With the warmer months approaching, we are all gearing up for barbecues, beach days, and lots of outdoor activities. And in the meantime, our clothes are preparing for the inevitable influx of common summer stains. Stains you are all but guaranteed to encounter this summer are grass stains, dirt and mud stains, food stains, and sweat stains. Keep these tips handy to tackle any surprise stains this year.
Grass And Dirt Stains
The trick to tackling a grass or dirt stain is acting fast. Try to get the clothing item soaking immediately in cold water. Once your garment is saturated in the cold water, you can use several everyday items like rubbing alcohol or white vinegar to scrub the stain. Bleach can be effective on grass stains as well, but be mindful of using bleach or bleach products on colored clothing. You can determine which solvent you should use based on what the material of your garment is.
Food Stains
For that dreaded ketchup stain on a white T-shirt, cold water and white vinegar are your best friends. Most food stains can be eliminated by soaking your piece of clothing in the cold water and then blotting with white vinegar until the stain is as faint as possible. Pre-treat with a bit of your favorite detergent and then a good wash in warm water should finish the job. Some liquid stains like juice can be helped by running hot water through the garment for a few minutes before treating with the vinegar.
Sweat Stains
Everybody’s least favorite summer stain, but probably the most common, takes a bit more of a process to eliminate. There are lots of home-made remedies you can concoct out of household items to beat these stains right away. Start with the standard soak in cold water and dab with white vinegar, and then follow that up with mixing equal parts baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to give the stain a good scrub. After these steps, if your stain is still being stubborn, try rubbing a lemon into the stain before tossing it in a warm water wash.
Other Tips To Remember
A few more small tips to remember when tackling summer stains are:
- Be wary of dry-clean-only garments. Leave those for the professionals!
- If you are trying a new removal technique, test it on your garment in a conspicuous area first.
- Don’t be afraid to repeat a removal process twice for particularly stubborn stains.
- The quicker the better! Stains are easier to remove the less they have been able to set into the fabric.
Summer is a time for fun, relaxation, and care-free living. Don’t let summer stains ruin your good time this year!
