What's a mom to do? Summer's here and the kids are more active than ever with baseball, summer camp, play dates and hours upon hours spent outside. Along with the summer fun comes tough stains that are hard to remove - especially on white clothes!
The top three offenders are sweat, mud and grass stains. Here are a few tips that work with the right detergents. Be sure to read the care labels before trying any of these products on your items. When in doubt, bring your clothes to Tide Cleaners. Our Tide Restore™ for Whites makes your white cottons look whiter and brighter with every treatment.
Sweat (and Deodorant)
To remove sweat stains, use a prewash stain remover. If the stains are old, apply white vinegar. Rinse, then launder using oxygen bleach in the hottest water that's safe to use with the fabric.
Mud
Let the mud dry and brush off as much as you can. Use a gentle detergent and water, and then rub the fabric to create suds. After rinsing, use one part white vinegar and one part water to remove any residue. Wash in an enzyme detergent.
Grass
Presoak or prewash the grass stain in the washing machine with a detergent containing enzymes like Tide Pure Essentials and Tide Stain Release. Wash as usual with chlorine bleach if it's safe for the fabric. If the cleaning instructions on the clothing item advise against it, use oxygen bleach instead.
Always follow the golden rules of safe washing: zip zippers, snap snaps, fasten hooks and tie laces to prevent any unnecessary fabric damage.