How to get rid of sweat and ice cream stains: A summer laundry guide

Summer vacation is in full swing, and children are at summer camps and spending a lot of time in the pool, at the beach, and at home. However, summer fun brings a bunch of laundry to do. The dirty clothes keep piling up, from shirts stained with sweat to clothes stained by ice cream.

So how do you deal with the laundry?

Before even starting to wash your summer clothes, and in general - with any kind of washing, it is important to check the clothing manufacturer's recommendations that appear on the label, which will state the appropriate temperature for washing, recommendations for how to dry them, and whether it is suitable for washing in a washing machine at all, according to expert Asaf Motlo, the product manager for BSH, the Israeli importer for home appliance manufacturer Constructa. 

Clothing material

Pay attention to the type of fabric.

"Summer clothes are characterized by light and thin fabrics – it is important to pay attention to whether they are synthetic fabrics such as polyester that require only light care, or delicate fabrics such as silk and satin. For example, it is recommended to turn polyester clothes inside out before putting them in the washing machine and to run the Easy Care setting to preserve the fibers. It is also recommended to wash with powder only and without fabric softener," he said.

Motlo noted that "fabrics such as silk and satin are important to wash delicately and rinse in cold water. You can run the washing machine on the delicates/silk setting suitable for this type of fabric, as well as use delicate detergents in order to maintain their shine and softness."

The useful items of the summer

"Towels are among the useful items in the summer, between the pool, the beach, and the showers. Towels are multi-fiber and have a wide area with an especially thick fabric, so it is important to wash them at a temperature of up to 60 degrees and add fabric softener to keep them soft for a long time. It is recommended to follow the instructions on the label and avoid loading the machine with a lot of other clothes.

"Regarding swimsuits, which are also very useful in the summer, it is recommended to use a manual wash setting (hand wash/wool) and then air dry them."

And what about stains?

According to Motlo, "One effective way to remove sweat stains caused by the heat and humidity is using shampoo. You should dilute it with a little water until it becomes a kind of white paste. Then apply the shampoo to the sweat stains, dry the garment well, and after that, wash it as usual in the washing machine."

He added that it is advisable to take care of any stain as soon as it happens.

"In cases where you or the children have had clothes stained by ice cream, gently rub the stain with a clean cloth dipped in cold water and then spray with a stain remover, soak for half an hour, and put in the washing machine."