You’re dining alfresco, enjoying a deliciously fresh Caprese salad (seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper), when plop ― a rogue heirloom tomato spills right into your lap. And you’re wearing white. We’ve got you covered with this handy guide for how to remove every single summer stain.
1. Avocado. Scrape off any excess green before rinsing your garment in cold water. Next, pretreat by rubbing dish soap into the stain before you toss it in the wash.
2. Sweat. A stain remover applied to your pit stains before you wash your shirt or dress should do the trick. Don’t have a stain remover? Lemon juice also works.
3. Strawberries. Soak your shirt for 30 minutes in a mixture of water (one quart), white vinegar (one tablespoon) and liquid laundry detergent (1/2 teaspoon). Then, launder as usual.
4. Grass. These stains should actually come out on their own in the wash, but just in case: Pre-treat any green marks with stain remover and gently (we repeat: gently) scrub the stain before tossing it in the wash.
5. Rosé. Blot the stain and add table salt to absorb any excess liquid. Next, give your shirt/dress/white jeans a rinse in hot water before machine washing as usual.
6. Ice Cream. Spot treat with cold water and a clean cloth right when the stain hits your shirt. (A Shout Wipe also works.) Then, apply stain remover before soaking it in the sink with a teaspoon of an enzyme-based detergent--like Tide Stain Release--for 30 minutes. After that, you’re good to machine wash.
7. Tomatoes. Rinse with cold water before using a sponge and white vinegar to buff out any hint of color. If it’s still there, pre-treat with stain remover before sticking in the wash.
8. Sunscreen. Since sunscreen tends to be greasy, your best bet is to pre-treat it with a product that’s up for the job like dish soap (one that’s a clear color) or Lestoil. Dab it on with a clean cloth, then machine wash in hot water.
9. Bicycle Grease. Speaking of grease, to remove stains left by chains on your bike, start by applying baby powder and blotting with a paper towel to remove any excess grease. Next, pre-treat stains with dish soap on the front and back of the stain. Then, throw the garment in the wash by itself.
10. Ketchup. Dab it with cold water right away, then sponge with white vinegar. Next, machine wash it using a color-safe detergent with bleach.
11. Mustard. Scrape off any excess mustard before pre-treating with a stain remover and sticking it in the washing machine on hot.
12. Popsicle. Start by giving the garment a soak in cold water, then spot treat with white vinegar (three parts water to one part vinegar is fine) before tossing in the wash.
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