Whether we’re sipping on some soda, or our kids are chugging it down, mistakes happen. Sometimes, despite our efforts to be careful, we spill some on our clothes. And while soda can stain fabrics, and especially light-colored garments, with the help of some natural cleaning products you’ll be able to get rid of that stain entirely. At Grab Green Home, our sustainable cleaning products, like our eco friendly laundry pods and natural dish soap, can treat soda stains without the use of strong, toxic chemicals.
Getting Rid of a Soda Stain
Whether it’s traditional cola, orange soda, grape soda or what have you, that ugly stain can be removed. The sooner you treat it, the better, as is always the case, so once you notice a spill, remove the garment immediately and get to work. The good news is that you already have nontoxic cleaning products in your home that are extremely effective at addressing this type of stain. Just follow the steps below.
Step #1: Blot Away the Excess
Once the garment is off of you, you’ll want to start blotting immediately to pick up any excess moisture. The more moisture you blot away, the better. Grab a clean cloth or sponge and blot, blot, and blot some more until you’re no longer getting any of the soda. Don’t rub or scrub the stain in the process, as that will just allow the liquid to soak even deeper into the fibers.
Step #2: Soak the Stain with Natural Products
Now that you’ve blotted as much as you can, it’s time to soak the garment in a stain removing solution made with eco friendly cleaning products. Grab a basin or bucket and fill it with cool water, along with a non toxic dish soap/eco friendly dish soap, such as Grab Green Liquid Dish Soap – a sustainable dish soap formula that does a fantastic job at removing tough stains. We also recommend throwing some baking soda in there, which will help break down the discoloration. Weigh the garment down if you need to so that the stain is completely submerged – otherwise you’re not going to accomplish much by soaking it. Wait 30 minutes, then check the stain and rinse the garment. If you need to, soak for another 30 minutes – brightly pigmented colas may require more soaking time, such as grape and orange sodas.
Step #3: Wash on Cold
At this point, you’ve done all you can to pretreat the stain, so you can let your washing machine do the rest of the work. We always recommend avoiding harsh, toxic stain removers, and going with natural laundry pods that fight stains just as effectively with plant-based enzymes. Even better, choose sustainable laundry pods like our 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Pods or Stoneworks Laundry Detergent Pods, which are non toxic laundry pods that have the ability to get rid of tough stains very effectively.
From there, grab your favorite natural dryer sheets like Grab Green Classic Laundry Dryer Sheets, sustainable dryer sheets like Stoneworks Dryer Sheets, or even Grab Green Dryer Balls, and then run your garment through a drying cycle. At this point, the stain should be completely gone, and you can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
If the Stain is Old/Dry
If it took you a while to even notice a cola stain on your favorite shirt, that’s okay. The same method above should work just fine on a dried soda stain, although you may want to soak it for a little longer. And, you can skip the blotting process, since there’s no moisture to blot up.
If the Clothing is Delicate
If you’re dealing with a delicate fabric, then read its care label extra carefully. If the item can’t be thrown in the dryer, then don’t worry, since you can air-dry it as normal, since the drying method isn’t actually part of the stain removal process. If it’s an item that must be hand-washed, you can use the same method as above, but wash it by hand using the same detergent. And, if the item has to be dry-cleaned, ask your dry cleaner if they can remove soda stains – chances are that they have a process specifically for this type of stain, and will use it effectively.
To summarize:
- Cotton clothing will offer the most stain removal options.
- Wool is more delicate than cotton and cannot endure repeated washing and also needs to be spread flat to dry.
- For silk clothing, it’s recommended you take it to a professional dry cleaner, due its extreme delicacy.
