Cleaning Tips for Summer Stains

Summer is filled with green grass, ice cream cones, outdoor activities and beautiful sunshine. But we all know these joys can easily translate into unsightly stains on your family’s clothing. Luckily, it doesn't have to mean the end of the road for your favorite pair of shorts or your daughter's best summer dress. With a little help from us and Tide®, you can keep that summer fresh feeling alive in your clothes. Try our guide to removing those difficult summer stains*.

• Sunscreen Slip-up:If a blob of sunscreen appears on your workout clothes or bathing suit, and it's caused a stain—no worries. To remove sunscreen stains from a colored spandex garment, pre-treat the stain with liquid detergent, and then wash it in warm water. For a swimsuit, hand wash in cool water with Tide Liquid and rinse thoroughly.

• Dirt Dilemma:How does one little kid get so dirty playing outside? We might never know the answer, but we can help you get rid of the offending dirt from your child's clothing.

1. Brush the excess stain off the surface of the fabric.
2. Rinse in cold water to dilute the stain.
3. Using a plastic bucket, create a soak solution by adding 1/2 use Tide per gallon of cold water. Allow the garment to soak for up to 30 minutes, weighting the item with a white towel to keep it totally submerged.
4. Wash in warm water with 1 use of Tide.
5. If stain remains, repeat steps before drying.

• Ice Cream Imperfection:If we can agree that ice cream is delicious, then we can agree that it can also be a royal pain to remove from your clothing. But it doesn’t have to be that way. To rid colored ramie, rayon, or linen* garments of ice cream stains, follow these five simple steps.

1. Brush the excess stain off the surface of the fabric.
2. Rinse in cold water to dilute the stain.
3. Pre-treat stain with detergent. Pour on to cover the affected area and let set for 20 minutes.
4. Wash in warm water with 1 use of Tide.
5. If stain remains, repeat steps before drying.

• Grassy Gaffe:If you have a little one in your household, grass stains can be a way of life. Detergent has come a long way in recent years, and a grass stain doesn't always have to mean ruined clothes. To help remove grass stains from colored cotton, ramie, rayon, and/or linen clothing*, the answer can be as simple as adding Tide Stain Release™ to your wash along with your regular detergent. Or follow these easy instructions.

1. Brush the excess stain off the surface of the fabric.
2. Pre-treat stain with Tide Liquid. Pour Tide on to cover stain and let set for 20 minutes.
3. Wash in warm water with 1 use of Tide.
4. If stain remains, repeat steps before drying.

Now that all your summer clothing is clean, make sure your laundry room stays that way, too. Here are a few tips to keep your laundry room organized:

Create Space

• Make sure you have adequate storage space for all your laundry products—don't just leave them atop the dryer! It should be easy for you to find what you need, and you should be able to easily reach all your laundry tools. You might consider installing inexpensive shelving, if you don't already have some.
• Make space for your ironing board somewhere in your laundry area, as this is usually the next step after washing and drying. Look into attaching an ironing-board hanger to the wall. The board will be out of the way but easily accessible.
• If you don't have room for a folding table, try attaching a fold-down shelf to the wall.

Keep it Clean

• Put a wastebasket next to the dryer to easily dispose of lint buildup from the lint trap.
• Keep a box of Swiffer® 360° Dusters in the laundry area. Use the Swiffer 360° Dusters to quickly dust the room.
• Add a roll of Bounty® paper towels to your laundry room. Use Bounty to wipe up liquid detergent drips or spills.
• Keep a small basket or bowl in the laundry room for "found" items, such as money, lipstick, receipts, and buttons.
• Hang a bulletin board where you can tack socks without mates.