If you play sports like soccer, getting mud and dirt on your clothes is a part of life. Getting them off again can be a challenge. Is there an easy way to clean them? How can you get dirt stains out of clothes?
How to Get Dirt Stains Out of Clothes
You need a different approach to dirt and mud. Dirt stains are not the same as wine stains and shouldn’t be treated similarly. I’ve put together a step-by-step guide to show you how to remove dirt and mud simply and effectively. Follow these instructions and your mud stain woes will disappear.
You will need:
- Clothes brush
- Vacuum cleaner
- Lint roller
- Butter knife
- Toothbrush
- Washing machine
- Your usual laundry detergent
- Stain remover
- Borax
- Distilled white vinegar
- Baking soda
Get Dirt Stains Out of Clothes – Dealing With Dry Dirt
Step 1 to Get Dirt Stains
Brush the surface dirt off with a clothes brush. You can also use a vacuum cleaner, but make sure you use the vacuum cleaner’s wand and the upholstery brush. Give it a bit of a shake, too, as this will loosen any remaining dust particles.
Step 2
Run a lint roller over the garment as this will pick up any loose dirt particles still present on the surface of the clothing.
Step 3
Check your garment label. If it is a dry clean only item, take it to a dry cleaner for professional cleaning. If it’s washable, prewash the garment with a commercial stain remover.
Then wash the item as you would normally. Adding ¼ cup of borax will boost your laundry detergent and help it get rid of any remaining dirt dust to help prevent stains. Putting ¼ cup of vinegar in the final rinse will make sure all traces of detergent and borax are removed.
Once the wash cycle has been completed, check for signs of residual dirt before drying the garment. If it has all been removed, you can dry the clothing. To be safe, air dry on a clothesline. Only use your dryer if you are positive all the dirt has gone.
Get Dirt Stains Out of Clothes – Dealing With Mud
Step 1
Before you do anything else, check the care label on your garment. You need to make sure it is washable. If the label says “dry clean only”, don’t try to wash the mud stains out. Take it to a professional dry cleaning facility. The hints and tips I’ll show you in this section will only work on washable clothing.
Step 2
You’ll need to take a deep breath for this one. Once you’ve identified your garment as washable, the next thing you want to do is nothing. That’s right. Step away from the clothing and let that mud dry.
Step 3
Once it is completely dry, scrape off the surface mud with your butter knife. The edge of an old credit card will work too. Next, brush the garment with a clothes brush to remove any remaining flakes of dried mud.
Step 4
Soak the stained area with liquid detergent. Leave the garment for 15 minutes to let the detergent seep into the fibers. Grab your toothbrush and hold it under cold running water until it is wet. Then, use the toothbrush to work the detergent into the stain. Use a circular motion working from the inside of the stain outwards. Leave the garment for 10 minutes and rub it again with the toothbrush.
Step 5
Apply stain remover to the area. You can use a commercial stain remover for this. Rub it into the stain with your toothbrush. Then, leave it to soak into the stain for 5 minutes.
Step 6
Wash the garment as you would normally using your usual laundry detergent. Add ¼ cup of borax to give your detergent an extra boost. Put ¼ cup of distilled white vinegar in the final rinse to remove all traces of borax and detergent. Once the cycle has been completed, check the item for signs of staining. If there are none, move on to step 7.
You might find there is a residual smell caused by the mud. You can spray this with distilled white vinegar. Or sprinkle baking soda on the area. Leave the garment overnight. Check again in the morning. Should any stains or smells still exist, repeat step 6. If not, go on to step 7.
Step 7
It’s time to dry your garment. The best way to do this is to hang it on an external clothesline and allow it to dry naturally. Sunlight will help kill off any remaining bacteria from the dirt and help eliminate any residual odors. Including any smell from the vinegar if you used it in the last step.
Avoid using your dryer until you are 100% convinced that all the mud has been removed. The heat from the dryer will set the mud stain, making it permanent. Or at least a lot harder to expel.
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