how to remove grass stains uniforms

Best Ways to Remove Grass Stains from Uniforms and Clothing

Spring sports are starting up again and that means more laundry to do. If you’ve never had to try and remove a grass stain from a white uniform, then consider yourself lucky. Grass stains can be extremely difficult to get out of clothing, especially when they’ve been worn in and already set, but we’ve got some tips that should help you out. Before we get into the best ways to remove grass stains from clothing and uniforms, let’s take a quick look at why grass stains are so hard to get out of clothing in the first place.

Why Are Grass Stains So Hard to Remove?

There are certain things that tend to stain our clothes more easily than others, and there are also things that tend to create worse stains. If you’ve ever played an outdoor sport, or have a child that likes to play outside, then you’re all too familiar with the struggle of grass stains. Getting them out of clothes seems to be an almost impossible task… especially when sports like baseball tend to use white pants. But why are they so hard to get out when compared to other stains? The answer to that question lies in what grass consists of. Obviously grass is a living plant which means it contains chlorophyll, which is used to help plants absorb sunlight… it also gives grass it’s green color. In addition to chlorophyll, grass contains a number of different natural chemicals like carotenoids and xanthophyll's, which also help produce that green coloring. These naturally occurring elements within the grass bind extremely well with other naturally occurring compounds… like cotton and wool, found in clothing. Because of these natural compounds in your clothing, the grass stain tends to attach itself to the actual fibers of the fabric instead of merely the surface. This means that the stains are set deeper than stains that may occur from less-natural compounds. This is why it’s extremely important to start working on the grass stain as soon as you can, so it has less time to set and adhere to the fibers of your clothes.

How to Remove Grass Stains from Clothes and Sports Uniforms

There are a number of laundry detergents and products out there that say they can help remove stains, and in a lot of cases they do pretty well. You just need to make sure that you read the labels and ensure that they won’t discolor your clothing or damage anything further. In most cases you’re also going to want to pre-treat the stains with the detergent before placing the stained clothes in the washing machine. Pre-treating the stains will help break up the stain itself before going through the wash, thus helping it to further break down during the wash cycle. It also allows for a more concentrated amount of cleaner to be applied directly the spot of the stain, rather than just hoping enough of the cleaner in the washing machine hits the stain itself. Outside of store-bought stain removal products, there are some household methods you can try as well.

1. Vinegar

Vinegar can be used for a lot of things outside of the kitchen and making homemade volcanos. Vinegar can be a great way to remove grass stains from clothing if you don’t have powerful stain removing detergent. All you need to do is mix one part distilled vinegar with one part water and then use a brush or a scrubber to scrub the stain with the mixture. After this you’ll want to put the article of clothing into the washing machine and wash as you normally would. The vinegar will help lift the stain out of the fibers of the fabric making the washing machine more efficient at removing the stain.

2. Hydrogen Peroxide

Looking for an effective way to remove grass stains from a white uniform? Hydrogen peroxide might be a great way to help! Be careful though, hydrogen peroxide can lift the dye from your clothing, so we recommend either using this method only on white clothing, or spot test it before you use it across a whole colored outfit. There are two different ways you can approach this, one requires baking soda and the other requires dish soap, but the end goal is still the same. With baking soda, you want to first take a tablespoon of baking soda and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide to create a paste that you can smear over the grass stain. If you want to use dish soap, just a little bit of dish soap mixed with a little bit of hydrogen peroxide will work. With either method, you’re going to want to spread the concoction on the stain and let it sit for about 30 minutes, at which point you’ll want to scrub the stain down, then add some laundry detergent and scrub it again. Finally you’ll want to rinse the clothes completely and then you can throw them in the wash as normal. You want to make sure you get all of the paste/hydrogen peroxide off of the clothes before you wash it to help prevent it from causing fading in other clothing.

3. Rubbing Alcohol

For this method all you’ll need is rubbing alcohol and a cotton ball. You’ll want to pour some rubbing alcohol over the stain and then rub the cotton ball over the stain in a circular motion. The alcohol and cotton ball will help to lift the stain up as you rub. You may need to go over the stain a few times to see the results, but in a pinch, this is a great method to help get those pesky grass stains out. Grass stains are a part of living life outdoors, so it’s good to have a trick in your back pocket for when the time may arise. With kids, and adults, getting back outside as the weather gets warmer and sports are starting back up, grass stains are going to happen.
Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.