Yellow Sunscreen stains on white T Shirts and coffee stains in white mugs - what really works?

[Azuresky68]

Good morning all. I know i can Google this but so many suggestions don't work! Thought it would be much better to ask real people.
I think I have all the cleaning products and natural products but not found the right solution for my white t shirts.

My coffee cups are used daily and it's always a struggle to get rid of the brown stains. Not really want to use bleach every time I wash up.

Any tips gratefully received!

Sunscreen is an absolute beast. I have a holiday let and it’s the bane of my life as it’s usually waterproof and oily. Whatever you do, do not spray bleach on it - it turns bright pink as I learnt to my horror when a duvet cover ended up looking like the Turin Shroud. I have heard that a grease remover works, so might be worth trying something like Elbow Grease all purpose degreaser, which works well on oily stains on the front of tops.

Can’t help you on mugs I’m afraid.

Elbow grease for suncream and 'DH head stains' on pillowcases that make white cotton look yellow and Milton (Home Bargains do a cheap knock off) for mugs! I leave the elbow grease on fabric for 5 or 10 mins before turning washing machine on and the cups only need about an hour with Milton and cold water

Acceptance is the best thing for these!

Vinegar for sunscreen. Soak in mix of vinegar and water and then add to washing machine in softener drawer with bio powder. Works pretty well and has saved quite a few favourite tshirts.

Mugs - once a week soak for an hour or so in boiling water and a denture-cleaning tablet. Then wash as normal. You still might need to scrub a bit with the abrasive side of a washing-up sponge.

For sunscreen, I rubbed in fairy liquid to the neck of dampened t shirt and the soaked it in whitener powder. Hung it out in bright sunshine and the yellowing of the sunscreen disappeared.

😅😅😅

Many thanks but not which Elbow Grease product you mean? Stains remover?

1. Dry in the subshine.
2. Soak in bicarb

Mugs - fill the mug with water, add a squirt of bleach, leave overnight, rinse well. Hey presto, stains are gone.

Sunscreen - no idea - watching with interest.

Mugs: bicarbonate of soda on a dishcloth that’s just damp enough for the bicarb to stick and rub directly on the stains til gone.
I’ve never found a sunscreen on white top solution so am watching with interest

I use astonish paste on stained mugs.
You could try Ace for whites spray on the white clothing

mugs fill with water, add squirt of bleach, leave for a bit.

Mugs soak in salt brings them up perfect

For the suncream the answer is to bin it!! I asked here a few years ago - tried everything and there was no saving the garment.

For my teastained mugs I put in a bit of Persil, fill with not water and leave to stand. Brings the teaspoons up nicely too. Make sure to rinse thoroughly.

Mugs I use the bottle sterilising tablets - usually similar to denture tablets.

Bit of diluted sterilising fluid works wonders on cups.

I find putting mugs in the dishwasher stops them staining but it can erode the finish on ceramics. For mugs I don’t want to put in the dishwasher, I fill them with water and add a tiny drop of bleach and allow them to stand for a couple of hours (now and then).

Sun lotion, I used a stain devil, took top out washing machine thought it hadn’t worked, but when it dried in the sun it worked 😅 The only thing is the bottle you get is tiny…. This was only a few weeks ago…

Nancy Birtwhistle has suggestions for removing sun cream stains if you look her up.
Have you tried sodium percarbonate (green bleach) on the mugs?

Bright sunlight does wonders on suncream. I’ve tried the bicarb/vinegar trick for suncream stains before but didn’t find it made much difference. A couple of hours outside on a bright sunny day on the other hand, comes up a treat.

I have never had stains in my mugs.... Interesting. I wonder whether its because we have a water softener?? Suncream stains, also never had a problem, we use Amber Solaire and Ultrasun, which don't seem to stain.

Greasy man head stains on pillow slips though..... soaked in white vinegar solution, and then washed in machine with further vinegar. Why do men have such greasy, sweaty heads...... Bleuch.

I have never had stains in my mugs

I drink tea without milk. Tea with milk doesn't stain mugs so badly. (And this is a hard water area.)

Yep DHs black tea and coffee destroys white mugs, but it does usually scrub off. If not a drop of bleach sorts them (I just don't tell him)
Suncream is impossible to get out completely I think