It’s summer, and that means it’s time for light-colored clothing and activities that cause lots of stains on that clothing. Think barbeques, biking, and rolling down
grassy hills: all of these are activities that are bound to stain your clothes. How can you take care of your summer clothes so that they look good at the end of the summer
as well.
It’s time for barbeques and burgers, but the condiments can be disastrous for white shirts and pants. What do you do if you drop ketchup or barbeque sauce on a shirt?
First, scrape of the sauce and run cold water through the stain to remove as much of it as possible. If there is residual color, use liquid detergent on the stain. If
the garment is light-colored, you can also use vinegar or lemon juice to remove the stain, since these will act as a mild bleach.
You may not be the one rolling down hills and skidding on your knees, but grass stains happen. If it’s in your child’s laundry or in yours, grass stains are a reality of the
summer season. How can you get them out of clothing? Put a little bit of liquid laundry detergent directly on the stain and rub it clean. If that doesn’t work, try using rubbing
alcohol.
A child’s bubble solution can easily stain children’s clothing. This drippy, gooey mess is apt to disappear on shirts when it is hot, but if the shirts sit on the bedroom
floor for any length of time the solution will dry and the stains will set on clothing. The key to preventing bubble stains is to get them before they have a chance to set and
create little bubble rings on your child’s shirts and pants. Throw them in the wash or at least give them a rinse in a sink of water after your child plays in them and the bubble
solution will wash away.
Biking and barbeques both come with abundant oil and grease. The slimy black stuff is terrible for clothing because it is dark, thick, and very water-resistant. To remove oil
or grease from clothing, gently scrape as much of it off as possible. Make sure that you do not spread it around when you do this. Use corn starch or talcum powder and use that
to soak up any large blobs of grease or oil that remain. Finally, use a soapy and lightly moist sponge to gently press on the stain and try to remove the last bits of oil and
grease.
What are your tips and tricks for removing summer stains?