How do i get iodine out of white clothes?

Question

How do i get iodine out of white clothes?

Answer 1

I read somewhere in Yahoo answers that pouring some Coke on the iodine stain will help.  I would think that white rubbing alcohol would also work.

Answer 2

Try hydrogen peroxide.  I've heard nurses use it to get blood stains, iodine, etc. out of their uniforms.

Answer 3

You don't.  Best bet would be Tide-to-go which works surprisingly well on a variety of stains.  You could also try to bleach it in the sun a bit to lighten the stain.

Answer 4

Firstly, how do you know it is iodine, and if so, how did it get there?

If you are working with real iodine, then someone needs to improve their work practises.

To some degree, I would have thought that laundry detergent would remove the stain.  After all, iodine is sparingly soluble in water, so enough water ought to work.

There are a couple of freely available chemicals that could be used to remove the stain.  But you are moving into dangerous chemical reactions, and I'd leave it to the experts.

EDIT a thumbs down!

FYI - iodine is a halogen - a group that also contains bromine, chlorine and worst of all fluorine - true the order listed is increasing reactivity; but they are all dangerous if handled wrongly.  Iodine is the solid amongst them, and is also the least explosively reactive.

But my point still holds: iodine itself is moderately dangerous.  Yes, denatured alcohol a.k.a. methylated spirit, CH3CH2OH [ethanol] will dissolve the iodine, through a process called phase equilibrium (phase separation) excepting that there is no phase separation between water and ethanol; hence it may not work!!  It should; but my knowledge is not specific enough to guarantee it.  Iodine does dissolve well in ethanol; but ethanol and water mix in all proportions so the seeping effect may not be strong enough.

Bleach (sodium hypochlorite solution) or Hydrogen Peroxide - separately NOT TOGETHER - should also work; but like I said earlier - leave it to the professionals.

Then, there is always "Napisan"

BEWARE!!!!