One of the most rarely talked about types of stains that can affect our favorite garments is mucus. But, ask any parent, and they’ll tell you that they’ve had more than their fair share of mucus stains over the years. Mucus is a viscous, slippery fluid that’s secreted in the body, and the most common type of secretion is through the nose. If your baby or young child has ever had a runny nose, then there’s a good chance that you have found mucus either on your own clothing, or more likely theirs.
Mucus stains are, thankfully, very removable, and it can be done with all natural cleaning products that you already have lying around your home. We always recommend going with non-toxic cleaning products, especially when washing a young child’s clothes, to avoid skin reactions and respiratory issues caused by exposure to harsh chemicals.
How to Get Rid of a Mucus Stain on Your Clothes
As you probably guessed from dealing with other stains, mucus stains are best addressed as soon as they occur. This means that as soon as you notice the stain, remove the garment and start getting to work immediately. The longer you let it stay on your clothes, the more it has a chance to work its way into the fibers. Thankfully, it can all be done with sustainable cleaning products already in your home.
Step #1: Give It a Scrape
Mucus dries somewhat quickly, but whether it’s still wet or dry, you’ll want to scrape the excess off of the surface of the material. Grab a dull knife and gently remove the mucus from the surface as much as you can, without rubbing it deeper into the fabric.
Step #2: Give It a Good Pre-Treatment
To get a head start on washing away the stain, we recommend pre-treating it with a natural dish soap, which is something you probably already have in your home. Dish soap can help break up the mucus consistency to make it less likely to absorb into the clothing’s fibers. We prefer an eco friendly dish soap formula, such as Grab Green Liquid Dish Soap, which is a biodegradable dish soap formula – effective at cleaning dishes as it is many stains that you can encounter from time to time. Work the soap into the stain, and it should start breaking it up. Leave it for 15 minutes before moving onto the next step.
Step #3: Run It Through a Laundry Cycle
Now that you have successfully pre-treated the stain, you can run it through the wash as you normally would. We recommend running a cold cycle, as hot water can “set” the stain. The good news is that mucus stains are much easier to remove than other types of secretion-based stains like blood and urine, so the chance of it setting permanently is pretty low.
We recommend going with organic laundry pods, to again avoid harsh chemicals and additives that can be tough on sensitive skin, like the skin of a baby or young child. Grab Green Home customers love our 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Pods, since it’s the best non toxic laundry detergent for sensitive skin. We also carry a natural laundry powder called 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Powder for those who prefer powder-based formulas, along with eco laundry detergent pods for babies (Newborn Baby Laundry Detergent Pods and Baby Laundry Detergent Pods {5+ months}) who are especially sensitive to strong chemicals.
From there, you can remove the garment from the washing machine and place it in your dryer (if the tag’s label lets you do so) using either natural dryer sheets like Grab Green Classic Laundry Dryer Sheets or Stoneworks Dryer Sheets, Grab Green Dryer Balls, or even Newborn Baby Dryer Sheets and Baby Dryer Sheets {5+ months}. At this point, the stain should be gone.
