Ace bleach for whites disaster! How the hell do I stop the kids' polo shirts from being wrecked by sun cream?

[Bumblebeebum23]

First week back at school, and my boys both came home with yellowy stained polo shirts from sun cream (which I intentionally tried to apply before they got dressed to avoid huge stains). However, they have obviously been running around and getting sweating, resulting in lots of staining, especially around the collar.

Anyway, upon noticing this, I soaked the shirts in Vanish white. The result ...it all turned orange. I washed in the machine and hung in the sun....Still orange

So, I had a look online, and Ace bleach was recommended. Went and bought some and the minute I put it in the sink to soak it turned pink!! 😭

I have come to the conclusion that they will need to be binned, but I can't chuck their tshirts away every time they use sun cream. Does anything actually work? Or is there a sun cream that doesn't stain whites?

Please help

Following as I’m having the same problem! Trust the first week back at school to be during a heatwave = brand new shirts ruined! 😫

Am interested in this, sorry no answers. But in truth, if I know my kids school uniform is washed and clean, I’m not fussed about the stains (or to be honest, gave up the battle).

Try De-solv-it sticky stuff remover. Can get in Robert Dyas. Treat stains, leave to soak in and wash as usual. It is a bit smelly, but airing outside should solve that (or an extra wash). I rescued some of DHs pricey polo shirts with this method.

The pink is supposed to go away in the sun so try hanging them out yet again.

https://acecleanuk.co.uk/faq/

It seems this is a known issue with sun cream but they say if you wash again and dry in the sun then it should be ok

@BishopBrennansArseHole Yep! Absolutely typical 😭 @HipHipWhoRay I promise you I am not overly precious about their uniform, but it looks awful. They went in with brand new polo shirts and came home looking utterly unkempt. So disheartening!

In my experience it never comes out.

I don’t find Ultrasun stains, used it happily for years.

https://amzn.to/48k07Oq

@AtomicBlondeRose @Reallybadidea Thank you.... maybe there's still hope then 🤞 come on sunshine!

Or soak in vodka 🤣 https://inthewash.co.uk/laundry-and-ironing/white-clothes-turning-pink/#:~:text=Although%20bleach%20will%20normally%20remove,bright%20pink%20colour%20to%20appear.

I think I'd rather drink the vodka and put up with the DC having pink or yellow stained shirts

I got the stains outs using washing up liquid and baking soda mixed into a paste. Left for a few hours, then out in the sun. Then spray with 2hite vinegar while in the sun. Completely lifted the stains. I was pleasantly surprised!

Sorry - no advice but I'm very thankful that blue polos are required at DS school for this reason!

Sounds like you live in a soft water area/have a water softener - lucky you!

Brown stains from sunscreen usually are a reaction to minerals in wash water. I've never had luck with bleach and these stains. I usually wear mineral only sunscreens when I wear white to avoid them.

https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-remove-sunscreen-stains-2146959

Thanks all x

Oh! Yes, have used it in Yorkshire and Scotland.

I had this after a holiday. I read that elbow grease works, so I sprayed the white (yellow!) tops left for 30 mins then washed them. Hung them out to dry and the stains had gone.

Late to the party here, but thought I'd share what worked for me, as it literally just happened this morning. Washed my OH's work shirts, used Ace Ultra, all collars came out of the machine bright pink. I tried bleach, vinegar, bicarb of soda, washing up liquid...all did nothing. In a last ditch attempt, I mixed some Vanish Oxi Action (Crystal White version) with a bit of hot water in a small cup, stirred a bit to make a foamy paste, then applied directly onto the collars. Within minutes, the pink had completely gone. Phew!