When we say "bleach," what do you think of? Whitening, cleaning, disinfecting? Or mystery spots and streaks? Is bleach something only your mother used? And what about color? Whether you use it (or not), you may still be afraid of bleach and what it may do to your laundry. The good news is laundry technology has advanced to enable innovation to replace fear.

Outstanding alternatives

You can still use bleach if you want or need to — bleach will probably always be around. But Tide® offers outstanding alternatives to using chlorine bleach in Tide with Bleach and Tide Liquid with Bleach Alternative. It's simpler than using laundry additives and it offers outstanding performance. Want to know how it works? We asked the experts at Tide. Here's what they told us.

Tide with Bleach and Tide Liquid with Bleach Alternative work so well because they contain a wide variety of cleaning ingredients that remove tough stains while limiting color removal. Both detergents (one powder, the other liquid) are chlorine-free and safe for colors.

• Concentrated Surfactant Mix — enables all-purpose cleaning
• Enzymes — go after specific soils, safe for more than just whites
• Polymers — help keep whites white and prevent dinginess
• Builders — soften hard water for better cleaning action

So, Tide with Bleach and Tide Liquid with Bleach Alternative not only whiten, they also remove tough stains and fight dinginess before it sets in. And both products are effective in cooler water temperatures.

But wait, there's more

Both products also contain systems of color-care technology — Tide with Bleach gets to the bottom of dirt and stains to help keep your whites white and brights bright and Tide Liquid with Bleach Alternative has BrightLock® — both provide powerful cleaning, whitening and brightening while reducing negative effects on your colors or garment fibers. Here's what these systems do:

• Chlorine Scavenging — helps neutralize free chlorine in wash water to reduce fading
• Dye Transfer Inhibition — helps surround and suspend loose dyes, keeping them from re-depositing
• Heavy-Metal Scavenger — helps prevent hue shift caused by metals in the wash

In addition, Tide with Bleach has a Fiber Strengthener that reduces garment wear, pilling and fuzzing. And Tide Liquid with Bleach Alternative contains a pH Reducer that helps prevent dye loss by lowering the pH of wash water.

So what's the difference?

The key difference between Tide with Bleach and Tide Liquid with Bleach Alternative is the bleach versus the bleach alternative systems.

Tide with Bleach powder contains the cleaning and stain-removing ingredients of Tide base powder plus a non-chlorine bleaching system. It is safe to use on colors because it does not contain any chlorine or chlorine-containing bleaching agents. It is a bleach-containing product with a non-chlorine bleach delivery system plus a patented bleach activator. Additionally, this system effectively scavenges wash-water chlorine to help keep colors from fading, while allowing the non-chlorine bleach system to clean and whiten effectively.

Tide Liquid with Bleach Alternative contains high levels of ingredients that enhance its overall whitening action. These added ingredients give it the ability to help remove stains while not contributing to fabric or color damage since they are specific to certain types of soils. The Tide Liquid with Bleach Alternative formula is also color-safe because it does not contain any chlorine or chlorine-containing bleaching agents.

If you're still wary...

It's always a good idea to check the garment care label before using any laundry product. Many labels now indicate whether you can use bleach and if so, what kind. Look for the appropriate laundry care symbols before you attempt to launder any item.

 If you're still not sure, perform a colorfastness test:

• Choose an inconspicuous area for testing, such as the wrong side of a hem or a seam allowance, so that if your test leaves a spot, it will not show. Make sure the solution does not penetrate through to visible areas.
• Mix one teaspoon of Tide with Bleach in a cup of water the same temperature that you'll be using to wash or apply Tide Liquid with Bleach Alternative directly to the area.
• Apply enough solution to soak a small, hidden area of the garment and wait a few minutes.
• Press the area with a clean white cloth, tissue or paper towel to see if any color comes off. If you don't see anything, rinse and let dry. Observe again because the spot may have looked darker while it was wet. If you see no color change, it is colorfast to your detergent.

Uncomplicated and performing on whites and colors — Tide with Bleach and Tide Liquid with Bleach Alternative work like you do — by managing multiple laundry challenges all at once!