It seems to never fail. I buy new clothes for my boys and they come home from school with grass or dirt stains. The term “boys will be boys” definitely applies to how my boys treat their clothes. Here are some great tips on how to get stains out of children’s clothes (or any clothes for that matter.)
How to Get Stains Out of Clothes
I do a lot of laundry at my house. A LOT! In fact, I don’t think I ever finish doing laundry because when I get to the bottom of the baskets, there are already clothes starting to pile up that need to be washed. My boys are very involved in sports so they change a couple of times a day. And even when they aren’t playing sports, they are being boys outside in the dirt. (We have a lot of dirt here in the desert!)
With boys and laundry, comes tough stains. I asked my Moms of Boys Community how they get tough stains out of their boys’ clothes and here are some of the tips they gave.
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How to Get Dirt and Grass Stains Out of Clothes
1. Fels-Naptha
I’ll admit, I had never heard of Fels-Naptha before. Fels-Naptha
2. Baking Soda and Lemon Juice or Vinegar
Another great way to get rid of stains is with baking soda
3. Toothpaste
I would have never thought to use toothpaste on a stain. Use a plain white toothpaste like Colgate Regular Flavor
4. Baking Soda and Liquid Dish Soap
This is great for even set-in stains. Fill a bucket or sink with cool water and add 1/4 cup of baking soda. Add clothes and then use a brush to lightly scrub the stain with liquid dish soap
How do you get stains out of clothes? Share your best tip in the comments.
This post is a part of our series 31 Days of Tips for Raising Boys. Each day throughout the series we are discussing a different topic regarding raising boys. I’d love for you to follow along and share this series with other parents of boys who may need some support or just to hear that they aren’t alone in their journey of raising boys.
Find all of our posts in one place on our series home page: 31 Days of Tips for Raising Boys
I add Borax powder, a laundry booster. Buy it on the laundry aisle in the grocery store. Put it directly (1/4 cup to a full cup) into the interior of the washer (whether top loader or front loader) along with the clothes/sheets, then add detergent and liquid Oxyclean in your normal manner. If any grease (whether petroleum based, or body oils) are in the fabric also add a squirt of BLUE Dawn dish detergent to washer. My hub’s sheets are greasy and smelly. His overalls can have all sorts of nasty stuff get on them from all sorts of farm work. This removes everything and leaves all his clothes and sheets clean with no odors. I do set my washer for regular cycle, warm water, heavily soiled, extra rinse – to get all the dirt and detergents/soaps out. I have even washed his denim overalls with profuse blood, dried for weeks on them and every bit came out. If no blood on anything, you can use very hot water, like sanitary cycle, but it’s harder on elastic in sheets and on fabrics over time. Hot water sets protein stains like blood and poo and makes them harder to get out.
You may think all the extra soaps and detergents added is being wasteful. Lots cheaper than replacing sheets and clothing though! It takes a lot to get down in the fibers and really release deep smells and stains. Obviously, I am only advocating the above for the smelliest/dirtiest things that a regular wash will not get clean.
Do not wash any item with gasoline or other flammable products on them until you have placed them outdoor for days or weeks to allow all of it to evaporate. Any residue can ignite in the dryer.
Another effective technique is to pre-treat the stains with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide with baking soda or detergent. Hydrogen peroxide has a mild bleaching effect and lifts the mud and grass stains quite well if the are not too strong.
For very strong and stubborn stains, soak in a mixture of ammonia and detergent.
I try using oxiclean and let the clothes soak overnight. My husband is a tree trimmer so his clothes are beyond filled with dirt, wood chips and stains. Then you can rinse them again doing same method so the dirt comes off. Afterwards just throw them in the washer and that works for me! I plan on trying out the other methods listed above see how that works. I will definitely let you guys know. Thanks for the tips.
Thanks for the tips! I’ll definitely try that as well.