running several clean-out cycles with bleach to fully clean the washer.  To keep the problem from coming back, run a clean out cycle with bleach once a month.  Washing at least one white load with bleach per week will also help.


2. Check your towels for bleach colorfastness.  Some colored towels can be safely bleached.  To find out if yours can, perform a quick bleachability test:  add 2 teaspoons Clorox® Regular-Bleach to ¼ cup water; apply a small drop to a hidden part of the towel, such as under the care label; wait 1 minute then rinse and blot dry; no color change means you can safely bleach the towel.  If your towels pass, wash them with detergent and 3/4 cup bleach (or fill the dispenser to the max fill line), and that should eliminate the odor causing bacteria on the towels.  You can also just add them to your white load along with your other bleachables.  Doing this on a regular basis will help keep the odor under control.


3. Always wash towels in hot water.  The hotter the water, the better the cleaning.  This is especially important for towels that can’t be bleached!


4. Dry towels immediately.  Any item that sits around damp is providing the optimum environment for mildew growth.  Transfer your towels to the dryer immediately following the wash cycle.  Be sure to select enough drying time so that towels dry completely, too.

This makes me realize that summer is just around the corner!  What stains or problems plague your summer items after storing them throughout the winter?

Q:  I accidentally brushed up against the grill.  The stain appears to be a mix of grease and ash; it is very black and greasy.  Help!

A:  I would start by pretreating the stain with some liquid dishwashing detergent – this will help solubilize the grease, breaking it up for easier removal.  A good liquid laundry detergent will also work well.  Apply a little detergent, rub it into the stain, wait 10 minutes and then rinse the stain in warm water.  How you proceed next depends on the item.

If the item is white and bleachable (avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex) then apply Clorox® Bleach Pen® Gel directly to the remaining stain and rub in.  Wash the item immediately in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and 3/4 cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach.  Air dry the item and check for success. Hopefully the stain will be gone, but if a little remains you can repeat the treatment with a decent chance of eventual success, if the item is kept out of a hot dryer.

If the item is colored, then pretreat the remaining stain with liquid Clorox2® Stain Fighter and Color Booster.  Apply a little to the stain, rub in, and wait 5-10 minutes (but don't let it dry on the fabric) and then wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label using detergent and more Clorox2®.  Again, be sure to air dry the item, check for success and repeat the treatment if necessary.

With the warmer weather, does anyone else have some outdoor spring stains?

Q:  How do I remove colored cake icing?

A:  With all those spring babies, I have a feeling this stain will become more and more popular in the months ahead!  And here’s how to tackle it…

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.  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. 

Are there any other birthday related stains that plague people’s laundry?  I’d love to hear about them!