It’s no secret that mud stains everything, from our carpets to our clothes, and if you’re more of the anxious type, you may even dread rainy days, worrying about mud getting tracked all over the home.  Mud clothes on stains are a pain, but the good news is that they’re not the trickiest stain to remove in the world.  It’s actually pretty easy to remove mud from clothing, but many people wouldn’t know it because they treat mud stains like other types of stains which need to be removed instantly. 

As you are about to find out, when it comes to mud, it is actually better to wait.

Why Does Mud Stain Anyways?

Mud is dirty – literally, and so it’s going to be a stain that really shows on almost any garment that isn’t black.  It’s also wet, which makes it all too easy to really get into those clothing fibers and be tricky to just wipe away. 

Easy Steps for Removing a Mud Stain

When it comes to most stains, you’re advised to address it as soon as possible – basically, the longer you let it sit and absorb into the garment, the more likely it is to set.  But, actually, with a mud stain, you want to give it time – letting it dry thoroughly beforehand.  That’s because mud consists of water and dirt.  Dirt is relatively easy to remove, once the water is no longer allowing it to soak into your clothing’s fibers.  In fact, trying to treat it while it’s still wet will only smear the dirt around more and help it better absorb into the clothes.

Step #1: Once the mud is dry, you can use a butter knife to scrape the dirt off of the surface – because it’s dry, it should flake right off.  You can also use a vacuum to make the process less messy.  The dirt should mainly be on the surface of the clothing at this point.  Just avoid putting pressure that would push the dirt deeper into the fabric.

Step #2: Apply some liquid detergent or even Grab Green Liquid Dish Soap to your stain and gently massage it in.  Continue to rub the detergent/liquid dish soap into the stain every couple of minutes to really work it in there. 

Step #3: Now, run the garment under cold water.  The dirt stain should have faded considerably, or even disappeared.

Step #4: Place the garment into the washing machine as you normally would.  You can use warm water in this case – most stains require cold, but warm water is just fine for dirt/mud stains as you use Grab Green’s 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Pods or  3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Powder.  If the clothing is very delicate, then use our Delicate Laundry Detergent Pods.

Step #5: Make sure that the stain is gone before putting it into the dryer.  Dirt does contain proteins which can “cook” into the material and set permanently if exposed to the hot air of the dryer.  If the stain is not gone yet, repeat all of the steps above until it’s no longer there.

Bottom Line: A mud stain really isn’t the end of the world.  Sure, it’s always annoying when your favorite clothing item is covered in dirt, but out of all of the types of stains you can end up with, a mud stain gives you the best chance of fully recovering your garment to its original condition.  Again, the key is resisting the urge to treat the stain as soon as it happens, which could end up making your work a lot harder in the long run.  By waiting for the mud to dry, you will have a far easier time getting rid of the stain entirely.