Small children are messy, sticky creatures – there’s no getting away from it – and that means that their clothes, and yours, can take quite a beating at mealtimes and when playing. Treating stains properly straight away reduces the risk of permanent damage to clothes, which is good news when your favourite top has a close encounter of the strawberry kind.
Grass stains – soak in milk, rinse and wash as normal
Red fruits – stretch out the area where the stain is and pour boiling water onto it or soak in very hot water and agitate frequently
Blood – the best stain remover is that person’s saliva which contains enzymes to help break it down but in case you don’t want to teach children to spit or it’s a big stain you should run the stain under cold water. For delicate fabrics mix salt and water together and spread it on the stain or try hand soap.
Chocolate – wash as soon as possible in warm water and soap flakes or hand soap
Grease – the best method is to apply dishwashing liquid to the back of the stain (so the inside of a t-shirt for example), rub in and then rinse out with hot water from the back of the stain. If you can see any grease on the right side lift it gently with kitchen roll. Repeat if necessary.
Tomato – you can either stretch out the fabric, stain down, over a sieve or colander and pour boiling water over it from a distance of about a foot OR sponge the stain with cold water, rub it with a slice of lemon, and
then spray with stain remover before washing.
Mud – the good news is that mud should wash out of most clothes easily, but if you get mud on your UGG boots leave them to dry and then brush off. If this leaves behind marks from the water then wet the whole of the boot again (trust us!) before blotting it with a towel so it’s evenly wet and stuff with newspaper before leaving them to dry overnight.
Banana – probably the most challenging and one of the most common stains! Treat ASAP by applying dry borax then pouring hot water through the stain and washing as normal.
