Poll: stained school clothes

[lau86]

Both boys wear a white polo shirt to school. They only wear the proper school ones with the logo at the moment. I'm having terrible trouble getting the stains out, the shirts are regularly soaking in vanish over night. A lot of them are faint food stains but some are small black pen stains/ mud.
So, I'm just doing a poll to see what others do

 

[.Mrs.B.]

I guess it depends on how bad the stains are. Small stains wash and wear. Big stains, probably not.
I would buy cheaper plain shirts if other kids at school wore them, I wouldn't if it meant my child would be the only one without the logo.
Not sure what's in vanish, but I soak my whites in oxy powder before washing on a 40 wash and 90% of the time this gets rid of mud and food stains. Pasta sauce stains take 2 washes I seem to find.

 

[lau86]

Some are small some are quite noticeable! I just bought him a new PE t shirt and guess what ? Stained!! If I thought the new ones would stay nice I would 100% buy more. I worry people will judge but I don't want to waste good money

 

[AngelUK]

Ours wear red polo shirts and some of them have a few small black blotches from markers. I have done my best to get them out and they are fading but yes I send them with those. If the stains were really large and very noticeable then I would not reuse the shirts. I don't think I would buy the cheaper generic uniform stuff unless lots of other kid wore them too.

 

[loeylo]

Where we are, most kids end up wearing generic t-shirts as the year goes on. Personally that's what I'd do.

As another option, our local uniform shops often sell school badges. Is your school badge one that is possible to do this way and sew on yourself? I know my local primary school can't be but most of the other schools with more complex badges can be. That way the badge could be reused if possible?

 

[Loozle]

I use a bleach spray on white shirts and polo tops and that removes 99% of the stains. Fairy liquid rubbed in and left to soak works well too. I find Vanish and most other stain removers to be useless tbh.

 

[lau86]

I use a bleach spray on white shirts and polo tops and that removes 99% of the stains. Fairy liquid rubbed in and left to soak works well too. I find Vanish and most other stain removers to be useless tbh.

That's a great tip!

 

[CaptainMummy]

I just get rid and buy new ones. Saying that, Paiges uniform has lasted her the full year and I haven't had to buy anything at all! Her school uniform isn't particularly expensive anyway as nothing has a badge on it (she wears a shirt and tie, and I buy from Next and Asda for everything apart from shoes/bag) so replacing a shirt isn't too costly.

 

[stardust599]

It's really hard isn't it.

I wouldn't send to school in stained shirts... kids are bullied so easily these days! I chose "other" because I don't just replace them will nilly - food stains etc come out - put some stain devils or something on before the wash or a bleach spray (if white) then wash as normal with Ariel 3 in 1 with a colour catcher sheet - not on a hot wash as heat will grey the shirts and set stains. Then if still faintly marked place the stained area directly on a sunny window for a day and it will fade it away. Always take school stuff off as soon as DD comes home as well.

I've never had a stain that won't come out with a bit of work but if I did I would bin them.

Also reminding kids that the shirts cost money and to be careful with school dinner.

I would only buy supermarket shirts if most of the other kids wear them.

 

[Bevziibubble]

I'm always buying new ones because my DD constantly comes home from school covered in pen. I don't know what pens they use there but it will not come out no matter what I have try. I have even scrubbed it with neat bleach and all it does it fades slightly.

 

[Babybump87]

DD1is just in nursery at the minute so I have just been buying her the cheap polos from ASDA etc . Although you wouldn't see her school badge under her pinafore anyway and summer she has a gingham dress . We do have official school logo t shirts and tracksuit which she wears once a week for PE .

I don't have any tips for removing stains as I usually ask my mum as I am awful at getting them out !

I usually just buy more of the cheap ones unless some are unwearable . Most of the kids in her nursery have the same.

 

[Zephram]

Unless it was really, really bad, I would just do what I could to get it out and let them wear it again. It's also a good time to talk to kids about taking better care of their clothes (obviously I know they're little and accidents will happen, but it's always good to ask them to be more aware). Luckily my son will have a choice between a black or red polo at the school he's going to later this year, so they won't show stains as much as white.

 

[george83]

My son has white polo shirts which are replaced each school year, he usually just has cheap ones from a supermarket but has started asking for the school logo ones. If he has those I'd be more inclined to make a bigger effort to remove stains but equally as long as the white still looked white he'd just wear it

 

[jd83]

Mine don't wear uniforms, but they do stain up their nice clothing that they have for school. I spray with with Spray N Wash, let it sit for a bit, then put the stained clothes on a soak cycle with some oxyclean. After that, wash as normal, and this usually gets most of the stains out for me. If I've tried everything and the stains don't budge, then I toss it in with their play clothes for around the house.

 

[MindUtopia]

I find the Vanish gel works much better than soaking overnight with the powdered stuff. You might try that? Personally, I wouldn't use a stained uniform, so I would either find a better way to get the stains out or I would switch to the cheaper shirts and replace more often.

 

[DJJ]

I find the hardest stain to remove us the dry wipe markers. But I have found that De-Solv-It universal stain remover does help.

 

[AngelUK]

DJJ I have to try that cause I think that is exactly what the stains on our polos are from! Thanks for the tip!

 

[Nibblenic]

With white ones I would buy non branded replacements. I assume they wear logo jumpers?

We dont have the option of non branded polo shirts as our school have a light grey colour you can only get from the supplier at £5 a time for the non logo one. Personally back in KS1 I used to buy 5 in September and 5 at easter.

 

[lau86]

He does wear a logo jumper yes. I'm just going to buy more I think, that seems to be the general consensus!

 

[RaspberryK]

Milk gets rid of ink, I add stain remover to all light wases and I wash his white polo's in with towels at 60. When they get stained I buy more plain white ones and lucky his new school is dark green polo's so I'm slowly replacing the white ones with logo green ones. X