Summertime Stains and How to Remove Them: Our Guide
Summertime has eventually arrived, and what’s great about this is that we have months left of it still to enjoy! Summertime is all about fun, engaging in great and pleasurable outdoor activities, and it’s also about enjoying lots of yummy food and drink! However, all of this can play havoc on our Summer outfits with all those spillages, accidents, and summertime stains that arise from enjoying ourselves.
Given the time of year, we thought covering a topic on Summer stain removing was quite on point. We start this blog by exploring what a stain is, and what causes them.
We then provide general examples of 4 useful, tried and tested, summer stain removing methods and techniques, which we hope you will find helpful!
We then get down to the business of providing examples of some popular Summer stains, and how we would recommend those stains can be removed.
We hope you enjoy this interesting journey into the world of Summertime stains!
But before we start, we feel it important to point out the ‘Golden Rule’ to achieving success when removing stains! That is, ‘timing’, this together with acting swiftly, is of the utmost importance! As soon as a spill or accident occurs, or is noticed, quick action should be taken to prevent it from setting into the fabric. The longer the stain remains, the more difficult it will be to remove it!
WHAT IS A STAIN AND WHAT CAUSES THEM?
Stains on clothing and other items occur when a substance is spilt onto a surface and the molecules get trapped inside the fibres and the pores of the material.
The substance that is spilt onto clothing, coats the underlying material and the newly formed stain reflects back light of its own colour, which makes the stain visible to the naked eye.
We have listed 4 examples of basic summer stain removing methods and techniques:
i) STAIN DISSOLVING:
A stain remover typically contains a range of chemical solvents that help to dissolve stains from clothing and other items. As a rule of thumb, a stain may be removed by using a similar compound to dissolve it. For example, a water-based solvent can be removed with soapy water.
ii) EMULSIFYING STAINS:
Stain removers typically contain emulsifiers. The process of ’emulsification’, sees the stain covered with a surfactant agent which then serves to lift the stain off the surface of a garment. An example of an emulsifier is soap, this can remove both watery and oily stains.
iii) BREAKING DOWN STAINS:
Some stain removers add a range of enzymes that help to break down molecules. For example, protein-based enzymes play a part in digesting food molecules to break down a stain on the fabric of clothing or bedding etc.
vi) CONCEALING STAINS:
As well as containing a range of other chemicals and enzymes, stain removing agents also contain fabric whiteners. These do little to clean but serve to hide and conceal stains. Some oxidisers are also used to make the stain invisible to the naked eye, while others, such as, whiteners cover up stains by reflecting light back.
Let us now turn our attention to the Summer stains we all dread and take a look at some popular examples of these, and how to go about removing them:
GRASS STAINS
We’ve all been there and done it, haven’t we?! We lay the picnic blanket on top of the warm Summer lawn, and pull and straighten it to adjust to size, ready for our favourite picnic food and drink to be placed neatly on top of it. Only when we get up, do we notice, or someone lets us know, that we have glaring bright green grass stains on the knees of our white canvas trousers and, sometimes even on the elbows of our white cotton shirts!
HERE’S HOW TO REMOVE GRASS STAINS:
Mix into a paste a few drops of hydrogen peroxide, or dish soap, with some baking soda, massage it into the grass stain, and then allow at least 30 minimum until it is dry. Finally, rub patiently until the stain releases and then rinse well with cool water.
ANTIPERSPIRANT AND SWEAT STAINS
As we tend to be much more active during the Summer months, we work up a sweat more easily. The sweat produced beds itself into the fabric of clothing and creates bacteria which eventually causes an odour that no one wants! Alongside this, it leaves unsightly yellow marks, which look awful! But this is not caused by sweat alone, rather it’s the result of the aluminium from the antiperspirant we wear that reacts with the ammonia in the sweat that causes the change in colour.
HERE’S HOW TO REMOVE ANTIPERSPIRANT AND SWEAT STAINS.
Antiperspirant and sweat stains, are thankfully, easy to remove if you choose the correct method and combine this with an enzyme remover. Importantly, do not use chlorine bleach to remove yellow staining from clothing as the bleaching agent reacts with the protein in the stain which will only intensify the yellow-coloured stain.
Instead, use a steam cycle on your washing machine together with stain removing detergent.
If you don’t have a steam cycle option, simply pre-treat the affected areas with a stain removing detergent, and leave it on for at least 5 minutes to allow it time to activate. Then, wash it off in warm water and pop the garment into the washing machine and wash as per washing instructions, adding a stain removing detergent.
SUMMER FOOD AND DRINK
When talking about food and drink stains, it’s important to know that different food and drink stains require different and specific treatment methods.
Here are some popular examples of Summer food and drink stains and how to go about removing them:
i) TOMATO KETCHUP AND BARBECUE SAUCE
Firstly, the best way to get ketchup and barbecue sauce stains out of clothing or table cloths etc. is to first remove any excess you find on the stained item, then soak it in cold water for approximately 10- 15 minutes, working in some liquid detergent or dish soap, until the stain is no longer visible. Rinse well, and allow the item to dry. If the stain is stubborn and persists, follow up with a soak in distilled white vinegar and then re-wash the item.
ii) SUMMER FRUITS AND BERRIES
To Remove these sorts of stains, start by scraping any excess food off the garment. Run the stained area under cold water to flush the stain out. Wring the garment out and apply some distilled white vinegar to the stain. Follow this up by massaging in some liquid detergent and/ or stain remover and allow it to sit for at least 10 minutes to allow time for it to work. Place in the washing machine on a warm cycle, and follow the care instructions on the label. If the berry staining is particularly stubborn, try soaking the garment in a solution of colour-safe bleach and then re-wash.
iii) SUMMER DRINKS
In the case of Summer drinks, the key here is, time! Act swiftly by pouring club soda on the stain from the front of the garment through to the back, and then blotting the affected area. Alternatively, mix one part of baking soda with three parts water and add this mixture to the stained area, leave it to dry, and then launder in hot water.
POLLEN STAINS
Pollen stains are a Summer hazard to be aware of when either in the garden or when out and about. These stains can be hard to remove from clothes and need to be removed with care.
HERE’S HOW TO REMOVE SUMMER POLLEN STAINS:
Firstly, shake out the area affected by pollen to remove any excess from the garment. The ‘Golden Rule’ here is to never rub a pollen stain as this will only spread the stain and further embed it into the garment, which will make it very difficult to remove.
After shaking out excess pollen, soak the garment in a bucket of cold water, or in your bath, for around one hour.
Next, rinse the garment and pop it into your washing machine with a cap full of liquid detergent and a scoop of stain remover. When the wash cycle is complete, take the cleaned garment out and allow it to dry.
We hope you find our blog about Summer stains and how to remove them both interesting and helpful!
For all your Laundry, Ironing and Cleaning needs, simply contact us at Pressed not Stressed to book service.
