Period stains- they are inconvenient, messy and they ruin your clothes. No matter how careful you are, they have a way of sneaking up on you. It could be the case of your period starting early and catching you off-guard, or of them coming back for a short visit after they leave you for the month or just a sneeze that makes it gush out to cause a stain. As if the stigma of it was not enough, the fact that we can’t use so many of our favourite clothes because of these stains makes us hate them more.
But as much as we dislike them, they don’t necessarily have to make our life so difficult.
Here are some ways to effectively remove period stains from your clothes –
1. Try to wash them as soon as possible. There is a better chance of the stain coming off if you don’t wait for it to dry. And it comes off better if you hand wash the affected area instead of throwing it directly into the washing machine.
2. Soaking your clothes in surf powder helps in softening the stain. That helps in easy removal.
3. For tougher stains, mix one part water with one part salt. Soak the stain in cold water and then use the mixture with a toothbrush, to completely remove the stain from your clothes.
4. For tougher or older stains, baking soda is quite the miracle ingredient. It whitens teeth, deodorises litter trays, whitens clothes and yes, removes period stains. The best way to use it is to mix 2 parts baking soda with one part water and spread the mixture on the stain for 30 minutes. Then gently scrape it off with a toothbrush. Your clothes will be as good as new.
5. Vinegar is another great solution, if you have it in your kitchen. The way to use this is somewhat similar to the baking soda hack. Mix one part vinegar with one part water and soak the affected area for 30 minutes. The stain would have come off and if not, a little toothbrush scrub will do the trick. Don’t forget to machine wash your clothes afterwards, to remove any residual vinegar from them.
6. One of the easiest home remedies to remove period stains is lemon juice. Just scrub some lemon juice onto it and watch the magic happen.
7. Another trick is, wash and then wash some more. If the stain does not come out the first time, soak it and wash again. It will eventually come off.
Period stains don’t deserve to be anything more than a minor inconvenience. And these remedies will make sure that this fact doesn’t change.