A Word About StainsThere’s no escaping it:Fresh stains are easier

to remove than old ones.Avoid machine drying

or ironing until you’ve exhausted all stain removal efforts.

Time and heat can set some stains permanently.

Laundry tests show using Clorox®

bleach for stain removal produces the best results.

For washable, non-colorfastclothes substitute powdered or liquid c o l o r- s a f e b l e a c h , like Ultra Clorox 2®.

Don’t forget the prewash soil and stain removers like Clorox®

Oxi Magic™ stain remover, that release stains and help detergents work more e f f e c t i v e l y.

Milk or EggP r o d u c t sRinse well in coolw a t e r. Presoakwith detergent and powdered Ultra Clorox 2® in cool or warm water.Follow package directions for dis-solvingbleach. Launder in cold water withdetergent and Clorox liquid bleach.

Blood Rinse in cool water and pre-treat withClorox Oxi Magic stain remover or UltraClorox 2. Rinse and repeat if necessary.Launder in cool water with Clorox liquidbleach. Be sure to test for colorfastness.If fabric is not colorfast to regular bleachsubstitute Ultra Clorox 2.

Candle Wa xHarden the wax by eitherapplying ice or placing thegarment in the freezer. Scrapeoff as much ofthe frozen waxas possible, thenlaunder with Ultra Clorox 2and detergent in the hottest waterrecommended for the fabric. Repeat thelaundering procedure until all the colorfrom the wax is gone. Do not dry thegarment until the wax color is completelyr e m o v e d .

Baby Fo r m u l aSoak in cool water.Pretreat with StainOut or bar soap and rubg e n t l y. Wash withdetergent and Cloroxliquid bleach, or UltraClorox 2.

Ink- BallpointApply Clorox Oxi Magic stainremover or rubbing alcohol.Rub on detergent and launderwith Clorox liquid bleach and detergentin hottest water recommended for fabric.Repeat if necessary.

Ink- Felt Pe nMay be impossible to remove. ApplyClorox Oxi Magic stain remover and rubo n detergent. Rinse. Repeat as necessary.Launder with Ultra Clorox liquid bleachand detergent in hottest waterrecommended for fabric.

Perspiration, DeodorantsLaunder with Clorox liquid

bleach and detergent inhottest waterrecommended for fabric.If stain has caused colorchange, try to restore byusing ammonia on fresh

stains, vinegar on old stains. Do not useammonia or vinegar with liquid bleach.

Ye l l owing DinginessLaunder garment in the hottest waterrecommended for the fabric with Cloroxliquid bleach and detergent. If thegarment is not colorfast in regular bleachsubstitute Ultra Clorox 2.

Po l l e nVacuum, do not brush, asmuch of the pollen fromthe garment as possible.Pre-treat the area withUltra Clorox 2. Launder normally withUltra Clorox 2 and detergent.

G r a s sApply Clorox Oxi Magic stain remover andrub gently into stain; let sit 5 minutes.Then wash with detergent and Cloroxbleach or Ultra Clorox 2in the hottest watersafe for fabric.

M a ke u pApply prewash stainremover such as CloroxOxi Magic and gently rubinto the stain; let sit for 5minutes. Then wash withdetergent and Clorox liquidbleach or Ultra Clorox 2 in the hottestwater the fabric will tolerate.

Scorching If the damage is severe it may bepermanent. Mild scorching can be treatedto improve the color by brushing thescorched area and pre-treating it withdetergent or Ultra Clorox 2. Then laundernormally in detergent and Ultra Clorox 2.

C o f f e e ,Tea, Wi n e ,Soft DrinksPretreat with liquid Ultra Clorox 2.Launder right away with detergent andClorox liquid bleach in hottest waterrecommended for fabric.

M i l d e wMildew can damage the cellulosicstructure of fibers as well as many man-made fibers. If the fabric shows no signof permanent damage treat the mildew byfirst brushing the area to remove as muchof the organism as possible. Pre-treat thearea by rubbing with Ultra Clorox 2.Launder in the hottest waterrecommended for the fabric plus Cloroxliquid bleach. Test for colorfastness. If thegarment is not safe in chlorinebleach substitute UltraClorox 2.

Grease, Butter,Margarine, Oil,M ayonnaise, Ice Cream, Chocolate,C o s m e t i c sApply Clorox Oxi Magic stain removerstain remover and rub into stain. Launderwith detergent and Clorox liquid bleachin hottest water recommended for fabric.

G r av y, Mustard, Ke t c h u pand Other To m a t o - b a s e dP r o d u c t sPresoak in powderedUltra Clorox 2 anddetergent in warmor hot water.Launder withdetergent and UltraClorox liquid bleach. If oily stainremains, use Clorox Oxi Magic stainremover on stain and launderagain.

C r ay o n sTo remove crayola stains,the Crayola Companyrecommends: Place thestained surface downon a pad of paper towels,spray with WD-40, and let stand for a fewminutes. Turn the fabric over and spraythe other side. Apply liquid dishwashingdetergent and work into the stained area.Replace towels as they absorb the stain.Wash in hot water with a laundrydetergent and bleach for about 12minutes (use “heavy soiled” setting ifthere is no minute timer on yourmachine), and rinse in warm water.

Fr u i t - F l av o r e dD r i n k s , J u i c e sSoak in cool water. Rub barsoap into the stain orpretreat with liquid UltraClorox 2. Wash right away withdetergent and Clorox liquid bleachor Ultra Clorox 2 in hottest waterrecommended for fabric.

Dye That BleedsDye transfer is caused when unstable dyecolors “bleed” from one fabric to another.Their removal is often difficult. Tominimize problem, sort loads by color,and always remove clothes from washeras soon as rinse cycle is complete. Re-launder affected items right away withdetergent and Clorox liquid bleach. Ifcolor remains (on all-white fabrics only)use a packaged color remover or strippersold under the “Rit” label.

Diaper Stains, Vo m i tRinse off soils. Follow presoakinstructions (see sidebar). Launder inhottest water safe for fabric withappropriate bleach, To kill bacteria thatcontribute to diaper rash, add liquidbleach to the wash cycle.

Vitamins, Liquid Pa i nR e l i e v e r sPretreat and let sit for 5 minutes.Launder in hottest water possible, usingappropriate bleach.

M ayonnaise, Mustard,Salad Dressing Pretreat, launder in hottest water safe forfabric, using appropriate bleach.

S o rting ClothesAvoids MostL a u n d ryP r o b l e m sEven in an all-baby-clotheswashload it’s important tosort clothing to preventmore work for you later.Sort loads by:Color Whites and pastels togetherSame-color brightsDark colors togetherMulticolored clothes thathave lots of white and darkcolors are best washedseparately the first time. Ifthe dye does not bleed orrun it can be washed alongwith whites the next time.Fabric Ty p eSeparate delicate orlightweight fabrics from heavy onesLint producers (towels) from lintattractants (corduroy)H e avily SoiledThese clothes need special treatment.Always wash soiled diapers separatelybecause they have very high levels ofb a c t e r i a .

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Washing Ti p sWhen one or more of thefollowing factors is out ofbalance, dull or dingy clothesare often the result.Use the warmest waterrecommended for fabric -Hot water cleans better than cold. Cold water is fine for rinsing.Don’t scrimp on detergent or laundryadditives -Measure, don’t guess. For heavily soiledclothes, more may be needed.Avoid overloading the machine - Also set water level high enough so thatclothes have plenty of room to circulateand rinse properly. You want to make suredirt and detergent go down the drain, notback on the clothes.

D rying Ti p sTo make sure stainsare gone, air-drystained clothes first -Dryer heat can permanently set somestains. If stains remain, treat and washa g a i n .Avoid overloading the dryer -Clothes take longer to dry and wrinklem o r e .Don’t overdry clothes -Overdrying can increase wrinkles andshrinkage. Remove stretch items from thedryer when just barely dry.Air-dry plastic pants, bibs andrubber items -Heat can cause rubber to deteriorate andplastic to harden.Remove clothes as soon as they’re dry -Hang or fold right away to preventwrinkles and time-consuming ironing.

Cleaning melted crayon off thed ryer drumSpray a soft cloth with WD-40 and wipe thedrum. Run a load of dry rags through adrying cycle to ensure that your drum isc l e a n .

Useful SmokeDamage Ti p sThese procedures areuseful in handling smokedamage of textiles:Washable textiles with mildsmoke damage should be hungo u t s i d e, at least 3 inches apart. To allowfor greater air circulation, do not closefasteners such as zippers or buttons.Fresh air, particularly with at least alight breeze and sunlight are naturalpartners in helping to remove smokeodor from clothing. An electric fan canbe used to supplement the air flowthrough the clothes. Clothing should beleft outside four to eight hours, withrepeated airings if smoke odor is stills t r o n g .Wash items in the hottest waterp o s s i b l e safe for the fabric with liquidhousehold bleach (sodium hypochlorite),if not suitable with liquid householdbleach then use a color-safe bleach.Check items for odor. Usually severalwashings are needed to fully removeo d o r. Once odor is eliminated, line dry inthe sunlight. Do not dry in the dryerbecause heat will set any lingering odor.

Note: For severely smoke-damagedtextiles, consult the services of ap rofessional drycleaner that specializesin fire restoration. If damage is severe ,they may not be salvageable.

Adding bleach to youw a s h e rMany washing machines today areequipped with convenient automaticbleach dispensers for household liquidbleach. If a washer is not equipped with aliquid bleach dispenser follow either ofthese two methods:

1. For maximum cleaning results...◆ Add detergent as washer fills,

then add clothes.◆ After machine has agitated for

5 minutes, add household liquidbleach that has been diluted in 1 quart of water. Avoid pouringmixture directly onto clothes.

Note: Always use this method whenusing detergent with bleach pro d u c t s .

2. Convenient and effective...◆ While the machine fills with water,

pour in liquid bleach and detergent.◆ Once agitation begins, add clothes.

Prewash Soil and Stain Removers:◆ These products are formulated to

help get clothes stain free. Theirspecial detergents and enzymespenetrate stains and break themup, helping detergents work moreeffectively to wash stains away.

Fabric Softeners:◆ Fabric Softeners help reduce static

cling, minimize wrinkling andsoften clothes. Rinse-addedsofteners are added to the finalrinse cycle. These can be addedautomatically in washers equippedwith a fabric softener dispenser.Otherwise, diluted softener must beadded manually to the final rinse.Dryer sheets are convenient to usewith one sheet added to the dryeralong with the clothes.

BleachYou can keep washables whiter andbrighter longer when bleach is used inevery washload. Choosing the right bleach is easy:Household liquidb l e a c h , identified bythe words “sodiumhypochlorite” in theingredient listing isthe only bleach thatdisinfects. It is also themost effective bleach for stain removaland whitening. This is the bleach ofchoice for whites and colorfast garments.◆ It pays to do the bleach-safe test

when you think a garment shouldbe bleachable. Clorox laundrystudies confirm that about 52% ofall washables are actually safe withhousehold liquid bleach.

◆ Other laundry studies show howliquid bleach is safe for fabrics,when used as directed. This bleachdoes not wear down fabrics anymore than detergent alone,washload after washload.

C o l o r -Safe Bleach is, quite simply, ableach that is safe to use onwashable, colored clothes.These bleaches, available inpowder and liquids,remove stains and helpkeep colors bright. Thepowdered bleaches alsohave enzymes to breakup tough protein stains,which is why they makean excellent presoak. ◆ A color-safe bleach is not a diluted

bleach. The gentle bleaching actionin liquids is from hydrogenperoxide. Powders commonly usesodium perborate.

◆ These color-safe bleaches also haveoptical brighteners. This ingredientis like an invisible layer on fabrics.It reflects light, making colorsappear brighter and whites whiter.

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Colorfast test for chlorine bleach:S o l u t i o n :

Combine one part Clorox® Ultra Liquid Bleach with five parts water.

P r o c e d u r e :( 1 ) Apply one drop of solution to an

inconspicuous area of the garment and allow it to saturate the fabric. Blot if necessary to ensure penetration.

( 2 ) Let the sample stand for one minute, then rinse and blot dry.

(3) Visually evaluate for color change.

Colorfast test for oxygen bleach:S o l u t i o n :

Undiluted Liquid Ultra Clorox 2.P r o c e d u r e :(1) Place a drop of Ultra Clorox 2 on the

colors to be tested in an inconspicuous area of the garment. Blot if necessary to ensure penetration.

(2) Let the sample stand for one minute. (3) Rinse thoroughly and let the dampened

area dry thoroughly

The Benefits Laundry Additives

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Email you questions to: a s k n a n c y @ Te x t i l e A f f a i r s . c o m

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We will do everything we canto assist you.

Colorfast test for chlorine bleachand oxygen bleach:In all cases, wherever the use ofeither Ultra Clorox® Liquid Bleachor Ultra Clorox® 2 is recommended,be sure to conduct the appropriatecolorfast test before applying thep r o d u c t .