Modroc - How Do I Remove It?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Modroc - no, not the Paul Weller kind - is some sort of craft substance.

However, it doesn't seem to like coming out of DD2's 2 week old school jumper :mad: and I am left with something that feels like dark glue sticking bits together.

I have tried - biological gel
stardrops
washing up liquid

but no joy.

All the school could say was 'have you tried washing it?' :mad::mad::mad: My tongue hurt from biting it so hard, especially as they had used permanent ink a few weeks previously for some art and told DD2 that it'll wash out when someone spilt some over her shirt.

I resent paying out for more school uniform when she'll be leaving there in approximately 20 weeks' time (how the time flies - surely it isn't so long ago that I was dropping her off at Nursery class for the first time?) and I prefer to use the money to fund her music and dance lessons.

Any ideas?

Rachel83

Are you sure its modroc you are trying to get out? Modrocs basically like plaster for walls on a bandage so it should come off quite easy by scratching off the worst of it then sticking it in the wash like usual
I'm not sure what your sons done to it to make it like dark glue sticking bits together? sorry i guess i've not been much help really lol

tandraig

jojo? my son had a prob with something like this with his twin girls - despite my best efforts we couldnt get it out of their nearly new uniforms. and i pride myself on my washing! he complained to the headmaster as it wasnt the first time their uniforms had been ruined. he did get new sweatshirts off the school. but it took persistence! and other parents complaining too.

tandraig

the only other thing i can suggest which you havent tried is to put garment in freezer overnight then try to chip it off? if that doesnt work - then i think school owes you new garments as it was their fault they were ruined.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Think it will have to be a tactful whinge - I see from various sites that they sometimes add glue to the stuff for some reason. Perhaps that's what they've done here. It was over the back of her shoulder, so it looks like some little herbert has clapped his hand on her shoulder whilst covered in the stuff. Bah!

tandraig

still - complain and tell them she will be wearing it until she grows out of it!
sympathise here - my son got really fed up of them saying 'oh that should wash out' until they had a posse of parents saying 'it doesnt bloody wash out' and the twins spare set of school clothes has stains on them!

tandraig

er - its not like you jojo to be tactful! - dont take that the wrong way! all i mean is that you are in my estimation more likely to tell them they can damn well pay for replacements as its their fault the clothes were damaged!

sazzy6

I would love to know how it is the schools fault! I mean children will get messy from time to time as I am sure you all did when you were children. How can you expect the school to pay for new uniform everytime children get paint or modroc on themselves. I teach this age group of children and accidents always happen, unfortunate but true. You ask children to take off their jumpers etc... but there is always someone who doesn't listen. You make them wear overalls and then one goes to the toilet an forgets to put it back on. Or best yet once everything is tidied up someone always goes back for another look and manages to get it on them somehow! Kids are kids and will get messy, don't blame the school for letting your children take part in a really fun art activity.

If this happened to me I would have the drawing pencils out for the rest of the year. Grrr.....

Makes me cross, teachers are ALWAYS to blame. Rant over.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Well, it certainly wasn't my fault that modroc was introduced into the class and it wasn't DD2's fault that someone covered in the stuff put their hands on her shoulder. Through a process of rational deduction, that leads me to the one person with overall culpability.

Ok. I am assuming that you don't teach in a Victorian school building. Lowest energy efficiency rating available. They are even allowed to wear polo neck jumpers underneath their shirts and gloves in class because the building is so darn cold. Still an intelligent idea to suggest they take their jumpers off?


Accidents happen, yes, but why decide to use something which permanently destroys clothing? It sounds to me (and my two nieces, who are teachers) that someone dropped a few marks in their lesson plan as they could have included a note of the implications of using an unwashable material/how to remove the materials from school clothing. Foundation Stage teachers obviously have proper training in this respect, as they have always used washable art materials. I had put it down to simple intelligence, but no, I am wrong, it must have been explained to them at some point.

Before you get back on your high horse about poor teachers always getting picked on, I suggest you take note that my main concern was how to get the wretched stuff out - I can't afford to be chucking another £15 at the school when the same poor planning resulted in them using permanent ink rather than washable a short time ago - not how to have a go at a teacher. I held my tongue rather than go on the attack, unlike you.

You may be able to afford to replace your clothing when you introduce fun but damaging materials into the class, but I can't.

Whilst I am trying to get the stains out, she is being bothered by teachers demanding to know where her official school jumper is.

Moreover, I would have had more sense and chosen something that would have fulfilled the lesson objectives (including fun) without destroying property, as would most people who are parents.

Quite frankly, if I had simply asked you how I get the stuff out of the jumper (assuming that simple common sense had dictated that you considered this before bringing it into class) and got such an aggressive response back in reply, I would have made a formal complaint to the Head Teacher on the grounds that;

1. Their interaction with adults is at best dubious, bordering on the unprofessional

2. If the teacher can't get someone to take their jumper off in order to commence an activity, their discipline is compromised from the first instance.

3. If they don't even notice someone isn't in overalls after leaving the class (not something that tends to happen at DD2's school as they have quite high standards of discipline, although no overalls/old shirts as they are older children) - have they even noticed they have returned to class?

Tell you what, now you seem to have finished stomping your little feet at the unfairness of it all, rather than whingeing at me that it's not the teacher's fault that they have decided to introduce the material, not the teacher's fault that they can't control their class, not the teacher's fault that they have completely failed to consider the potential cost of this activity to parents, how about coming up with something actually useful in the Real World?

Like how exactly do I get modroc out of a school jumper?

shykins

hubby said to try and dissolve it in white vinegar as its a lime based material

HTH

sazzy6

I was obviously in a horrendous mood last night and post was slightly OTT, apologies! However my response was to the people who were suggesting the school should pay for a new one, I don’t believe you said this (although I really can’t be bothered re-reading all the thread).
Merry Christmas and hope you get it out-and on this note I have no more suggestions other than the ones which have already been said (it does normally wash out as I have had in on a very expensive trousers before now)