Whether sweat, rust, blood, or anything else, a stain can be embarrassing and make your white clothes look less pristine.
Fortunately, there are many things you can do to help get rid of those annoying spots. The trick is to act fast!
1. Detergent
Detergent stains are a common problem that can ruin your laundry. Luckily, there are ways to remove these stains from your white clothes.
The most important thing is to choose the suitable detergent for your clothing. You should always read the wash care label to know which type of detergent you should use.
Also, make sure you’re using the proper water temperature for your clothes. This can help prevent detergent stains from developing in the first place.
Some laundry detergents have optical brighteners that will keep your white clothes looking as clean and fresh as possible. However, these can be expensive, and some may not work as well as others. If you’re looking for something inexpensive to add to your laundry routine, try adding a stain presoak to the washer. This will help break up tough protein stains and make your whites look brighter.
2. Stain Remover
Whether from sweat, wine, rust, or blood, stains on white clothes can be a significant pain. Luckily, plenty of ways to remove them without damaging your garment exist.
The first step is to pre-treat the stain, which may involve applying a liquid, spray, or powder to the affected area. This can take a little time, but giving it a chance to work is essential, especially if you cannot wash the garment immediately.
If a stain persists, plenty of on-the-go stain removers promise to get out most stains (including grease) in minutes. Several of them, including Shout gel and Method stain remover, is available in convenient, portable packaging that you can easily pack in your purse or luggage for easy on-the-go action.
Before using any stain remover, always do a spot test to ensure it’s safe for the fabric you are treating. You want to ensure the product will not discolor or damage your clothing, so test it out on a hidden part of the fabric, like the hem or cuffs, before applying it to the whole garment.
3. Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol is an excellent product for removing stains from white clothes. You can use it to remove ink, sticker, and even permanent marker stains.
For ink stains, pour rubbing alcohol on a paper towel, sponge it around, and directly on the paint. Repeat as needed until the ink is removed from the clothing.
If the ink is not entirely removed, try soaking the garment in liquid laundry detergent until clean. Then, rinse it and wash it as usual.
You can also try baking soda, commonly found in the pantry. Baking soda is a gentle abrasive that can help break up ink stains.
However, if you use rubbing alcohol to remove a bleached or dyed stain, it will leave behind a film of colors that can be difficult to remove. If you don’t want to deal with these stains, you can try using a solution of dishwashing detergent and white vinegar to remove the stains.
4. Cold Water
If you are trying to remove stains from white clothes, cold water can be a helpful way to get rid of them. However, you should always check your item’s care label to ensure it is safe to wash in cold water.
For instance, washing a red-wine-stained tablecloth should be washed in cold water first to flush out any residue before using hot water. This will prevent any dyes from bleeding onto other clothes in the machine.
Blood stains are another type of stain that should be removed with cold water. This is because hot water encourages proteins in the blood to set into the fabric.
To remove blood stains, soak the garment in cold water for at least 30 minutes to loosen the blood. Then, rinse the clothing thoroughly with warm water and launder as usual.
