My Best Tips for Keeping Stains off White Clothing

It’s no secret, I love to wear white and cream. In fact, it kind of dominates my wardrobe. I have a handful of cream sweaters, several white tees (long sleeve, short sleeve, thick, thin, turtleneck, mock neck, etc.) and two pairs of white pants. Sometimes I even wear them all together.

I love the look of whites and creams, I am inexplicably drawn to them. There is something so classic about a white t-shirt and jeans; the simplicity of it keeps me reaching for the combo on a regular basis.

But one question I get asked over and over is – how do you keep your whites so clean?

The answer? Sheer determination. And I’m only half joking. Since becoming a mom nearly ten years ago, I have learned to become really, really good at preventing and treating stains. That’s the secret to keeping my whites looking so good. I never use bleach, I’m too clumsy for that, and I want my fibers to last. I have been refining my methods over the years, and I’m sharing them today in the hopes that you can be a little more confident the next time you don your favorite light-colored garment.

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MY TOP TIPS FOR BUSTING STAINS:

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1 // Don’t let it dry.

I know this isn’t always an option, sometimes we notice a spill or spot later in the day. But many times, I’ll know when I’ve spilled coffee, my son has approached me with spaghetti hands, or I’ve inadvertently rubbed up on a dirty car. In the moment – when you can – put cold water on the dirty area and try and blot out some of the mess. Use a clean rag with warm water and sudsy soap (dish soap is best because it fights grease) and try to spot clean until you can launder.

2 // Pre-treat.

The other day I was loading a table in the back of my husband’s car and I leaned hard on the bumper and got some nasty road grime across the thighs of my very favorite vintage jeans. With a sinking heart I feared they would never be the same. But, with a determined mind, I fought off the stain as hard as I could.

I immediately took them off and treated them with my go-to stain stick. (OxiClean Max Force Laundry Stain Remover Gel Stick, I don’t know why, but this works better than the spray. And no, this is not sponsored. Yes, that’s an affiliate link.) I let it sit for about 10-15 minutes, and then I threw the jeans in the wash. After going through the full cycle I pulled them out, and they looked nearly the same. This brings me to my next point.

3 // Re-wash.

Often, when I’m facing a stubborn, set-in stain, I immediately re-wash. This time, in the case of the jeans, I pre-treated and let the gel sit on them overnight. The next day, I threw them in the wash on HOT (something I rarely do because: energy efficiency and fabric fade). After the wash cycle I pulled them out, and the stain had greatly reduced! Once the jeans finished (air) drying you could barely see it. #victory

4 // Never dry. Like never, ever.

It’s pretty much a given that when you’re trying to get a stain out of an item, you never throw it in the dryer because that sets the stain, right? Well I take that practice up one more notch and do not dry my light colored items that I’m trying to keep stain-free. This means all my white t-shirts and pants get laid out over a little drying rack. This extends the life of the garment, and keeps me from accidentally setting any would-be stains via dryer. This practice is a pretty natural rhythm of my laundry habits because most of my clothes do not go in the dryer anyway.

5 // Wear an apron.

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen making meals and doing dishes. When I have light colored clothing on I ALWAYS wear my apron. It seems obvious, but the apron only does its job if you wear it. For Mother’s Day last year my husband bought me this beautiful, linen, smock style apron, which I can easily throw on. I love it because there is nothing to tie, which makes it seem oddly easier to throw on in a pinch. It also has a loose fit, which works well over my often loose fitting clothing. (Though I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t secretly dreaming about the French style one too.) Ninety percent of the time I leave my apron on while we eat dinner, for added protection.

6 // Embrace the ‘lived-in’ factor.

I’m not sure how this happened, but somewhere along the way in this shopping-consumed world we have started putting value on clothing that looks brand new, and unworn. We’ve traded imperfections for the unattainable (we have to wear our clothes after all). In my long journey of loving white I’ve let go of perfection in favor of living in and wearing my clothes. This means I’m okay when my white sneakers get a little dirty (they look cooler that way too) and that I’ll keep wearing a stained article of clothing (so long as it is reasonably unnoticeable). Our clothes were meant to work for us, not be left on a shelf waiting to be worn.

7 // Adjust your expectations.

Your favorite white items are probably not going to be the best fit for EVERY scenario in your life. For example when we have heavy rain days, I usually don’t wear white pants because it’s way easier to transfer dirt and get mud spots in wet conditions. Or if I’m going to eat pasta with red sauce I’ll probably take my white sweater off. Be smart about when you wear your whites (not to be confused with overly cautious).

other factors & hacks:

// I’m not sure how well laundry soap plays into removing stains, but just in case, I use the Kirkland Free and Clear soap from Costco, and have since I started having babies.

// I NEVER use dryer sheets (another habit shift when the kids came).

// I always buy items that are machine washable (with the exception of sweaters which I always wear a t-shirt underneath).

// Hairspray works really well to get ink and (some) permanent marker out of clothing. Make sure to dab area with a clean rag (never rub).

// Oil is the hardest thing to get out of clothing for me, but sometimes with continuous rewashing I have had success. I’ve also used cornstarch to absorb and have had limited success with that.

If you have any stain-fighting tactics or hacks, do share in the comments below.