If you’re a parent of a young child, you’ll know school life is less than forgiving on their
school uniforms, especially their white school shirts. When clean and crisp, white shirts look super smart, but one small stain and your kid goes from looking their school best to looking a mess! Thankfully, there aren’t many stains that can’t be eradicated with some clever cleaning tips. In this article we show you how to tackle even the toughest stains quickly and easily.
Ink
All that handwriting practice is sure to result in an ink stain or two and there are many things you can use to remove ink stains. Perhaps one of the most common tip you’ve heard of when it comes to getting rid of ink is to use hairspray. While hairspray is effective in removing ink most of the time, the reason it usually works is due to the alcohol content of the hairspray. What’s even more effective in removing ink is hand sanitizer – a product that is most likely present in every home at the moment! Since hand sanitizer is usually at least 60% alcohol, saturating the stain in hand sanitizer will help to loosen the ink and allow it to be lifted away with a cloth. Even more effective in removing ink is rubbing alcohol, which typically has an even higher alcohol content. Dab the rubbing alcohol onto a stain with a cotton swab and loosen with an old toothbrush. Wipe away with a clean cloth and you’re all done!
Remember, if you’re using hand sanitizer don’t forget to choose one without colour or fragrance. Pick a sanitizer with at least 70% alcohol if possible.
Grass
Once you know how to easily remove grass stains you’ll be happy to let your little one rolly-poly around to their hearts content!
Mix a little white vinegar in a dish and add a couple of drops of dish soap. Using a soft toothbrush, dip into the mixture and gently apply to the stain. Brush the fabric gently and blot with a paper towel (you will start to see the green stain transfer to the paper towel as you go). Continue brushing and blotting the fabric until the stain is hardly noticeable. Treat the remaining discolouration with a stain remover and wash as per instructions. Using stain remover alone will likely leave a mark however with this easy pre-treatment method your kid’s school uniform will look good as new!
Chewing Gum
Chewing gum is messy and getting it stuck on our clothes can quickly cause panick! But fear not, chewing gum can actually be removed easily with these methods:
Freezing
Believe it or not, this is one of the easiest ways to remove chewing gum from clothing. By placing the garment in the freezer for a few hours, the chewing gum will harden and can easily be scraped off using the back of a spoon.
Toothpaste
Sometimes, the chewing gum will really fuse to the fibres of the garment which means freexing alone may not remove all of the gum. Toothpaste will work to break down the chewing gum ans essentially remove its sticky powers! Add toothpaste to the chewing gum, leave to work for a moment and gently work away the gum with fingers. You may need to use a metal spoon to remove the last remaining residue.
Tomato Sauce
Ketchup is the favourite condiment of most kids but its bright red colour is not so kind to those white school shirts! Thankfully, ketchup stains can be easily removed with this easy treatment method:
Start by rinsing the back of the fabric with cool water to help push out the stain. Next, pour neat dish soap onto the back of the fabric and work through to the other side where the stain is using a soft bristled toothbrush. Rinse with white vinegar and repeat on alternating sides of the fabric, blotting frequently with a paper towel. Eventually, the stain will disappear!
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