It’s Summer Stain Season!

Summer’s almost here and that means camping, cookouts, and barbecues. It also means an entirely new season of stains. Here are a few tips on dealing with the most common stains of the season.

1. Mustard – This is one of the most challenging to remove. Make sure to carefully wipe off as much excess as possible but do not rub it into your clothing. You can pre-treat with a stain remover, but double check the clothing care tag. Wash the pre-treated garment in warm water as soon as you get home.
2. Watermelon – While watermelon is made mostly of water the juice can leave a residual stain if not treated properly. First, dab the area with a wet towel to absorb the pink watermelon juice. Then dab with a damp towel. After checking the care label, treat the area with a pre-treatment for stains with a sugary base, then wash per the instructions.
3. Ketchup & BBQ Sauce – Put a paper towel or napkin over the stain and from inside the garment, flush the stain with some cold water to get most of it on the napkin or paper towel. Depending on the fabric of your garment, consider pre-treating the stain with some liquid laundry detergent and let it sit for a few minutes. This will help break up the stain. Rinse well with more cold water and then put it in the wash.
4. Iced Tea – An iced tea stain doesn’t get into the fabric as quickly as hot tea does. Take a clean ice cube and rub it on the stain. Pat the area with a dry paper towel or napkin. To be sure, bring the stained item to Flair instead of washing.
5. Buttered Corn – You will need to address that oil stain as soon as possible. Put some sugar on the stain and pat it with a napkin or paper towel to help absorb some of the grease. Let it sit and then brush off the sugar. If the garment is machine washable, pre-treat the stain with a liquid stain remover or detergent designed specifically to remove oil based stains. After checking the clothing care label, wash in the hottest water possible. Or bring it to Flair. Once you wash an oil stain, any remaining oil will set permanently.

Note: Regardless of the season, always make sure to check the manufacturer’s label before treating a garment. When spotting a stain, be sure to use a white towel. Never rub, always dab. If you stain any garments that are dry-clean only (such as silk or other delicate fabrics), be sure to consult with Flair before trying at-home care.