12 back-to-school stains and how to tackle them
Back to school is here – a time to give new shoes their first outing, catch up with old friends and break out the textbooks. But for parents, ‘back to school’ can mean a lot of wash day woes.
School uniforms get splattered with all kinds of stains. No matter how pristine they look in the morning, mud and grass will inevitably find its way on to the trousers, while rogue pen marks and paint will pop up on the sleeves. This makes school uniforms one of the hardest of things to keep clean; the stains change daily, and each needs a different approach.
To help you out, the GHI has rounded up 12 of the most common ‘back-to-school’ stains along with its expert advice to remove each of them. So, you can be ready, no matter what they bring home!
1. Mud
Whether it’s from playing football on the school field or splashing in puddles on a rainy walk home, most children have mastered the art of getting covered in mud. Luckily, it’s not difficult to remove, as long as you act fast.
Allow the mud to dry, then remove as much as possible by brushing or vacuuming it away. On washable fabrics, such as school uniform, the stain will often come out simply by machine-washing it at 40°C with a biological detergent.
For more stubborn stains, try pretreating the area with some liquid biological laundry detergent then wash as normal.
If this doesn’t work, spot-treat with Stain Devils Cosmetics & Nature according to the instructions, then wash as normal. As a last resort, soak the item in an oxygen-based, colour-safe bleaching product. Follow the instructions given by the manufacturer and check the garment’s care label first.
Refresh your school uniform
HOW TO MAKE WHITES BRIGHT AGAIN
2. Ink
Ink is not the easiest stain to remove and there are many different types.
Our advice is to keep a bottle of Stain Devils Pen & Ink in your laundry cupboard, it’ll come in handy for these types of stain. Follow the instructions for use on the bottle, then wash at as high a temperature as the fabric allows using a biological detergent.
3. Glue
It’s quite amazing how sticky glue can end up all over clothing and shoes. The best way to remove it is to quickly and gently scrape off the glue residues with a blunt knife and paper towels.
The next step depends on the type of glue. School children are most likely to use very mild paper adhesives, which should come out in a normal 40oC wash. For anything stronger, try dabbing the area gently with acetone nail polish remover until the glue has dissolved.
4. Paint
Painting is a fun activity for children, but it’s difficult to confine their creativity to the page. If the paint on their clothes is still wet, blot with paper towels to remove as much of it as possible. If it has dried on the way home, try to find out what type of paint they used.
For acrylic paint, wash out with detergent and water. If the stain has dried, place an absorbent pad under it and dab with paper towels moistened with methylated spirits. Flush with cold water, then wash at as high a temperature as the fabric allows.
Sadly, oil-based paint is almost impossible to remove but you can try holding an absorbent pad under the stain and dabbing it with white spirit. Afterwards, wash at as high a temperature as the fabric allows.
For water-based paint, rinse out fresh marks with cold water, then launder as you usually would. Dried-on, water-based paint is difficult to remove, but treating with a proprietary paint remover may fade marks.
5. Sweat
Kids left their sweaty PE kit at school for a little too long?
To remove old sweat stains on cotton, immerse in an enzyme-based presoaking agent or pre-treat with a liquid biological laundry detergent. Scrub affected areas with a nail brush, and then machine-wash with a biological detergent, adding an in-wash stain remover to the load. For stubborn stains, treat with Stain Devils Antiperspirant and Sweat Mark Remover before washing.
6. Grass
Grass-stained uniforms aren’t the best look for a day in the classroom.
Place a clean white cloth under the stain and thoroughly moisten the stained area with Stain Devils Cosmetics & Nature, which is specially formulated to remove grass stains, then machine-wash at 40°C with biological detergent. If the stain is really bad or you don’t have the Stain Devils product to hand, soak in an oxygen-based bleaching agent, following the manufacturers soaking instructions before washing with biological detergent.
7. Blood
Grazed knees are a rite of passage for school kids, but blood is easy to remove if you treat it quickly.
Gently blot up as much of the stain as possible with white paper towels or a clean, white, lint-free cloth. Dab, rather than rub, at the stain.
As a protein-based stain, it’s better to wash it at low temperature. If the stain has dried, soak first in a solution of biological laundry detergent. For cotton, machine-wash at 40°C with biological detergent.
What not to do with your washing machine
13 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER WASH IN THE WASHING MACHINE
7 BAD HABITS TO BREAK WITH YOUR WASHING MACHINE
8. Tomato sauce
Whether it’s sauce, soup or a bolognaise, tomato stains appear bright as day on a white school shirt. And, if it’s given a few hours to dry, it’s even more frustrating to deal with.
Start by placing an absorbent pad under the stain, then lift away any solid residue with a blunt knife. Next, blot with white paper towels to remove what you can – don’t scrub it or you could make things worse! Then, apply a few drops of methylated spirits to the stain and continue blotting, moving the absorbent pad and paper towel to fresh sections as the colour comes away. Once the stain is removed, leave the methylated spirits to evaporate completely. Rinse with cold water afterwards and machine wash.
As an alternative to methylated spirits, you could pretreat the item with Dr Beckmann Stain Devil Fat & Sauces. This is designed to specifically remove these types of stains. Once the stain is removed, machine-wash as usual using the hottest temperature allowed by the care label.
9. Fruit juice
Use a proprietary stain remover to tackle fruit juice spills, such as Dr Beckmann Stain Devil Fruit & Drinks. Apply directly to the stain after moistening it, following the instructions on pack. Remove powder after the allotted time has passed, then wash at the highest temperature according to the care label with biological detergent.
If that doesn’t work, you can try a stain remover suited to whites for shirts, such as Vanish Gold Oxi-Action Stain Remover for Whites.
10. Correction fluid
Mistakes can be made while trying to hide them, leading to correction fluid being spilled down school jumpers. Some brands of correction fluid are water-based and should come out with normal washing. Others are made with petroleum, which can cause problems. Dry-cleaning is recommended in this case, although you may find it costs more than the item of school uniform did.
To remove it, let it dry and pick off as much of the deposit as possible, taking care not to snag the fabric. Dab the affected area with paint remover or turpentine to help fade the mark. Flush with water, then treat with a spot treatment stain remover, such as De.Solv.It, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Machine-wash on as high a temperature as the fabric allows.
11. Shoe polish
Whether they’ve attempted to polish their own shoes or you’ve managed to get shoe polish on your own clothes, it’s not too difficult to remove.
A small stain on cotton will often come out simply by rubbing in a little liquid dish washing detergent and washing as normal. For larger stains, pretreat with Stain Devils Lubricant and Oils according to the manufacturer’s instructions, then wash at 40°C with biological detergent.
12. Chewing gum
It can end up all over everything and, sadly, chewing gum is difficult to remove.
First, you should put the entire item in the freezer and leave it until the gum is brittle enough to be picked off with a blunt knife. If that’s not possible, place an ice pack or bag of frozen peas over the gum until it hardens, then pick off as much as possible.
After this, for cotton, machine-wash at 40°C using biological detergent.
You Might Also Like
