The month of ghosts and goblins is upon us and with that comes every child’s favourite holiday – Halloween! Whether or not your children sneak a piece of candy as they walk door to door, there are bound to be sticky fingers wiped across clothes or costumes sometime this month. As usual, the quicker you treat the stain, the easier it will be to remove.
If you are in luck and watch the hard candy fall out of your child’s mouth onto their clothes, simply remove the candy and scrap off any particles that may be stuck to the clothing. With stubborn candy remnants, a little bit of lukewarm water run through the wrong side of the clothing should loosen them up and remove them. If the candy has been stuck to the article of clothing and left a colourful stain, carefully peel off the candy and brush off any candy particles. To loosen up the rest of the stain, start by running water through the wrong side of the stain as before. This may not remove the coloured stains left on the clothes. If this is the case, make a dilute vinegar in water solution and pour this through the stain, which can help wash out some of the sticky, coloured stain. The stain may be completely removed, or it may remain although faint. At this point, try a stain remover such as Zout Liquid spray. Spray the stain and gently rub. Wait five minutes and the launder as you typically do. With some coloured stains, such as red candies, you may find them to be extra persistent! Try presoaking the article of clothing with a dose of Purex 2 Colour Safe Bleach in warm water for 30 minutes. The active ingredients in this product will help to remove the dye that is left on the clothing.
Chocolate stains are another popular candy stain that show up around this time of year. Carefully scrap off any of the candy bar that is left on your child’s clothing. You may want to carefully dab at the stain with a wet cloth to loosen the stain; try not to smear the chocolate and thus make it larger. An enzyme-based detergent is your best option for removing a chocolate stain, such as Purex plus Oxi laundry detergent. To further aid in the stain removal process, pour a little detergent directly onto the stain and let it sit for five minutes. Then launder the clothing item with a dose of Purex plus Oxi.
As always, inspect the article of clothing before transferring it to the dryer. If the stain has not been removed completely, repeat the process of pretreating the stain and laundering it.
Happy Halloween and Happy Stain Fighting!
