Let's face it, when you have kids, or are as clumsy as I am, stains happen! I am legit clumsy but at least now that I have kids I have an excuse for all of the food that ends up on my clothes when I'm out.

Confession: If I spill something on myself, I am totally going to blame it on my kids until they can rat me out.

If your kids love oranges, raise your hand. Raises hand.

If your kids end up with orange juice running down their chin like Niagara Falls when they're eating them, raise your hand. Raises hand.

The first time I laundered their orange stained clothes, I was not successful. But, having learned a few things from my own spilly tendencies, I hung their clothes to dry incase I needed to try again.

Pro Tip: The heat from putting stains through the drier will set the stain into the fabric. If you're not sure whether or not the stain was successfully removed, line dry it.

When my trusty all natural stain bar failed to do this tough job I did a quick online search. I really didn't want to turn to a chemical laden solution. I prefer all natural products where ever possible, especially for cleaning and even more so when it involves the kids. More than one website suggested pre-treating the stain with detergent followed by a water and white vinegar soak before laundering normally. So I put this treatment to the test and not just with oranges either. This particular laundry day we were facing orange, watermelon, raspberry, and sand stains. Did you know sand stains? I didn't, but I do now!

Left: Watermelon and orange concentrated around the neckline. Right: Orange and sand on the shirt and a big ol' raspberry stain on the pants.

A friend of mine lent me a pile of clothes for H so when I saw that big fat raspberry land on those cream colours pants I was mortified. I mean, sure, she has two kids already so she is highly aware of how messy the little critters can be but I still didn't want to hand back stained clothes.

Stain Removal Method

Step One: Pre-treat

• Wet the stained area.
• Apply a small amount of detergent directly to the stain.
• Massage the offending area desperately.

Step Two: Soak
In a basin combine:

• 1 Quart water (cool to warm temperature)
• 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
• Soak for 10 - 15 minutes then laundry normally at the highest temperature the fabrics allow.
• Note: Because I had a few items to treat I soaked in a double batch.

Step Three: Optional

• Pray a little.

Yikes! That raspberry stain doesn't look like it's budging...and I am freaking out a little.

I left the clothes to soak and went on my merry way to do some other chores. After 10 to 15 minutes... okay okay, after about 20 minutes, because I got distracted, I came back to find that the raspberry stain was already starting to lift. Halleluiah! Because I thought those pants might be a goner. Maybe this was going to work afterall!

And if all else fails, line dry! I don't have a clothes line where I am currently staying so I just tossed these over the balcony railing. The power of the sun can be harnessed for so many things: electricity, heating, stain removal...

The Results

So did this natural stain remover work? YES! Well, mostly anyway. The sand stains are still faintly apparent and the watermelon was being stubborn as well. After laying them in the sun for the afternoon the watermelon stains faded completely but the sand is still there. Because I dried them in the sun, however, I may be able to get rid of the sand marks if I repeat the process. I've come across stubborn stains before that were defeated the second time around.

Results 1:

Results 2:

For the skeptics

If you're skeptical, here is a stain I missed treating. Sometimes I forget that my daughter drops food onto her seat where it has a chance to soak into the bum of her outfits. That same watermelon stain I was able to remove from the collar did not budge the butt without the detergent pretreatment. Another mom insisted that the Rockin' Green brand detergent I use was not actual detergent, because it is natural, and didn't work but I think this proves otherwise.

So if you're facing stubborn stains give this little diddy a whirl and let me know how you make out. Happy stain removing trails!

All photos and illustrations in this post are original work by Mrs. Canadian Renegade.

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