Having freckly/fair skin I need to wear sunscreen every day. Some brands can leave a yellow/brown stain on light clothes. To remove this stain: moisten the area, rub with plenty of dishwashing liquid (I use a popular clear green type), and scrub with a nail brush if the fabric can take it.
Thanks for the great tip. I have just changed to a Coppertone kids product and it wasn't until I did a white wash that I found 4 of my daughters white tops essentially ruined by yellow stains. I followed your tip with regular dishwashing liquid with an old toothbrush and this morning 2 are back to normal and the other 2 are much improved. Thanks heaps, you've saved me from throwing them all away!
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Sunscreen seems to be staining my t-shirts around the neck and also the tops of ankle socks. I've tried pre-cleaners and bleach and still no luck.
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After reading all the comments about chemical reactions I decided to do a little experimenting myself. I found that The Works tub & shower cleaner takes out the stain.
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How do I get stains from sunscreen out of my clothes? It also left stains on my enamel on steel bathtub.
With a little bit of pre treatment and some time it is possible to get sunscreen stains out of clothes
Step 1
First make sure the clothing is dry.
Step 2
Then take baking soda and sprinkle over the stain to absorb any excess oil. You will want to let it sit for about 30 minutes.
Step 3
Next dust off any remaining baking soda and take some liquid dish soap and rub into the stain, let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Step 4
Now you will need to mix 1 teaspoon of laundry detergent into a bowl of hot water and allow garment to soak in this mixture for about an hour. Rinse with hot water then launder as usual.
I would like to credit Michelle Manetti from StylelistHomewriter for sharing these instructions.
How can I get the orange stains from sunscreen out of white clothes? I cannot find Biz bleach, which was recommended for an enzyme pre-soak. I also tired The Works but the stains reappeared as soon as I washed the clothing.
By Gail from NY
Bar Keepers Friend: Thanks for the tip! I had given up on my new white blouse badly stained from SPF cream, but I followed the instructions provided on this site and I can wear the blouse again! Many thanks to all who alerted me to this product which I had in my kitchen.
I have recently returned from my holiday with white cotton clothing that is no longer white. The yellow color my whites have turned is thought to be sunscreen, but I'm not 100% positive.
I have a number of white cotton t-shirts that have orange and red stains around the sleeves and neck from what I could only imagine is sunscreen. These stains magically "appear" when I wash them.
