Tips for removing summertime stains from clothes

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - Summertime brings grass, dirt and sweat stains on clothes and uniforms. Those stains can be especially difficult to remove.

Joanna Svingos-Smith is a clothes cleaning expert at Victor’s Cleaners and Launderers and knows you can’t always take baseball pants and soccer uniforms to the dry cleaner’s, so how can you do it at home? She says it starts with an enzyme detergent.

“You want to read the label and make sure it has some stain fighters in it, that it’s an enzyme cleaner,” Svingos-Smith said.

There are all kinds of spot cleaners on the market. It’s hard knowing what’s the best one.

Svingos-Smith says the best one is the detergent you already have.

“Dirt or grass stains, you want to let detergent sit on the stain, rub it a little bit,” she said. “After it sits for a little bit you can process it at home, wash it like you normally would.”

Products aside, the temperature of your water can make a difference in stain fighting.

“Warm water and an enzyme detergent helps activate the enzyme detergent much quicker than cold water,” Svingos-Smith said. “You can wash things in cold water, but if you want to use some warm water to work on the stain, let it set for 15, 20, 30 minutes, then wash it in cold that should be fine too.”

This time of year you may be washing your clothes more often. Svingos-Smith says that’s actually good for them. Keeping the clothes clean helps with preserving the fabric.

You may be tempted to scrub the stain out. It’s better for the fabric and more effective to tap the detergent on the stain instead of rubbing.

Keep checking the WSAZ app for the latest information.