Summer Stain Mishaps – Don’t Let Them Spoil Your Plans

You know it's summer when your social calendar starts filling up. From picnics and camp-outs to sporting events and weddings, it seems like every summer weekend is booked before you even have a chance to think about spring cleaning. And the more social events you attend, the chances you'll encounter a common summer stain mishap (or two) dramatically increase. With these tips from Tide®, you can learn how to handle any stain challenge that makes its way into your summer plans.

Picnics

Nothing says summer like a picnic. And nothing says a picnic like grilled meat, BBQ sauce, potato salad and gelatin dessert.

But how do you get rid of the stains that picnic fare can leave behind? Try Tide to Go®. This instant stain remover works on BBQ sauce and is perfect for picnics because it eliminates many embarrassing food and drink stains on the spot. If you're the host or a guest, be sure to have a Tide to Go handy so you can rescue yourself — and others — from a BBQ stain emergency.

For gelatin dessert stains, if you can, immediately rinse the soiled area of the garment in cold water to dilute the stain. Then when you get home, pretreat with Tide Liquid, soak for 30 minutes in cool water, and wash in warm or cool water. (Do not use hot water as it will tend to "set" this type of stain.)

Camp-Outs

Ready for some family bonding? Just stick everyone in a tent for a few days and you'll never feel closer — literally. Okay, maybe that's the one downside of camping — that and all the laundry it seems to generate thanks to the days spent hiking in the hot sun and the nights spent sitting around a campfire eating s'mores.

Here's how to treat deeply soiled fabrics that have succumbed to some of the most stubborn camping stains:

• Perspiration — Soak the garment for 30 minutes in a gallon bucket by adding 1/2 use Tide per gallon of water, then wash in warm water with your favourite formula of Tide.
• Sunscreen — Pretreat and wash in warm water using Tide Liquid.
• Grass — Soak the garment for 30 minutes in a bucket by adding 1/2 use Tide with Bleach (for whites) or Tide with Bleach Alternative (for colours) per 3.8 litres of water, then wash in warm water with Tide with Bleach or Tide with Bleach Alternative.

And remember to keep a Tide to Go in your backpack. It just might get rid of the chocolate stains from those ooey-gooey s'mores.

Entertainment Events

Who doesn't love catching a ball game, a car race, a concert or the opening of a theme park during the warm summer months? But there is a common element of all these exciting events that no one loves — concession stand food stains!

Just remember to put a Tide to Go in your purse, backpack or pocket before you head out. It can remove those ketchup stains that always seem to happen thanks to loaded stadium dogs. Or fresh soda stains that mysteriously appear when you’re paying too close attention to the race.

Weddings

Here comes the bride...and here comes the stains. Wine and lipstick are two of the most common stains that will have you saying "I don't" when celebrating a summer nuptial.

For red wine, run cold water over the stain right away. Then pretreat with Tide Liquid, soak for 30 minutes in warm water, and launder in hottest water safe for fabric.

For lipstick, scrape and treat the stained area with dry-cleaning solution, rub with Tide Liquid and scrub the stain under hot water. Then wash in the hottest water safe for fabric.

Relax and enjoy yourself this summer! You won't have to worry about stains spoiling your plans — just remember to invite Tide along.