Mud stains on your clothes can be annoying and difficult to remove. However, with some homemade solutions and washing techniques, you can get rid of mud stains effectively.
What You’ll Need
- Dish soap – Helps breakdown oils and dirt
- Baking soda – Acts as a gentle abrasive to lift stains
- White vinegar – Removes odors and helps brighten fabrics
- Hydrogen peroxide – Bleaches and lifts discoloration
- Old toothbrush – Lightly scrubs fabric to work out stains
- Spray bottle – Applies homemade stain remover
Pre-Treating Mud Stains
When you first notice a mud stain:
- Hold the fabric taut and scrape off any thick clumps of mud with a dull knife or spoon. Try to remove as much as the dried mud as possible.
- Rinse the fabric under cold running water. Avoid hot water as this can set in stains.
- Make a stain-fighting solution by mixing 1 part dish soap, 1 part hydrogen peroxide, and 4 parts warm water. Apply this directly onto the stain with a spray bottle or by dabbing with a clean cloth.
- Let it sit for 3-5 minutes to penetrate the fabric.
- Use an old toothbrush and gently scrub the fabric in circular motions to help loosen the stain.
- Rinse under cold water until the water runs clear.
- Repeat steps 3-6 as necessary until you see an improvement in the stain.
Washing Mud-Stained Clothes
For best results, launder mud-stained clothes separately:
- Pretreat any remaining stained areas by rubbing a paste of baking soda and water into the fabric. Let sit for 10 minutes before washing. The baking soda will help lift stains.
- Wash clothes in the warmest water recommended for the fabric. Hot water helps to loosen ground-in dirt.
- Use a laundry detergent formulated for heavily soiled clothing, rather than a gentle detergent. The stronger formula combined with agitation helps remove stains.
- Avoid overload the washing machine, as clothes need room to move around to clean properly.
- Select a ‘Heavy Soil’ wash cycle with an extra rinse, if your machine offers this setting.
- Add 1 cup white vinegar to the fabric softener compartment. Vinegar helps restore brightness in fabrics.
- Air dry the clothing if possible rather than machine drying, to avoid setting in any leftover stain remnants. The warmth of the sun can also help bleach stains.
- Inspect clothing once fully dried. If any light stain remains, simply repeat the washing steps concentrating on that stain area.
With some time and targeted effort, you can conquer the most stubborn mud stains using natural cleaning methods. The longer a stain sets in, the harder it’ll be to remove, so act quickly next time mud strikes!
References
[1] Good Housekeeping Institute. “How to Remove 16 Common Stains.” GoodHousekeeping.com, Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/tips/a24885/how-to-remove-stains/
[2] Sansoni, Jennifer. “20 Incredible Uses for Vinegar.” RD.com, Dotdash Meredith, 29 Oct. 2021, https://www.rd.com/article/uses-for-vinegar/.
Laura has had an enthusiasm for laundry ever since she was a teenager experimenting with wash cycles. She went on study textile science in college before working in product testing.
Soon, Laura found friends and family constantly asking her laundry advice, realizing she had become an unofficial laundry guru. The questions kept coming in, so Laura decided to start sharing laundry tips online to help more people. The enthusiastic response led her start the blog “Laundry How”.
Now in her late thirties, Laura uses Laundry How to tackle all kinds of laundry topics – stains, fabric care, detergents, and more. She provides advice from both her studies and experience testing techniques out firsthand. Laura continues to grow an engaged community of laundry learners, feeling fulfilled empowering people to make laundry an easy, confidence-building ritual rather than a dreaded chore.