Life Hack: Two of my go-to laundry tips to make the most of this great drying weather

Want to delegate stain removal to the sunshine? Read on...

From dried-on old blood stains to natural marks like grass and food, there are ways to return an item to as good as new, often with minimal work

I have been an unstoppable washing machine recently, with the sunny weather and hot temperatures combining, leaving me itching to make the most of my clothes line.

On one particularly hot day, it seemed the freshly washed clothes had already dried by the time I’d finished pegging them all up on the line, making me feel super-productive.

On days like these, I like to take on some of the more challenging laundry items and see if I can save a garment that seems to be ruined by stains.

From dried-on old blood stains to natural marks like grass and food, there are ways to return an item to as good as new, often with minimal work — one of my go-to tricks involves nothing but a little water and sunshine.

Hacking the sun for stain removal

Did you know that letting some stains sit under the sunshine can actually work to remove the marks?

This is because the UV rays from the sun work in a naturally bleaching way, breaking down chemical bonds in the coloured molecules of stains. 

As the item sits in the sunshine, the stain can fade and ultimately disappear in a wonderfully eco-friendly, chemical-free way.

This method works best on organic stains: think spilled food, grass marks, and so on. It works well on white or lighter fabrics in particular, with dark fabrics at risk of fading unevenly under the sun’s harsh rays.

For the best results, wet the stained fabric first as this helps to magnify the sun’s rays as they hit the cloth. 

Place the item in direct sunlight, with the stained part facing the sun. A clothes line works, or you can lay it on a flat, clean surface.

If the stain is fading slowly, spray some more water on the fabric, as keeping it damp can help to amplify the bleaching effect of the sun. Particularly dark or stubborn stains may need to have this process repeated before the stains are fully removed.

I love employing this method because it’s so easy that it feels like it shouldn’t work. My favourite kind of hack!

Removing old blood stains

I recently bought an item of clothing on Vinted and realised too late that there was a stain on it that looked suspiciously like dried-in blood.

I was obviously disappointed, but rather than toss the item into the bin, I decided to bombard it with a few hacks to see if I could lift a well-set-in stain — and it worked.

First, I made a paste by mixing two tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda (also known as baking soda) with one table spoon of water. This made a gritty liquid that I spread over the stain, coating both sides of the polyester fabric to be extra thorough. I let that sit for half an hour and upon my return I wiped it away, rubbing it into the fabric with my fingers as I did so.

My next step was to soak it in salted water. I filled my sink with cold water and added salt; as a rule of thumb, add two tablespoons of salt for every litre of water you are using. I allowed the fabric to soak for two hours before moving the item to the washing machine. At this stage the mark was still on the fabric.

For this final step, it’s important to wash the blood-stained item in cold water only. Blood contains proteins, which bind together when heated and settle into fabric, often permanently. I set my washing machine for a cold wash and kept my fingers crossed.

At the end of the cycle, I removed a good as new-looking piece of clothing, saving it from the bin.

After drying it on the clothes line, I checked it thoroughly and confirmed all traces of the stain were gone. Success!