Wax on...WAX OFF

October 18, 2011 4:50 AM

How to clean carbamide peroxide out of work clothes (one non-iron shirt, poly blend pants)? Soak & hope for best or dry cleaner STAT?

I just spilled a BUNCH of ear wax remover (a.k.a. pure carbamide peroxide, 6.5%, nothing else listed on CVS brand Ear Drops container) on a light blue Brooks Brothers Non-Iron Fitted shirt (97% cotton, 3% lastol - whatever lastol is) and darkish grey Express Editor pants (63% polyester, 35% viscose, 2% spandex). Should I take one or both to the dry cleaner's immediately, or would it be better to soak and try home remedies (suggestions welcome)? I know that it is unadvisable to dry clean Brooks Brothers shirts regularly, but I'm thinking once would be okay. I dearly love these clothes, but of course I'm aware that I may be forfeiting them.

Embarassing accident details - somehow removed whole cap instead of dropper cover and poured in BOTH EARS before realizing. Probably a good question - does this pose any medical risk? I've flushed the ears thoroughly.

If anyone can recommend an excellent drycleaner that deals with spills in the Financial District, NYC, that'd be even better (and - just sayin', I don't work in finance (I'm a developer analyst for an infotech firm), in case that matters to any of y'all).

Thanks, everyone!

posted by xiaolongbao to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)

Your clothes are not going to get any better. The peroxide will whiten them and there is no way to get them darker. As for pouring it in your ears, as long as you've rinsed it out you will be fine.
posted by koolkat at 4:56 AM on October 18, 2011

Response by poster: Ok, that's what I figured. Thanks for the reassurance. Even if the clothing news isn't as good, I'm glad my ears will be okay. I've put them in a cold-water Woolite soak until I leave (in 20 min). Suggestions continue to be welcome, I am particularly interested in the chemistry of the problem, however basic it may be :o)
posted by xiaolongbao at 5:09 AM on October 18, 2011

If they look bleached out you're probably doomed, but if they don't, rinsing will probably actually do a lot of good. I don't think taking it to a dry cleaner will actually make any difference, especially if they're not made for dry cleaning. Peroxide bleaches tend to only work as long as they are in direct contact with the fabric, so if you get the bleach out it won't get much lighter.

Putting them into soak was a good idea, but I'd rinse them out a couple times too if you hadn't before putting them in to soak. You want to get the peroxide out, just like you'd do with any other liquid stain.
posted by that girl at 5:26 AM on October 18, 2011

As for the chemistry, the peroxide produces free radicals that damage the dye molecules in the fabric, altering their molecular structures so that they no longer interact with light in the same way. It's as if the clothing is no longer dyed.
posted by mr_roboto at 7:46 AM on October 18, 2011

I spilled a little bleach on a favorite shirt last week, right in the middle. I used a black sharpie to cover it up and you can't even see the spot. Not sure you could match the shirt, but you might have some luck on the pants if the spots aren't too big.
posted by raisingsand at 9:01 AM on October 18, 2011

Addendum to raisingsand's suggestion: I fixed accidental bleaching on the black trim of a fave shirt this way, using Sharpie. But subsequent washings eventually faded the Sharpie to a dull purple, so I had to keep re-Sharpieing it. If you want to redye bleached spots, I'd use actual fabric dye of some kind.
posted by nicebookrack at 9:24 AM on October 18, 2011