There is nothing better than the fresh and warm feeling of wearing a “freshly ironed shirt.” On the other hand, there's nothing worse than the feeling when you realize you've left the iron on your clothes while answering a knock on the door. Luckily, if you know how to deal with scorch marks, you won't have to worry anymore! It may not always work for scorch stains, but for light scorch stains (especially on fabrics like cotton and linen), there are some great things you can do.
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Method 1 of 3: Handling Before Washing and Washing
Step 1. Do it fast
Like many other types of clothing stains, scorch stains are easiest to treat as soon as they appear. This article contains several ways to remove scorch marks from clothes. Regardless of the method used in this section or any of the others, you need to immediately remove the scorched cloth from the heat source and start cleaning it as soon as you notice the scorch stain.
Don't leave the stained garment or fabric scorched while you finish ironing-the amount of time it takes you to start treating the stain can vary between the total stain removal time and the permanent staining of dark stains on the fabric
Step 2. Rinse the clothes in warm water
To begin handling clothing or fabrics before washing, rinse them quickly. This has two purposes. First, rinsing plays a role in allowing the clothes to absorb the laundry detergent that you will work with in the next step. Second, rinsing will remove any scorch stains that aren't too sticky, letting you know how heavy the scorch is.
Step 3. Rub laundry detergent on the stain
Using your fingers, gently rub your regular laundry detergent into the scorch stain. By giving the laundry soap a chance to "stick" to the stain before washing your clothes, you increase the detergent's power to remove the stain. Don't use bleach or other special cleaning solutions-you have the opportunity to do this in the next step.
Liquid laundry soap is very good to use because it can seep between the tightly woven fibers of the fabric to treat stains at a very low level of vision. However, for this (and other common stain removal jobs), you can also use powdered laundry soap if you mix it with a little water first to make a less thick paste
Step 4. Alternatively, soak the clothes in water with bleach
If the fabric is made from a material that is safe for use with bleach, you will need to pre-treat the fabric by soaking it for 15 minutes in a solution of water and bleach. Use one or two bottle caps of bleach for 3.8 liters of water used. Stir the solution occasionally to ensure that the clothes are evenly submerged.
If you're not sure if your clothes are made from bleach-safe fabrics, check the clothing care label. As a general rule, wool, silk, mohair, and other fabrics that fade easily are not suitable for cleaning with bleach
Step 5. Wash
When you are done handling the fabric, put it in the washing machine and start a regular wash cycle. In other words, use the wash settings recommended on the fabric care label. You may also include other items that need washing, as long as they can be safely washed using that setting and the cleaning products you use.
As above, you can also use bleach or other cleaning products here if they are fabric safe
Step 6. Dry the clothes outside in direct sunlight
Take the clothes out of the washing machine and check for scorch marks-hopefully they aren't as noticeable as they were before. You will need to repeat the wash cycle several times for ideal results. To dry the fabric, instead of using a hairdryer, try drying it in the sun if it's weather permitting outside. Sunlight is known to lighten all kinds of dark stains on unsightly fabrics, including scorch stains.
Do not leave clothes in the sun for more than one day. Over time, the sun's rays can weaken the fabric, making it more susceptible to damage and causing the light color to fade
Step 7. Understand that the damage can sometimes be permanent
Unfortunately, heavy scorch stains may not be removed even with repeated handling. In these cases, you may want to try covering the stain, cutting, patching, throwing the clothes away, or donating them. Alternatively, you can also try recycling the fabric for other purposes.
Method 2 of 3: Treating with Hydrogen Peroxide
Step 1. This alternative trick can work, making it a favorite of many amateur cleaners on the internet
To get started, find an old rag and moisten it with hydrogen peroxide. Spread the stained cloth over the work surface and cover the scorched stain with the damp cloth.
- Hydrogen peroxide, which is a cleaning solution with mild bleaching properties, is usually available at grocery stores and pharmacies for a fairly low price.
- If you have ammonia, you'll also need to apply a few drops directly to the scorch stain. While ammonia and hydrogen peroxide are safe to use with each other (unlike ammonia and bleach), they are not solutions you want to inhale or rub on your face, so be sure to wash your hands when you're done.
Step 2. Cover with a dry cloth
Next, place a dry cloth on top of a cloth soaked in hydrogen peroxide. To be really clean, you need to have three items on your work surface: at the bottom is a scorched garment, in the middle is a peroxide rag, and at the top is a dry rag.
Step 3. Iron on medium-high heat
Heat the iron to a slightly hot (but not very hot) temperature. Start gently rubbing the top of the rag. The heat will slowly work its way through the layers and into the stained garment, where it will help the hydrogen peroxide work on the scorch stain and begin to remove it. Be patient-this process can take some time.
Step 4. Change the cloth containing the liquid when it dries
Check for scorch marks frequently when ironing the top rag. For light to moderate scorch marks, you will see a strong but slow change. If, at any point, you notice that the center of the rag is starting to dry out, remove it and reapply the hydrogen peroxide. Similarly, if you previously sprinkled scorched clothes with ammonia and saw if the ammonia dries, add a few more drops. This can make the cleaning process as fast and effective as possible.
You will also need to remove the top rag and replace it with another rag, if it is already wet with hydrogen peroxide from the center rag. This will prevent rust from staining the iron
Method 3 of 3: Trying Homemade Solutions
Step 1. Wash clothes with fresh lemon juice
If the above methods don't work, don't worry - several sources on the internet recommend alternative solutions. Although these methods are not guaranteed to work as well as the methods above, they are not harmful. For starters, try squeezing lemon juice on clothes to soak up scorch stains. Put the clothes in a container of hot water and let sit for 15-30 minutes. Remove from container and dry as usual.
To be on the safe side, don't try this trick with non-bleach-safe fabrics like silk, wool, etc. Although lemon juice is very gentle compared to bleach, some sources report that it can cause minor damage to certain types of fabrics
Step 2. Rinse with white vinegar
Another trick for removing scorch marks from clothes is to soak a sponge or rag in white vinegar and scrub the scorch stain with the sponge or rag. Let the wet clothes sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing them off with cold water. Dry as usual.
Use only white vinegar - don't use red wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or anything else, as this can create new stains that are difficult to remove
Step 3. Soak in ice water
If clothing has just been scorched by accident, some sources recommend soaking the fabric in ice cold water before doing anything else.. Keep the water cool while the clothes are soaking, either by adding ice or putting the container with the clothes in the freezer. For best results, soak clothes for at least an hour.
If you put clothes in the freezer, don't forget to do this-although freezing clothes or fabrics usually won't do any damage, it will hamper the cleaning process
Step 4. For heavy scorch marks, try scrubbing with an emery cloth
Heavy scorch stains may not be able to be removed by normal cleaning. However, in some cases, you may still be able to reduce the visible damage from the scorch stain by using a soft scrubbing tool such as an emery cloth to scrape off the scorch stain. This doesn't guarantee success, and if you scrub too hard, it's possible to wear clothes with new holes. However, compared to the possibility of throwing the clothes away, many people feel the risk is worth it.
For this tactic, you don't need to use an emery cloth-other soft abrasives (such as sandpaper, for example) work best
Tips
- Always check the fabric and change the ironing setting to suit the fabric type. It's easier to sort the fabrics into appropriate piles and iron them in bulk on the same setting so you don't have to keep changing iron settings.
- In this solution, the sun acts as a bleach.
