AS THE kids head back to school this week most parents dread the stresses of keeping their uniforms stain free.
But dealing with stained clothes is part and parcel of the job and you may already have the ingredients at home to help you.
Remove 3 common stains from school clothing using ingredients you may already have at home[/caption]
Grass
Grass stains can be so difficult to get rid of – especially if they’re on white shirts or polos.
It’s recommended you use a biological washing detergent to try and get rid of these green stains.
Rub the liquid into the stain and then soak in warm water.
Once you’ve done that, wash as normal, but using the bio liquid as your detergent.
After the wash has finished, double check the stain has completely disappeared before putting it in the tumble dryer or hanging it up to dry.
Because dried on grass stains are much harder to remove and can drive you insane.
Mud
For older children, mud is arguably the most common thing to stain clothes especially if it is raining at school break.
The best way to remove mud stains is to wait until the mud has dried as trying to get wet mud off is a whole lot harder.
Once it’s dried, use a blunt knife or a brush to try and get as much of the mud off as possible.
After that, take a tablespoon of baking soda and apply it to the stain.
Pour a teaspoon of lemon juice over the top then leave to fizz until its stopped.
Then rub the fabric together so that the stain is completely covered.
Leave it for 10 minutes before washing as normal with your regular detergent.
Ketchup
Ketchup goes great with fries and cheeseburgers but not so well on white school shirts.
More hacks to get rid of stains
- Baking Soda and Vinegar
- Make a paste with baking soda and water.
- Apply to the stain and let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Rinse with vinegar and wash as usual.
- Lemon Juice and Salt
- Squeeze lemon juice over the stain.
- Sprinkle salt generously.
- Rub the fabric together and leave it in the sun for an hour before washing.
- Hydrogen Peroxide and Dish Soap
- Mix equal parts hydrogen peroxide and dish soap.
- Dab the mixture onto the stain.
- Let it sit for 10 minutes and then rinse.
- Milk for Ink Stains
- Soak the stained area in milk.
- Leave it overnight.
- Rinse and wash the following day.
- White Vinegar for Grass Stains
- Apply white vinegar directly to the grass stain.
- Let it soak for 15 minutes.
- Wash as usual.
- Cornflour for Grease Stains
- Sprinkle cornflour onto the grease stain.
- Let it sit for 20 minutes to absorb the grease.
- Brush off the cornflour and wash the garment.
- Toothpaste for Collar Stains
- Apply a small amount of non-gel toothpaste to the collar stain.
- Scrub gently with a toothbrush.
- Rinse and wash as usual.
If your child has a ketchup stain, scrape the ketchup off with a spoon or the back of a butter knife if you have one handy.
Then turn the article of clothing inside out and flush it out with cold water.
You want the water to run over the stain from back to front so that you don’t push the ketchup deeper into the fabric.
Next, rub liquid detergent gently into the fabric in a circular motion.
Start at the outside edge of the stain and move inward to minimize the chances of the stain spreading.
Let the detergent sit for about 5 minutes and then rinse with cold water to rinse the detergent out of the stain.
Apply white vinegar only if your garment is white by dabbing a small amount of white vinegar into the stain area.
Then rinse well with cold water and wash as normal.