How to Remove Summer's Most Common Stains

1 Grass

We don't know any parent who can't wait for the days when the weather is nice enough for their kids to play outside, but that doesn't mean those days don't come without their downsides. Grass stains can be a huge pain during the Summer. Be sure to pretreat a grass stain with a stain remover (you can even go DIY with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide) and scrub it gently with a toothbrush to get the liquid into the fibers. Put the clothes in the washer with a standard laundry detergent, and repeat the process if necessary for particularly stubborn stains.

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2 Sticky, Sugary Drinks

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Lemonade, iced tea, and the occasional soda are a regular Summer staple. You can try to keep these drinks outside to avoid messes on your carpet, but liquid detergent and a mixture of vinegar and warm water should do the trick on clothes and carpets. Blot the stain to prevent it from taking hold on the fibers, and rinse with plain water.

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3 Ice Cream

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One of Summer's most delicious treats is also the source of one of the most dreaded stains. If your child gets ice cream on his clothes, run cold water through the back of the fabric as soon as you can. Apply hand soap to the stain if you're near a bathroom and rinse with cold water. Put the clothes in the washer as soon as possible and those stains should be gone!

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4 Mud

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Try as you might, your kid's clothes are almost like a magnet when it comes to attracting dirt. In the Spring and Summer, when mud puddles are calling your child's name, the best way to clean a mud stain is to wait until it's dry. Wiping wet dirt will just make the stain bigger and more ingrained in the fibers. You can use a scraping tool or even a vacuum to remove the dirt once it has dried, then use a detergent and a stain remover to pretreat the area before putting it in the washer.

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5 Ketchup and Mustard

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Nothing says school is out quite like hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill! But those delicious, beloved foods can leave quite a mess, especially when it comes to your children. As soon as you notice the condiments on your kids' clothing, scrape off as much as you can with a knife. Apply some lemon juice into the stain and rub it in with your fingers (or flush it with cold water if you don't have any lemons handy), then throw the clothes in the washer. Whatever you do, don't use bleach on mustard stains, as this will just turn them red!

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6 Tree Sap

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Don't let fear of tree sap stains prevent your kids from exploring and climbing trees. Instead, pretreat any sap stains with a laundry detergent and let it sit for five minutes. Wash the clothing as normal, but repeat the steps before putting the clothes in the dryer if you have a particularly stubborn stain.

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