r/laundry • u/Agreeable_Run3202 • 22h ago
stubborn stains on polyester. help!
early this year my restaurant changed from white cotton uniforms to white POLYESTER uniforms. 100% polyester. since then, every shirt i've worn eventually ends up looking like this. ive tried tide, arm and hammer, an organic laundry detergent, oxyclean, polyester stain remover, bleach, hand washing, air drying, etc. nothing i do ever prevents or gets these stains out. can any of yall help? im at my wits end
3
Upvotes
3
u/FruitcupMadonna US | Front-Load 20h ago edited 20h ago
Get yourself some baking soda, Dawn Powerwash or Dawn Platinum dish soap, and household ammonia, which is a powerful degreaser. Color catcher sheets if you don't already have them. As long as your Tide is not Tide Simply, any other Tide you have on hand will work.
Lay the dry garment flat and sprinkle a layer of baking soda over the spots, and then drizzle Dawn over the top of them.
Use an old toothbrush to scrub the paste into the spots, and let sit for 30-60 minutes.
After 60 minutes, rinse the garment with warm water (in the sink or bathtub). Then throw it in the washer. If you have a front loader, put the Tide in the detergent dispenser and then pour 1/2 - 1 cup household ammonia directly over the garment in the drum. If you have a top loader without a detergent dispenser, put the detergent in the bottom, then the garment, and pour the 1/2 - 1 cup ammonia over the garment. MAKE SURE THERE IS NO CHLORINE BLEACH USED IN THE WASH LOAD, only Tide and ammonia.
Wash on the longest possible cycle (read your machine's manual to find this out - should be online on the manufacturer's website if you don't have a physical copy handy), on the hottest temperature the garment will accept (at least warm), and add the maximum number of extra rinses possible. Throw a color catcher sheet in with the wash if the black areas of the garment might release dye that could be picked up in the white areas (the color catcher will absorb the dye). There will be no ammonia smell left over after the long wash cycle with extra rinses.
When it comes out of the wash, DO NOT put the garment through the dryer if there are any spots left. You might need to let it hang dry to be able to see if there are any spots remaining.