When working with wood stain products, all it takes is one little mistake and your clothes are the ones that suffer the consequences. Before you toss out your favorite shirt or relegate it to the ‘painting clothes’ section of your closet, there’s hope for it yet. If you find yourself having trouble removing wood stain from your clothing and need help, this guide can show you just how simple it can be.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Removing Wood Stain from Clothing
There are a number of things that can happen when removing the stain from your clothes that can prevent you from succeeding – or even create more problems. Keep these in mind when you try to remove the stain from your clothes:
- Try to treat the stain as soon as possible. The longer the stain sits on the fabric, the harder it is to get out.
- Avoid rubbing the wood stain as much as possible. This may sound counterintuitive, but rubbing the stain, especially while it’s still wet, can cause it to spread further. Rubbing the stain might also push it deeper into the fabric, ruining your chances of getting it out. If the cleaning method you choose requires rubbing the stain, try rubbing the stained parts together. Otherwise, dab and blot the stain to absorb it without working it into the clothing fibers.
- If you have to touch the stain or must rub it to clean it, wear some gloves to stop it from getting on anything else. Rubber gloves work the best in this case, and the more they cover, the better they are. The last thing you want to do is to get the wood stain on other clothes or your skin.
Washing the Stain Away
There are all kinds of variables involved when removing a wood stain from clothing. These can include the material your clothes are made of, the type of wood stain, and how long it has sat on the clothing.
There are several ways you can pre-treat and spot-clean in an attempt to weaken or remove the stain altogether. When trying these techniques, do so in a non-visible spot or hard-to-see place first. That way, if something goes wrong, you do not further damage the clothing you are trying to clean.
First, try using a stain removal pen such as a Clorox Bleach Pen or a Tide To-Go Pen. These pens contain detergent and might be able to work out the stain if it is fresh enough. Once applied to the stain, rub the affected area together to work it in to remove the stain.
An oil-based wood stain can sometimes be removed with mineral spirits as well. Apply some to a cloth and rub in a circular motion. If the stain is water-based, you can use acetone instead by applying directly to the spot and a clean cloth or washrag before rubbing it away.
For a more thorough wash, start by soaking the clothes in a bucket of warm water with a scoop of Oxi-Clean and let it soak for several hours. After that, throw it in a washing machine by itself to avoid spreading the stain to other garments. Make sure it is set to a warm cycle with regular laundry detergent.
If the stain is not coming out, you can also use 180 mL of bleach. Once washed, make sure the stain is completely gone before putting it into the drier, as the drying process will only further stain the clothing. If you need to dry it before cleaning it again, airdry it instead.
IMPORTANT: be sure that whatever method you use, you check that it’s safe for colored clothing. Sure, bleach can remove wood stains from your clothes, but it can also pull out the dye that’s supposed to be there.
Keeping Wood Stain Out of Clothes in the First Place
The best solution to keeping your good clothes clean, is to not wear your good clothes while staining. The world is chaotic, and one of the world’s favorite agents is stain. The best and simplest solution is to wear clothing that you do not care about losing, such as the ‘painting clothes’ mentioned earlier. This way the stain can stay on the clothes without you having to worry about it or spending the time to clean it. But if that’s not possible, wear PPE, or personal protective equipment.
PPE comes in many forms depending on the task at hand, but in this case, wearing gloves that go up to the elbow and knee pads if you are working on the ground can stop the stain from ruining your day.
Staying Stain-Free
You are now armed with more techniques to protect your clothing from this ever-chaotic world. There are no guarantees in life, especially when it comes to stains. Accidents happen, and some clothing may become victims. The most sure fire way to avoid stain stains, is by delegating your staining projects to someone else – like us. We’re ready to take the hit for you.
