Pulling out your white jeans and sipping rosé at an outdoor café means summer is officially here—but with it comes the added threat of spilling said rosé on said jeans (happens to the best of us).
Instead of declaring them ruined, we tapped stain-removing experts Gwen Whiting and Lindsey Boyd (the co-founders of chic, eco-friendly fabric and home-cleaning brand The Laundress) for all the need-to-know intel on how to remove summer-specific stains.
“Summertime brings about outdoor workouts, al fresco happy hours, and stickier, more colorful food groups—which creates the perfect storm for all kinds of stains,” Boyd says.
“Summertime brings about outdoor workouts, al fresco happy hours, and stickier, more colorful food groups—which creates the perfect storm for all kinds of stains.”
The biggest deterrent they’ve noticed when it comes to proper fabric care is a lack of education and confidence (Exhibit A: Chucking your jeans—or sending to the dry cleaner—instead of attempting to get the stain out yourself).
“This issue leads to the improper care of clothing or relying solely on the dry cleaner, which can lead to high dry cleaning bills, chemical-ridden clothes, and even damage,” Whiting says. “The Laundress empowers people to wash with confidence using fabric-specific formulas and comprehensive step-by-step laundering guides.” Summer spills got nothin’ on you.
Scroll down for expert advice on removing 4 different types of stains, starring Well+Good senior editor Jordan Galloway.
1. Sweat stains
Keeping up your active lifestyle during the summer means double opportunities to get your sweat on—so your activewear will definitely need some extra love to keep them looking (and smelling) fresh.
“When dealing with sweat stains on athleticwear, t-shirts, or any washable shirts, one mistake we often see is not pre-treating,” Boyd says. “It’s important to pre-treat susceptible areas and prevent stains before each wash to remove buildup and avoid future or stubborn set-in stains.”
Follow the steps below to stop sweat stains in their tracks:
Sign up for the Well+Good SHOP Newsletter
Get exclusive deals on wellness, beauty, fitness, and food products that have been hand-picked by our editors.
Got it, you've been added to our email list.
