With summer in full swing, chances are that your family has been playing outdoors quite a bit. And with all of that outdoor play comes the grass stains, especially if you are running around on a fresh-cut lawn. You might be tempted to try every laundry detergent in the book or just give up and throw the garments away. But there is an easier solution to banning those grass stains. And the best news yet is that you probably already have everything you need to get those stains out for good!
Grass stains can occur on two types of items. The first is the obvious clothing and linens. The second is the less obvious upholstery and carpets. As stubborn as those grass stains are when trying to take them out of of clothing, they can transfer to a couch or chair, especially when there is a lot of rubbing between the fabrics, such as when someone gets up or sits down. Grass stains can also be tracked in to the carpet from shoes. I’ll address ways to get these stains out in both cases.
Clothing and linens: First place the item in the sink with the stain up and visible. Take some household rubbing alcohol and flush the area of the stain very well. Then rinse it all with water. next, apply some liquid dishwashing soap (for hand washing dishes, not for the dishwasher) to the stain and rinse again. Your stain should be gone.
Upholstery and carpets: Use a good quality laundry liquid detergent (I like Tide or All Free and Clear) and dab the detergent directly on the spot. Be frugal with your application. Do not rub it in! Let the detergent sit on the spot for about two hours. If your stain is on the carpet, use towels to make a border around the spot so no one disturbs it. Next, take a white damp towel and blot up the detergent. You may need to rinse and wring the cloth a few times. Voila! Let the upholstery or carpet dry naturally.
Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog,, creating a home in the Home Blog and caring for little ones in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.
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