Todd’s Tip: How to Get Your Kid’s Uniform Sparkling White Again
There's a saying in baseball that goes, and I paraphrase, "If you didn't get your uniform dirty, you didn't play." That's great when it comes to instilling in a young player the notion of always hustling on the field but SUCKS when it comes to having to launder that same outfit!
Having a son that has played baseball since he was 4 years-old, my wife and I well know how frustrating it is to pay good money for a brand-new pair of pants only to have them look like hand-me-downs after just one game or practice.
If you have a child that plays football, baseball softball and any other sport played on dirt and grass, you don't need me to tell you how much of a booger it is to get those stains out -- ESPECIALLY that clay-like substance found on baseball diamonds. What you DO need me to tell you is how to get them sparkling white again before you simply torch them and go buy another pair.
Well, forget "Hints From Heloise" (today we call them "life hacks"), I think we have finally come up with the "secret sauce" after dozens of attempts to get white pants back to looking pristine again.
First, you may have to spend a few bucks on a product we just found out about and immediately fell in love with. Its called "Sports Stain Cleaner" from the makers of CLR (Calcium-Lime-Rust) Remover. We ordered a jug off of Amazon.
We spot treated the tough stains with this stuff first. We then put them in a sink of lukewarm water combined with a couple of drops of Dawn dish washing soap, about a cup of Hydrogen Peroxide and about a half cup of Simple Green (another amazing product for getting out grease, oil, etc.)
We let the pants soak in that concoction for about 10-15 minutes before washing them in the machine like we normally do.
The results? Fantastic! Give it a try. You may find that you need to experiment a bit with the ingredients depending on your needs. If you find something better, by all means, let me know!
Another favored method by some is to simply take them to the nearest car wash and use the high-pressure water from the hose or, if you have a consumer pressure washer at home already, throw those bad boys on the patio a blast those stains away!
Good luck!