T-shirt capture our adventures, but also collect their share of stains. Grass, grease, coffee, makeup - they all left their mark on your dear tees. Though frustrating, most stains can be rid of with a few household ingredients. Read this LionKingShirt article, and arm yourself with the knowledge against dirty shirts!
Stains From Nature
Grass stains can be pesky unless you treat them right away. If the stain is fresh, try dabbing a bit of dish soap directly onto the green smears, letting it sit for about 5 minutes before laundering as usual with an enzyme-based detergent. For stubborn, set-in grass stains, make a cleaning paste by mixing dish soap, white vinegar and warm water. Gently scrub this paste into the stain using a toothbrush, let it sit briefly, then rinse and wash.
With thick mud stains, you gotta let the mud fully dry first, then gently brush off any excess clumps. Next, pretreat the remaining dirt by a liquid stain remover specially formulated for mud and clay. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes before rinsing the shirt and washing it with warm, soapy water.
Sweat stains can also be a pet peeve. If the stain is fresh, apply some undiluted lemon juice or plain white vinegar directly onto it before tossing the shirt in the wash. The acid helps cut through alkaline sweat residue. For more set-in sweat marks, first pretreat using some meat tenderizer containing enzymes that help break down the protein in dried sweat and body oils.
You can never avoid sweat stains, especially on sunny days
Stains From Everyday Activities
Dark coffee and tea stains should be pretreated by either a liquid stain remover stick, a gel designed for tannin stains, or a solvent-like hand sanitizer containing glycol ethers. For white shirts, make a simple paste by mixing the borax powder with water and rubbing it into coffee stains. Let it sit briefly before rinsing and washing.
Grease stains are best tackled quickly before the oil sets. Gently dab a bit of dish soap directly onto the stain, taking care not to scrub aggressively. Let this sit for a few minutes, then rinse under running water until you see the grease cut through and lift away. Launder right away while the stain is still fresh. Avoid hot water when washing grease stains, as it can set the oils into fibers.
For body oil and deodorant stains, treat them by rubbing a few drops of undiluted dish soap thoroughly into the marks, even if they've already set. Rinse with running water, then repeat washing if any residue remains. According to Marc Katz, a POD and T-shirt expert, the surfactants in dish soap help cut through oils and sweat.
Stains From Chemicals
Oil-based paint, varnish or ink stains should be treated by gently dabbing the spot with a paper towel soaked in non-acetone nail polish remover, taking care to avoid fragile decorative areas on the shirt. For water-based paint or ink stains, try soaking the spot in milk for about 30 minutes before rinsing and washing normally in cool water.
Fixing a car in your T-shirt can bring lots of dirty problems
Fresh blood stains should be promptly rinsed under cold running water at the back of the fabric to push the stain through. Next, rub a bar of soap gently into the stain, rinse completely in cold water until it disappears, then go ahead and wash normally. Avoid hot water when removing blood stains. For dried stains, an enzyme pretreatment is best.
Greasy motor oil or gear fluid stains can be tricky, but try sprinkling some cornstarch, talc powder, or clay onto the stain and letting it sit overnight. This allows the powder to absorb oily components. In the morning, gently brush off the powder and wash as usual. The powder wicks out embedded oils.
Conclusion
With knowledge and a stain-fighting arsenal ready, pesky spots stand little chance of ruining your beloved tees. Trust techniques matched to the stain?s source and chemistry. Patience and promptness keep stains from setting.
And FYI, the tips you just read came from an expert in the POD industry. Read more about his findings in https://qoto.org/@lionkingshirt/114063928955629652.
Follow these instructions and in no time, your shirt?s stories will shine bright again!