My boys play baseball and I like to buy them the double play Mizuno baseball pants. They are more expensive but they last so much longer and don't rip in the knees so it turns out to be worth it. But you cannot bleach them. They suggested some expensive Krud Kutter Red Clay remover which I bought and it doesn't get the stains out. Have any home remedy suggestions for cleaning white baseball pants? The baseball clay is what I cannot get out from the infield.
I have to agree that Fels Naptha is the only thing for removing the red clay stains from my son's white or gray baseball pants. In the past, I've never had any trouble getting the red clay out even without pre-treating. But then they refurbished our baseball field this year, and all of a sudden, nothing will get those red stains out. I tried everything that has been suggested here but no - still stained after washing.
Then I remembered a baseball mom suggesting Fels Naptha years ago, and at the time I actually bought a bar but never needed to use it. So I dug it out, moistened the pants and rubbed the bar on the stains, let it set a couple minutes, tossed it in the washer, and unbelievably, the stains were gone without a trace! Fels Naptha is a really old product that your grandmother probably used. For some reason, it apparently fell out of favor with all the "new and improved" laundry products that got introduced. But it works like magic on every stain I've tried it on so far, mud, grass, feces, but best of all, blood.
On blood, it's miraculous almost - better than Oxiclean, enzyme bleach (Biz, Clorox 2), chlorine bleach, and hydrogen peroxide (although the peroxide had been my most recent fave, it often took a number of applications and sometimes still didn't get the blood out.) But with Fels Naptha you just moisten, rub, wait 5, wash, and miracle! no blood! You can get Fels Naptha in some grocery stores, but I get mine at Ace Hardware. It comes in a bar like a large bar of soap, and is with the laundry products. You can also buy it online, just Google it.
I've also made a kind of a liquid Fels Naptha because it got too time-consuming to rub that bar on many large red clay stains every day and because I'm kind of lazy. I just grated about 1/4 cup of the Fels Naptha from the bar, mixed it in about 1 cup water (you'll have to experiment), blended it all up with my immersion blender into a smooth liquid, and now just pour it on the stains like any other liquid stain remover. It doesn't bleach out colors at all (I've gotten distracted and left if for over a day at times). Find some and buy it - it's cheap and you won't regret it!
Baking soda, baking soda, and more baking soda! The trick is to start with baking soda - use a makeup brush to lightly dust the pants before the game even starts. This will help keep the red clay from sinking in too deep. After the game, soak them immediately in a sink of some hot water and a full scoop of OxiClean. Swish around a few times, then swipe a bar of white bath soap across the worst of the stains. Dump a healthy portion of baking soda on each stain and scrub the fabric together. Rinse and check the stains - add more baking soda and do a bit more rubbing, then throw them in the wash. Make sure you check the stains to make sure they're gone before you let the pants dry. It takes some work, but the pants will be sparkling white when you're done!
Bleach will turn the uniform a yellowy color. Any uniform (martial arts was my experience) with more poly in will yellow in bleach. Use color safe bleach, oxi clean, Amway has Trizyme-which I use. Or even try dumping some proxide on it and shampoo is good, must be like a Prell or Head/Shoulders. If you get dirt, use a protein buster, which can be Wisk, Era, etc. All these are well known cleaners.
This works! In a bucket add a very generous squirt of Original blue Dawn dish washing detergent and about a cup of bleach. Squirt the offending stain with a little more dawn. Put the uni in the bucket and agitate several times over the next couple hours. Then wash as usual. Yes, it takes a little effort, but my son's team was always complimented on their sparking uniforms!
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Request: Removing Clay From a Baseball Uniform
Archived on 10/30/2008
My son played in Cooperstown this week where they play on a clay field. I cannot get the red clay stains out of his baseball pants. Any suggestions? FYI, the pants can not be bleached and must be washed in cold water because they are 100% polyester.
Karen
Answers:
RE: Removing Clay From a Baseball Uniform
Try using shout gel. I work with clay in pottery- lizzela - which is orange and it stained my light jeans, even after a wash. I then used shout gel and oxy clean and almost all of the stains were removed. (08/10/2005)
My son plays a lot of baseball, I always have to use bleach to get out all those stains. His pants are polyester too. The bleach doesn't hurt them at all. Don't you just love baseball, we sure do! Good luck to him. (08/11/2005)
Try oxyclean. I use it for all of my whites. I start the washer with hot water, add about 5 large scoops and when it dissolves, I switch the water to cold. I add all of our socks, white t-shirts, towels, plus any stained items. Let it agitate for about 5 minutes and then let them soak overnight or at least 6 hours. Run through the regular cycle, and then I run it again with detergent though that is probably not necessary. (08/11/2005)
By Ann
RE: Removing Clay From a Baseball Uniform
Use powered Cascade for the dishwasher. About 1 cup to a large wash. I've used it for years on my son's baseball pants. (08/21/2005)
By Brenda
RE: Removing Clay From a Baseball Uniform
Hi,
1 cup of Cascade seems like an awful lot. I'd use much less to start, maybe 1/8 to 1/4 cup.
Susan from ThriftyFun (08/21/2005)
Use Eisco's Clay Mate, and Grass & Blood Remover (which is part of their Clubhouse Kit Line of Products, carried by Modell's). Or Call Brad for information on the entire Clubhouse Kit line 877-CLUB-KIT (258-2548)
Great products!
(12/20/2005)
By A.S.
RE: Removing Clay From a Baseball Uniform
Try clubhousekit.com they provide the same products for all professional baseball teams (01/18/2006)
By Howard
RE: Removing Clay From a Baseball Uniform
We have all clay fields here also. But, someone turned me on to 'fels-naptha'. It is a bar of soap for laundry purposes. It works! I just wash the pants, rub the bar on the stains and rub it in real well, then throw them back in the washer. Try it! (03/28/2007)
By SHARON
RE: Removing Clay From a Baseball Uniform
My client LaundriTek, Inc. based out of Arizona introduced a new cleaning product: The "Cleaning Agent" that takes care of your cleaning needs.
MLB Teams are now using our product to remove the new red-clay that is being used in baseball fields
Please phone 602-410-5673 or email shdmarketing AT yahoo.com and receive more information on the product. (05/20/2007)
By Owner of SHD Marketing & Distribution
RE: Removing Clay From a Baseball Uniform
Hi Karen,
I am a manufacturer who sells a commercial product to the professional baseball teams called "Slide Out". It will remove old or new red clay stains immediately upon spraying it on. It is sold as a two part kit consisting of 1 gallon of Part 1 solution and 1 gallon Part 2 solution. You also get a dual chamber spray bottle that mixes the two products together at point of use to activate and remove the stain. It never...yes I did say NEVER fails. Call me at 623-326-7945 to discuss delivery and pricing.
Mark (06/04/2007)
By Mark
RE: Removing Clay From a Baseball Uniform
We make a product called Clay Mate clubhousekit.com. As long as you did not dry the uniform the clay should come out. I would also suggest washing in at least warm. Nothing comes clean in cold. If the pants look bad to begin with you have nothing to lose. (10/22/2007)
By Brad
RE: Removing Clay From a Baseball Uniform
Use dishwasher detergent. This gets clay and mud out. Just put it in with your regular detergent. It works wonders, you'll see. (07/19/2008)
