The summer months are for getting out and about and enjoying the lovely weather. We all enjoy a good picnic in the park or a family BBQ. But with summer fun comes dirt and stains. I have jotted down some of my quick stain removal hacks for you.
Grass is one of the biggest stains over the summer especially on children’s clothing
Grass stains on clothes can be removed with a toothbrush and plain white toothpaste; Squeeze a small amount of the toothpaste onto the stain, then dip the toothbrush in clean cold water and use it to scrub away the stain. Repeat this process as needed to treat all of the stain. Rinse the area and wash the clothing as usual.
Mud
Don’t rub mud because that only pushes the soil deeper into the fibres. As soon as possible, hold the stained areas under a tap of running cold water. Hold the fabric with the wrong side of the stain directly under the tap to force the mud out of the fibres. Then put a spot of washing up liquid onto the stain and wash as normal.
If your washing a muddy sports kits soak in a bucket of cold water along with a good squirt of washing up liquid and then put in the washing machine as normal.
Ice Cream
If your like me you will carry around antibacterial wipes or you will have my handy handbag cleaning pack so you can act quick with an ice cream stain, a quick blot with the wipes and the stain will be halfway out. Once home pop some washing up liquid onto the area and then wash as hot as possible to get the stain fully out.
Oil Off Bike Chains
We all enjoy a good long bike ride in the summer but there is always that risk that the chain may come off and then you are left you have to put this back on and get your hands all greasy which in turn can easily transfer onto your clothes. My advice is to not treat with plain water as this will help set the stain. Place the clothing face down on clean paper towels and apply a stain remover to the back, I like the vanish stain remover or the OXY plus from Astonish is also a good choice. Let the clothing air-dry, then rinse. Machine wash, using the hottest water recommended for the clothing and this should hopefully come out for you.
Blood
We have all been there, a play at the park turns into a cut, graze of a t-shirt covered in blood!! The joys of being a parent a fast fix is to wet and soak the fabric in cold water, then rub with a bar of soap as soon as you get home. Then put in the washing machine on the hottest washing cycle your clothing will take.
Tea and coffee Stains
Beautiful sunny afternoon so lets meet for a coffee or a cuppa and oops someone knocks the drinks over. Tea and coffee all over the table and all over you! But don’t despair, The stain will come out with a little sugar.
Mix up a solution of heavily sugared water by stirring the water as you add sugar to it. Keep adding sugar until it no longer dissolves. Then submerge the stained area for several minutes in a small container of the heavily sugared water, then wash as normal. This is such an old fashioned cleaning tip and I remember my great Nan doing this to my Mum when I will a child and it worked like a treat. Its so surprising that kitchen cupboard items can really help!
Well I hope this quick stain removal guide will give you a stain free and clean summer.
Enjoy the glorious weather and don’t worry about those stains too much as we will get them out.
see more of my cleaning tips and advice by clicking here
Thanks for reading.
Lynsey Queen of Clean xoxo
