Parenthood brings a new set of chores (ahem… laundry). Whether it’s juice stains or stubborn, set-in gum we hope this tutorial will help. Here are a few tips and tricks to cleaning your little ones’ garments and getting those stubborn stains out.

Stain removal

Fruit juice:

It happens often, spilt juice down the front of a little one’s shirt. When that happens, don’t panic.

• Submerge the piece of clothing into cold water and leave it for about half an hour (do not use hot water).
• When the time is up apply a little white vinegar to the affected area and let it sit for another half an hour.
• Throw it into the wash and add a little bleach to the cycle at the right time.

Crayon:

What’s more difficult than cleaning crayon off a garment? Cleaning melted crayon. If that presents a challenge for you, check this out.

• Remove as much of the crayon as possible by scrapping it off with a dull knife.
• Lay the garment flat onto white paper towels making sure the stain is facing the towels.
• Apply WD-40 onto the affected area and let it sit for up to 10 minutes.
• When the time is up, check the stain.
• Spray it again, this time rubbing it with a little bit of liquid soap. Rinse well.
• Machine-wash the garment like you normally would.

Gum:

The dreaded gum isn’t as hard to remove as you may think.

• The best way to deal with gum situations is to harden the substance by rubbing it with an ice cube for a few seconds/minutes.
• Scrape as much as you can off with a dull knife.
• Since you will hardly get all of the gum out of the garment simply by scrapping it apply glycerin or another lubricant to the affected area. It will help to loosen the leftover gum.
• Continue scraping off the gum with the knife.
• Afterwards, apply a dab of soap, clean and rinse.
• Toss in the laundry machine and wash as usual.

Grass:

Ah, grass stains are tough! Who knew that nature can be so harsh on our garments? The thing that makes grass stains so difficult to remove is chlorophyll.

• Spray the affected area with a pre-wash cleaner.
• To wash the garment, use very hot water and an enzyme detergent advised by MoveOutCleanLondon SE2.

Glue:

• Let the glue harden and scrape it off with a knife.
• If there are still remnants of the glue after you finish scraping off, apply glycerin or another lubricant to the offending area and continue scraping.
• Rinse well and throw in the wash.

Laundry Detergent Recipe:

When washing your kids’ clothes, you want to stick with kids-friendly products. Make sure to replace your commercial fabric softener with plain vinegar. It is a natural deodorizer, plus it helps remove bacteria and germs, so it actually does double duty. Not to mention, it is eco-friendly. To wash your kiddos’ garments, always opt for laundry detergents that are specially designed with kids. The market offers an abundance of products, and you can make detergent at home. You’ll need:

• 1 bar of soap
• ½ cup of OxiClean
• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of washing soda

Grate the bar, mix it with all the other ingredients in a large container and stir. Store it in a dry, cool place. Use as you normally use a laundry detergent. Use 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture per load.

Additional tips:

If your children play sports, make sure to wash their sports equipment as soon as possible before it has the chance to become a breeding ground or get that unpleasant odor. Always leave the garments outside to air out before you throw them in the wash.

Author: Sebastian Harvey of Move Out Clean London