Spring youth baseball, softball, football, and soccer games are in full swing—rain or shine! While it’s fun to watch the kids play and give it their all, it’s not so fun for the moms and dads who clean the uniforms after the game. Parents know that just one base slide or a slip and sprawl on the grass will result in some serious laundry room time. Add to that, wet fields, sweat, blood, Gatorade, and other hard play stains!
Sport pants stained with hard play–dirt, grass, sweat, blood, and more, mean work in the laundry room. For best results and to minimize the work and time spent cleaning them, sport pants should be sent to the laundry room as soon as possible after the game. The longer sweat and stains sit, the harder they are to clean. While methods and products may differ for those who clean uniforms, there are 4 musts:
- get to the stains ASAP,
- avoid using chlorine bleach,
- wash alone or with like colors,
- wash inside out to reduce potential peeling of letters or numbers, and
- air dry.
Textile experts would concur with the “mom” advice. Further, they recommend that any stain removal should begin by
1) identifying the fiber type, and
2) determining the stain type.
Depending on the fiber or stain type, the stain removal process is different.
FIBER. Most sport uniforms are made of polyester or a blend of cotton and polyester, with polyester being widely used for youth sport uniforms. Polyester uniforms are extremely durable and also exhibit moisture wicking properties which allows sweat to wick away from the skin for more efficient evaporation. Polyester’s downside is it’s affinity for oil-based stains and shrinkage with heat. Check the garment tag to determine the fiber content and note if spandex is part of the mix. (Some caution may be needed with Spandex as it may not take the usual harsh treatment needed to get the uniforms clean.)
STAIN TYPE. Most sport-induced stains are either protein stains or dye stains. Protein-based stains include blood, sweat, grass, mud and most dirts; protein stains can be time-consuming to remove as they usually involve some soaking time. Grass stains can also be a dye stain as the stain comes from chlorophyll in the grass. Red clay stain is another dye stain. Red clay is the dirt combination used to skin the infield made of clay mixed with sand or silt and topped with brick dust. The reddish color of the dirt comes from iron oxide or rust. A combination of chlorophyll and red clay stains make uniform cleaning tough.
Grass, Blood, Sweat Stains
Reach for an enzyme-based product and pre-soak in cold to lukewarm (less than 100 degrees F) water. Protein stains will set if exposed to hot water, an iron, or a dryer. Heat cooks the protein, causing coagulation between the fibers in the yarns of the fabric, making the stains more difficult to remove. Enzyme based products (presoaks and detergents) work best as these cleaners contain enzymes that “eat” protein stains. When shopping for an enzyme laundry product, pay attention to products that have “bio” or “enzyme action” somewhere in their name usually indicating that it likely contains enzymes. Launder by working a small amount of an enzyme based detergent into the stains and wash in enzyme detergent. If the stain persists, the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) recommends laundering with sodium hypochlorite bleach, if safe for fabric, or oxygen bleach.
Dirt Stains
Regular dirt stains respond to products that contain wetting agents. Liquid dish soap (blue Dawn), laundry detergent, or some of the stain-removing sprays are typically used. Wetting agents enable water and cleaning agents to penetrate the fabric for better release of dirt.
Red Clay Stains
Red clay (rust) stains are allergic to both chlorine and oxygen bleaches. Chlorine bleach may set or make the stain permanent. Pretreat the stain with dish soap, detergent, or spot cleaner; soak in warm water, scrub with a brush and launder. Cleanipedia recommends rubbing an enzyme detergent into the stain, letting it set overnight, and washing as usual. If the stain persists, Cleanipedia also offers more drastic solutions using vinegar and salt and ammonia solutions.
Nike, manufacturer of many kinds of sport pants, recommends soaking for at least an hour. After soaking the pants, scrub the stain with a spare, clean toothbrush or scrub brush to help release dirt particles. Then, wash the pants in warm water (approximately 110 degrees F) using the heavy soil cycle and plenty of water. Nike also suggests using detergents that are made specifically for athletic uniform care as they are lower in alkaline preventing yellowing of whites or color loss. Lastly, avoid using fabric softener on garments that contain Dri-FIT materials, as it can reduce the moisture-wicking properties of the fabric.
Clubbies, the nickname for those who launder uniforms for the major league teams, suggest the use of a product called Slide Out. Slide Out is formulated with additives that increase the effectiveness of detergent to remove tough red clay, blood, ground in dirt, sweat, odors, and hard to remove grass stains from all activity uniforms. It is a two-part product. Slide Out 1 permeates the fabric and opens up the yarns and fibers. Slide Out 2 reacts with Slide Out 1 taking out the dirt and stain. Slide Out is recommended as a post stain remover. Originally developed for the major leagues, Slide Out is now available to consumers along with other uniform cleaning products directly from the company, Clubhouse Kit LLC, that developed the products.
There are any number of other products on the market that suggest that they will do the job as well. As always, products should be used per label directions and tested in an inconspicuous spot prior to use.
“HATS OFF” to all the moms, dads, and grandparents that support youth and their activities with their time, encouragement, and laundry duty!
*Reference to any commercial product, process, or service, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporate name is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement, recommendation, or certification of any kind. Persons using such products assume responsibility for their use and should make their own assessment of the information and whether it is suitable for their intended use in accordance with current directions of the manufacturer.
Updated February 2024, mg.
I have gotten a few calls lately from callers that needed to wash a quilt. We always need to get a bit more information when giving washing directions. It is important to know the age and condition of the quilt along with how the quilt was constructed and quilted. In addition, is the quilt actually soiled or does it need to be freshened?
Over the years you may have purchased clothing that faded from its brilliant color after cleaning or laundering. The same thing has happened to me. You may have also heard about “home remedies” that were suppose to “set” dyes. I know I have had people recommend to me such things as vinegar and water; salt, alum and water; or a combination of vinegar, salt, alum and water to be added to the wash or rinse cycle to help prevent color loss. Unfortunately none of those methods substantially reduce color loss. Those remedies are basically a waste of time, energy and money. So it was interesting to me when I recently purchased a new top that the store included the two care cards you see pictured. When I asked about them the store clerk helping me said it was because the top was black.
Now that the holidays are over, it is time to tackle those items in the laundry room that were set aside until you figure out how to get the stains out.
Now that the weather has changed it is time to store all the spring and summer clothing away and make room for the warm winter clothing. It can be tempting to pack things away without examining them for stains. Sometimes we don’t notice a stain on a piece of clothing but when we get the clothing out of storage, the stains are very noticeable and sometimes hard to remove. These stains can be caused by sugary foods or even perspiration that was not removed before storing the garment.
With kids back in school, it’s probably only a matter of time until you hear about head lice. Anyone who comes in close contact with someone who already has head lice is at risk for acquiring head lice as they are easily transmitted from head to head. Preschool and elementary-school children and their families are most often infected. While head lice infestation is very common and has been around for centuries, they are contagious, an annoyance and disruption to family life, and sometimes tough to get rid of—been there, done that!
We took a bit of a road trip over the weekend. My husband and I picked up one of our daughters and her three young sons for a trip to Nebraska to meet the newest member of the family. Our truck was fairly crowded with our 6-year-old, the 3-year-old, and the 3-month old baby grandsons. Their mom bought a couple of special toys for the older boys to help pass the time on our 5-hour drive. Both boys got a coloring book with Crayola markers. They seemed to enjoy coloring the pictures and it did take them a long time to tire of the books. On our trip home from Nebraska we noticed that one of the boy’s quilts had either a blood stain or a marker stain on it. We had the boys pass the red marker up to the front seat and when we compared the color, we were sure that it was a marker stain.
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We talked in an earlier blog post about the challenge of summer food stains but there are other stains that challenge us in the summer months. I thought we would address some of these as well.
