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Use for stain removal in clothing
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Does anyone have experience using ClO2 as a stain remover? I was particularly thinking of removing stubborn stains from whites. Would this use 3000 ppm solution added to laundry like bleach, soaking as a pre-treatment, or spraying a solution directly on the stain?

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I would never use it at 3000 ppm. I’ve mixed a quart at about 300 ppm in solution and added to my machine while filling. But, it will bleach colored cottons.

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Hi there!

You can add tablets to your wash load directly to brighten whites and for washing non-organic fabrics at 60 PPM and below, but a reminder that Safrax will discolor organic fabrics such as cotton.
This post has information both on calculating the water capacity of your washer towards the bottom of the post: https://www.facebook.com/safrax.chlorine.dioxide/posts/pfbid0v35HjcCmotc2jwYngW5tKDg6coznQRfuqNbZRV9PQHrAjTPFyEsDH1T7RByXDXgBl
If your soap receptacle is metal, do not add tablets directly, but rather dissolve the appropriate number of tablets in a cup or two of water first. Same goes if you are adding directly to the drum.

I ran some tests on an old white cotton shirt that had rust stains, starting at 100 PPM and gradually working up to 3000 PPM. The stains were not removed at any concentration, but it also did not cause any discoloration with spot treatment. It is worth noting that higher concentrations may damage the integrity of the fibers.

I proceeded to run a soaking test with the same shirt. I soaked at 100 PPM for 12 hours, and while the rust stains were not removed, the shirt, overall looked brighter and cleaner after hanging outside to dry. The shirt appeared ‘slightly’ yellow upon removal from the solution, but this color disappeared as it dried in the sun. Some old stains around the collar line and armpits were much improved, although not completely removed.

I then ran another test, soaking the same shirt at 500 PPM for 12 hours. I also tossed in an off-white pillow case that had some mystery stains. The pillow case was made of non-organic fabric. The pillow case came out completely clean (stains were removed) and without any discoloration. The cotton shirt, however, experienced some discoloration at 500 PPM. It is now more of an off-white cream color, even after drying and then another wash in the machine.

Stain removal is matter of chemistry – successful removal will largely depend on what caused the original stain, the type of fabric it is on, and additionally, how old the stain is (especially if the article was previously dried in a machine – heat will cause a stain to ‘set’ permanently). I would add that rust stains are pretty much impossible to remove.
That being said, while spot treatment was not effective on these stains, it is possible it may be successful on something less severe. However, it appears that soaking will be more effective for brightening and whitening, although I would not recommend going over 100 PPM after the results of my experiment.

For general washing of whites and non-organic fabrics, adding to the machine at 60 PPM or less will get your garments or sheets thoroughly clean, as well as helping to keep the washing machine clear of any biofilm buildup.

Warm regards,
KT
Safrax.com

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