The school year has kicked off again. You’ll send your son or daughter to school in their best clothes. Chances are that you’ll find an ink, pen or glue stain on their fancy clothes the next time you wash them. What now? My Color Passport gives you a few tips & tricks to keep your kids’ clothes clean for a longer time.

Rule #1: treat any stain as quickly as possible. Press a moist towel firmly against the piece of clothing for a few seconds, but make sure you don’t rub it. Rubbing only will only make the stain worse. 

INK

Laundry detergent is your best friend in this case. Firstly, it’s best to rinse the stain under some cold water. Then, spread out some laundry detergent on the back of the stain. Leave to soak for a little while. Then, rinse it off again and wash it in the washing machine.

No laundry detergent in sight? You have a couple more options. Put some lukewarm milk, lemon juice or toothpaste on the stain. After leaving it to soak for a few minutes, rinse it out and wash the piece of clothing in the washing machine at 40°C.

PEN

Everybody’s been through this at least once: finding a spot of pen on your favorite blouse. Children also tend to (accidentally) draw on their clothes sometimes. Put white blotting paper underneath the stain and dab it with some cotton wool drenched in alcohol. Then, rinse under cold water.

MARKER

Has your child ever come home beaming with pride, holding a drawing? And did you ever notice that they didn’t just draw on their sheet of paper? Don’t get mad, but instead immediately rub toothpaste on the stain or spray it with hairspray. Leave to soak for a while and wash in the washing machine.

PAINT

Check the paint pot and look for instructions to remove paint from brushes. Use the same method to clean clothes. Water-based paint can be washed off with water. You can deal with solvent-based paint with aceton.

GLUE

Again, it’s best to check the packaging of the glue for this one. Use the same method on clothes as is suggested for cleaning your tools. Always keep in mind: the sooner you clean it, the better! If you want to try a more gentle method first, you can leave the stain to soak in a solution of warm water and vinegar or detergent.