zillion stains on school shirts. help please!

Florenceem

I had 3 boys and 3 girls. At Junior School they were all in white shirts/blouses. Cheap bleach on a cotton bud works well!

BitterAndTwisted

I've never found kid's school-type stains come out with ordinary washing. I always used give them a good going over with one of those Vanish stain sticks and a nail-brush before going in the machine. If all else fails a good long soak in Biotex before machine washing. Ive got tomato and blackcurrant stains out of whites with those and have never had to resort to bleach. Nowadays, when there are no mucky nippers to clean up after I chuck Napisan in with the tea-towels and that brings them up a treat.

fiesta04

Add 2 scoopfuls of soda crystals to the wash and wash on 50 degrees. If that fails, as above, use thin bleach.

jovichick123

Thanks all

I will have a go at tackling the stains this weekend, maybe then move on to teach DS to stop being such a messy monster :P

concerned43

when you say bleach - do you mean domesticated bleach? as i did this with DS shirts and they turn yellow!

Magpie27

concerned43 wrote: »

when you say bleach - do you mean domesticated bleach? as i did this with DS shirts and they turn yellow!

This happened to me to, never understood how people got stains out with bleach without making them go yellow

I've found now the best thing is too put own branded sterilising liquid straight on the stain leave for a bit them wash as normal. Did this with all of DD's white polo tops the other night and all but one has no stains now. The one offending ones has a couple of black pen marks which haven't shifted I think she will have to put up with them :rotfl:

Austin_Allegro

concerned43 wrote: »

when you say bleach - do you mean domesticated bleach? as i did this with DS shirts and they turn yellow!

I would only use neat (domestic) bleach as a last resort* for stains; and then I use it very carefully and sparingly with a cotton wool bud, just dabbing it onto the affected area.

I haven't really done it enough to do a proper controlled study, but it seems that some kinds of fabric turn yellow more than others.

* actually the real last resort for stains is to patch/darn over them or paint them with matching matte enamels. This only really works with patterned/textured fabrics. I wouldn't try it with white material, it would probably look like you'd tippexed it out!

Stephen_Leak

No-one's yet mentioned that old MSE OS favourite, Stardrops. I regularly soak my white shirts before washing to get out make-up stains. Don't ask. A gentleman never kisses and tells.

pollyskettle

Now that is something I have tried and really don't rate at all - stardrops.

Must be using it wrong because everyone else here seems to think it's the bee's knees!

BitterAndTwisted

concerned43 wrote: »

when you say bleach - do you mean domesticated bleach? as i did this with DS shirts and they turn yellow!

Domesticated bleach? We mean ordinary household chlorine bleach. Like D*mest*s. Never, ever use it neat. Synthetic fabrics can go yellow, pure cotton, never.