It’s that time of year, again! That bittersweet time for your little ones (or your teenagers!) to pack up their backpacks and head off to another exciting school year! During the school year you’ve probably experienced frustration when your children come home and have grown out of their clothes seemingly overnight or added a few rips and stains in their clothes during recess. As stressful as going back to school can be for parents and children alike, we want to take some stress off of you by guiding you through four common school-related stains and easy ways to rid your children’s clothes of those pesky stains that like to tag along on the bus home with them!

1. Mud

Mud is one of the most common stains found on children’s clothing. From recess after a big rain, to football and soccer practice, mud can be a frustrating stain for parents to try to get out of their children’s clothes. To get rid of these muddy stains, simply start with a dull butter knife and scrape off any dry, loose mud off of the fabric. After that, use a scoop of your Clean People Oxygen Brightener with a little warm water to create a spreadable paste. Using an old toothbrush, lightly scrub the paste into the stain on both sides of the fabric. Let this mixture sit for 15 minutes and then wash as normal using your Clean People Laundry Detergent Pods or Detergent Sheets, and enjoy mud-free clothes (at least until next time!).

2. Ink 

Ink is another annoying culprit of frustrating stains. During school, your children may like to take their pens apart and play with them or hoard them in their pants’ pocket, and inevitably their pen breaks or the ink spills in their backpacks and comes into contact with their clothes. Although this type of stain can seem very daunting to remove, here are some simple suggestions. Find an alcohol-based solvent such as hand sanitizer, rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, or hairspray and use enough to saturate the stained area. Let this sit for a few minutes, then dab with a towel or cloth soaked in water or that same solvent. Finally, wash on a cold cycle since warm water will potentially set the stain in further.

**Use caution when applying solvents to clothing as they could potentially cause color damage. Test the colorfastness by applying the solvent first to an inconspicuous area such as the bottom hem of pants or the back collar of a shirt where hair might cover.

3. Juice 

We all enjoyed a yummy, cold juice box on a hot day after recess or a bottle of post-workout after basketball practice. Unfortunately, accidents happen sometimes and juice may get spilled on your children’s white uniform polos or their outfit for tomorrow night’s recital, and you’ve probably thought that the world was ending! Here are some ways to ensure an easy performance from your washing machine when removing those juice stains. First, encourage your children to blot all food/drink stains as soon as they happen to reduce the amount of traveling the stain does on the fabric. Next, soak the fabric in a mixture of 1 quart of warm water and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar for approximately 15 minutes. Lightly sponge some rubbing alcohol and then wash as normal with your Clean People Laundry Detergent and a scoop of your Clean People Oxygen Brightener to help boost the stain-fighting action.

4. Sweat 

Our body’s sweat is made up primarily of water, ammonia, salt, and sugar which are all colorless and odorless substances. However, once they become mixed with other substances such as deodorant, chemicals in clothing, and bacteria they can become yellow or brown and, in turn, stain the clothing in which they come into contact. This can be quite a frustrating ordeal since, unfortunately, it cannot be avoided. Here are some ways to make laundry day easier when washing your children’s sweaty clothes. First, mix 1 cup of vinegar with 2 cups of warm water and rinse the stained areas. Launder as normal while adding a scoop of your Clean People Oxygen Brightener  to boost stain removal. 

**Laundry Hack: For removing sweat stains, a good last resort option if nothing else works, is to rub lemon juice on the stain and allow it to sit and dry in the sun for a few hours. Lemon reacts with the sun to help lighten and brighten whatever it comes into contact with!