What to Do If Your Child’s Clothes Are Covered in Dirt and Grime
Jolie Kerr is a cleaning expert, advice columnist, and New York Times bestselling author of My Boyfriend Is Boiling In My Purse … And Other Things You Can’t Ask Martha About . Her flagship column, Ask a Pure Man, debuted in 2011. Here at Offspring, we’ve launched a new iteration of it, with a focus on parenting and all the mess it brings.
Have you covered the lapped-in dirt from a child who wore light-colored pants when crawling outside? Knees in the mud. 🙁
I didn’t know and I’m so glad you asked this question! Because we are here in the summer when there are showers, outdoor games, etc., etc., etc.
Dirt is the funniest animal in the world of spots! This is one of the few stains that is not better to heal immediately, and here’s why: After the dirt has dried again and turned into dirt, most of it can be brushed off, which is the first step in removing the dirty stains. So! If your child is caught in the mud, you can sit down, relax, grab another spritzer, and just sit back and try to get rid of the stains.
Once you get to the mud staining stage, or if you, as our writer, started with the muddy staining stage, pay attention to what you are dealing with. If the stain is confined to a small area, such as the knees of an overalls, or a few splashes on the back of the trousers, all that is needed is a pre-treatment of the stain and a wash of the garment.
When it comes to choosing the right stain pretreatment, it’s good to know that dirt and grime (and grass!) Are classified as protein stains because they are organic. The best products to use on protein stains are those that are enzymatic based like Zout or Krud Kutter Sports Stain Remover . It can also be helpful to rub the fabric against yourself a little so that the product soaks into the stain before the garment is sent to the washing machine. Another product, the Shout Advanced Ultra Gel Brush , does not load the enzymes as heavily as others (although it contains the protease subtilisin), but the design of the product allows you to apply the gel to the stain and then use a bristle cap to rub the product into the fibers – an excellent choice for removing dirty spots.
If it is a larger stain, it may take a little more work to successfully remove all the dirt. But hopefully not too much, too much work! You will still want to start by removing as much dirt as possible, and then you are going to soak the clothes for an hour or night before washing. As with stains, it is best to use an enzyme-based soak product, although oxygenated bleaches will also help with prolonged soaking situations. BIZ and Tide Ultra Stain Release (which also has a dye and odor free formula) are solid detergents when it comes to removing protein stains, and soaking contaminated clothing in any of these detergents before washing will go a long way. in removing all this dirt. Using a wash brush will also help remove dirt from the fibers – I use a long handled nail brush as a “wash brush” and I find it very helpful in removing stubborn stains when combined with a wash brush. long soaking method.
Whichever path you choose – spot treatment or long soaking – at the end of the path is washing. One small note about washing clothes that are stained with dirt and grime: make sure the stains are gone before the clothes are sent to the dryer, as the heat from the dryer leaves a stain. And sometimes stains won’t come out after the first wash, but don’t despair! Sometimes a second spin through the washing machine is required to completely remove the stain.