St. Patrick’s Day Spills and Spots – Green Food Dye Shirt Stain?
From dyeing beer to whole rivers, it’s clear that everyone’s favorite color on St. Patrick’s Day is green.
So, if you’re planning on breaking out the green food dye to make a holiday-inspired treats, a shamrock shake, or drinks, keep this guide from Oxi Fresh carpet cleaning handy. It’ll show you how to get food dye stains out of laundry!
What You’ll Need
– Rubber Gloves
– Liquid Laundry Detergent/Spot Pretreatment
– Bowl/Bucket
Let’s Get Cleaning
Remember – the faster you can treat a food dye stain the better!
Step 1:
If the item isn’t dry clean only, start by flushing out the stain. Take the item to the sink and run cold water through the back of the stain.
Take care to not run the water through other parts of the clothing (i.e. if the stain is on the front of the shirt, don’t try to flush water through the front of the shirt and out through the back).
Step 2:
Pull on some rubber gloves and work a liquid laundry detergent or spot pretreatment into the stain by hand. Get the product on the front and back of the stain for the best results.
Step 3:
After letting the products dwell for about fifteen minutes (or longer if the product calls for that), launder the garment as you normally would – but don’t dry it yet!
If the stain is gone after the wash – great! You’re all done.
Still have a stain? Go to Step 4.
Step 4:
Take the garment (again, don’t dry it!) and soak it in a solution of a color-safe, oxygen-based bleach and warm water. Let it sit for two hours or as long as overnight.
Make sure follow all instructions on the product bottle. Also, don’t use bleach on things like wool, silk, or garments with incorporated leather.
Step 5:
While wearing gloves, take the soaked item and inspect it. If the stain remains, repeat Step 4 one more time. If the stain is gone, you can launder the garment as you normally would.
And there you go – the food dye stain should have disappeared!
We hope this tip helps you with any St. Patrick Day’s mishaps – and remember that Oxi Fresh Carpet Cleaning can help if that food dye misses your shirt and ends up on the carpet! Use our handy Online Scheduler or call us to get a free quote!
Thanks to Mary Leverette at the Spruce for the fantastic information!
Have you seen our laundry tips for food coloring stains?
