# Washing Uniforms with Drano?



## ajhuff (Aug 17, 2012)

I wash my whites in heavy bleach but was thinking that most of the stains on my chef jacket are fat based. I was wondering if lye would not work better. Since lye is sodium hydroxide and that's what Drano is I was wondering if anyone has tried this?

-AJ


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## ThEoRy (Aug 17, 2012)

I just get them dry cleaned. They always come back brand new looking.


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## knyfeknerd (Aug 17, 2012)

A long soak in a generous amount of oxyclean. Works great and doesn't eat away your clothes. I would be scared to do drano.


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## Dusty (Aug 17, 2012)

An old colleague of mine used to swear by cloudy ammonia, I was never game enough to try it.


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## SameGuy (Aug 17, 2012)

OxiClean is sodium percarbonate, a relatively "green" oxidizing (bleaching) agent. I tend to use a bit more than the instructions recommend, but it works really well for most organic stains. It's also fantastic for cleaning stainless steel items that are stained or clogged with organic oils -- think espresso gear and food robots.


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## Miles (Aug 17, 2012)

+1 on the OxyClean. I have a five gallon bucket in my laundry room where my coats get soaked if they have anything nasty on them. With the sole exception of one peculiar stain on the arm of one coat, it's removed stains from everything I've thrown in there.


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## Eamon Burke (Aug 17, 2012)

+1 on oxyclean. Lots of it in the soak water, give it a day(don't forget to poke it, as it builds up bubbles and exposes some of the fabric out of the water, and strange stains remain). Then dump the bucket, with the soak water into the machine, with some more oxyclean. Mine came out stark white.


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## cnochef (Aug 17, 2012)

+1 on Oxyclean, great stuff!


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## EdipisReks (Aug 17, 2012)

Chlorine trifluoride is the oxidizer of choice for really stuck on stains, i believe.


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## SameGuy (Aug 17, 2012)

I thought it was Ammonium perchlorate...?


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## EdipisReks (Aug 17, 2012)

SameGuy said:


> I thought it was Ammonium perchlorate...?



Chlorine triflouride will make sand, water and asbestos burn.


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## SpikeC (Aug 17, 2012)

Butt will it prevent tooth decay?


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## EdipisReks (Aug 17, 2012)

SpikeC said:


> Butt will it prevent tooth decay?



mineral ash typically doesn't rot, so i'd say yes.


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## Chef Niloc (Aug 18, 2012)

Chloroform is a good solvent will get out most stains I like to use it on my white handkerchief's (;


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## SpikeC (Aug 18, 2012)

At first I thought he said his wife's handkerchiefs! Kinky??


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## Adamm (Aug 22, 2012)

I soak mine in HOT water, oxy clean, and dawn dish soap as a degreaser and a little bleach. Iv also used the heavy duty cleaning stuff like used in restaurant for really bad stains. I always run my coats twice to get any extra soap off a second time with bleach and regular laundry detergent. Works for me. Iv also sprayed coats with tilex mold and mildew which is just bleach.


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## ajhuff (Aug 22, 2012)

I did a little research. I think the Drano idea would work, just not sure about in the washer. Historically it appears that the use of lye was done as a soaking treatment called bucking. I have used Oxyclean to decent results. I can't tell if it does any better than bleach. I will try using a full scoopful rather than just to the bottom as directed. Using ammonia sounds promising. I will look into that also.

-AJ


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## JohnnyChance (Aug 22, 2012)

Have you tried "laundry break", sometimes used in conjunction with a more normal laundry detergent and a whitener?


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## knyfeknerd (Aug 22, 2012)

The problem with bleach is that it yellows and eats away at the fabric, making the buttons fall off and eats holes in the sleeves.
I use HOT H2O in the washer on small load setting. Add 3-4 scoops of oxyclean, add laundry. Let agitate to mix in well with clothes. Then let sit in washer, agitating periodically over a period of 4-12 hours.
Then add regular laundry detergent, more H2O by bumping up load size and complete wash. I.ve been doing this for at least 10 years. My jackets last years and are way brighter than most, save for the ones professionally done.


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## ajhuff (Aug 22, 2012)

4-12 hours in the washer! Good lord you don't have a wife and kids do you. LOL!!!

It does sound like I need more oxyclean.

-AJ


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## knyfeknerd (Aug 22, 2012)

ajhuff said:


> 4-12 hours in the washer! Good lord you don't have a wife and kids do you. LOL!!!
> 
> It does sound like I need more oxyclean.
> 
> -AJ


Oh well a wife and 2 young kids......however I am the laundry master, so the washer is my domain.


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## ajhuff (Aug 22, 2012)

Haha! Fair enough!

-AJ


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## Tatsuya (Aug 26, 2012)

I have a couple black 4-ways that are getting a little stiff from fryer oil (I make a lot of tempura). Will the oxyclean work well on this?


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## knyfeknerd (Aug 26, 2012)

Tatsuya said:


> I have a couple black 4-ways that are getting a little stiff from fryer oil (I make a lot of tempura). Will the oxyclean work well on this?



Absolutely, oxyclean rules!!! And no I don't get any kickbacks from the Billy Mays estate.


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## pitonboy (Aug 26, 2012)

knyfeknerd said:


> Absolutely, oxyclean rules!!! And no I don't get any kickbacks from the Billy Mays estate.



+1 every time I spill some c*** on meself


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## Tatsuya (Aug 27, 2012)

Oh you don't need oxyclean for that, just wipe that up.




With your nose.


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## Justin0505 (Aug 27, 2012)

I've also used degreaser with good results. I've heard someone swear by purple power, but that stuff is really harsh. I've used simple green with good results.


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