Cleaning Expert Shares Top Tips on Removing Most Searched Stains Following the Return to School

Just over a week has passed since the summer holidays ended, and children across the country returned to school.

For parents of school children, returning to education can often result in an influx of washing and plenty of stain removal challenges. Looking at Google Trends, searches for several stains have risen in the last week; for example, tomato stain-related search queries have seen an increase of 500% alone – could school lunches be the culprit?

Luxury childrenswear brand La Coqueta Kids has teamed up with cleaning expert Nicki Rodriguez, also known as The Essex House Dolly, to give parents a helping hand in removing four of the most searched and most notorious school stains:

• Grass
• Biro
• Tomato
• Mud

Celia Muñoz, founder and creative director of La Coqueta, says: “Stains and children go hand in hand; it is all part of being young and carefree. However, as a parent, it can be somewhat frustrating when faced with stubborn stains, especially early in the school year.

“School uniforms can become quite costly, so we’ve worked with cleaning expert Nicki Rodriguez to provide parents with some cleaning tips to help save uniforms and money.”

Grass stains

As a child, grass stains are inevitable, at school or not. Outdoor play and PE classes are the perfect place for school children to acquire grass stains, and with both of these being almost daily activities, you’re bound to encounter these stains regularly.

Since the return to school, the term “grass stain removal” has become the most commonly searched query relating to ‘grass stains’, so here is what Nicki recommends: “White vinegar is great to use for grass stains, especially if the stain is still fresh. Start by mixing 50/50 white vinegar and water and then soak the clothing in the mixture for around half an hour. I would recommend doing this overnight.

“Once you’ve left the clothes to soak, pop them in your washing machine and add a few scoops of the Pink Stuff Oxi Powder for Whites and your preferred laundry products. If it is a stubborn stain, mix some white vinegar and baking powder and rub it over before rewashing.”

Biro stains

We all remember the joys of moving from a pencil to a pen in our early school days when our handwriting was neat enough, so we can’t blame children for getting a little carried away. However, it still doesn’t make removing biro and pen marks from clothing easier.

Searches for “how to get biro out of clothes” have seen a 70% increase, whilst ‘how to get rid of pen stains’ have increased by 50%.

According to Nicki, this type of stain requires a little more urgency: “This type of stain needs to be tackled as soon as your little ones come out of school. Alcohol is the best option for removing biro stains; by simply dabbing the stain with the alcohol, you will see the stain start to lift quickly. Again, like before, put them through your washing machine using the Pink Stuff Oxi Powder and your preferred laundry products.”

Tomato stains

A messy school lunch or post-school dinner could be the culprit for these stubborn stains, but searches are through the roof, with ‘removing tomato stains’ up by 300%, ‘how to remove tomato stains from white clothes’ up by 130% and “how to get tomato stains out” up by 70%.

Thankfully, Nicki has some tricks up her sleeve: “Hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar applied with a damp sponge is a great way to lift tomato stains. You can also use lemon juice – a cheaper alternative to the other options! Like the other stains, once you have treated the stain, put the items through your washing machine using the Pink Stuff Oxi powder and your preferred laundry products to help it shift.”

Mud stains

Another inevitable school stain as a result of PE or playtime. Knowing how to remove mud stains regularly could save you a fortune in school uniform!

In the last seven days, the term ‘how to get mud stains out of clothes’ has become the most commonly searched query relating to “mud stains”, and so Nicki has shared her secrets to removing mud from your children’s school clothes.

“Firstly, you want to allow the mud stain to fully dry. Once the stain has dried up, saturate it with your preferred liquid detergent and gently scrub away the mud. When the stain has lifted, put them through your washing machine using the Pink Stuff Oxi Powder and your preferred laundry products.”