Q: I am embarking on a baseball season with two boys wearing white pants and white undershirts. What are the best ways to remove red dirt and possible juice stains?

A: The undershirts are most likely white cotton, therefore to remove any juice stains, wash the shirts with detergent + ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach in hot water. For colored shirts, pre-treat juice stains with Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster, and then wash in the hottest water recommended on the care label with detergent + more Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster. We also have a live demo of removing juice stains on the video page of the blog, in the Kids 101 video.

Unfortunately, white baseball pants are a challenge because they can contain a combination of stains. Dive for that catch in the outfield, and you’ll have mud and grass; slide for home in the infield, and the fine clay particles get ground into the fabric. This combination of stains is hard to get out. First, it is important to start as soon as you return home from the game. Scrape away as much excess mud and grass that you can, and then pre-soak the pants with one scoop powdered Clorox2^® Stain Fighter & Color Booster dissolved in one gallon hot water. Make sure the powder is dissolved and the pants are fully submerged, letting them soak overnight. In the morning, drain the soaking solution, and wash the pants with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox^® Regular-Bleach in hot water. Air-dry the pants to avoid heat-setting any stain that may linger. If any stain remains, repeat the pre-soak and wash process. The good news is the pants are most likely polyester and should dry very quickly!