Can this red stain be removed?

[CluelessAboutBiology]

I’ve got a horrible red stain (actually I think it’s a chemical reaction ) on a brand new dress.

On holiday, I put on sun screen then put on a brand new white dress for the first time. A few minutes later, our plans changed and the dress wasn’t appropriate, so I took it off. As I did so, the neckline rubbed against my skin and I knew I’d got sun cream on it.

Back home, I looked at the dress and yes, I could see a stain around the neck. I got out my Ace stain remover for whites and to my horror, a red mark appeared where I had sprayed the stain removed.

I washed the dress hoping the red mark would wash out, but it hasn’t.

It must be a chemical reaction between the sun cream and the stain remover which makes me think I’m not going to be able to remove it.

Anyone got any suggestions? I’ve only worn the dress for literally five minutes and now I’ve ruined it.

This is what it looks like after it was washed.

The best stain remover I’ve ever used is Elbow Grease, they sell it in pound land, Amazon, Asda. I use the one in the yellow spray bottle.

@CluelessAboutBiology theres no image as of yet so can’t help with the red stain as of yet but for future reference, elbow grease laundry bar followed by elbow grease spray and the washed at 40 degrees on a long wash with biological powder removes sun cream stains first time.

@BinBagDress @SeasideDaisy The annoying thing is that I have an Elbow Grease bar and spray in the cupboard. If only I’d used them instead

My son’s white school polo tops went yellow in the wash from the suncream (couldn’t see it until it was washed). I soaked them in the Vanish gel for 6 hours and then washed it and it all came out.

I can see the images now, yes that is a chemical reaction between the bleach and suncream.

Is the sun out where you are? Or forecast to be out tomorrow? I would use elbow grease bar and spray and then rewash the dress with biological powder then peg it out in direct sunlight. As the material where the stain is drys spray it with white vinegar, let it dry and spray it again with vinegar, repeat several times. You will need to wash it again afterwards to remove the vinegar smell but I’ve had success with this method on a variety of stains.

Have you tried bleach?

It's a really common reaction! The avobenzone in the sun cream reacts with the oxidizers in the stain remover and basically turns into rust. Try soaking it in a rust remover like HG Rust Stain Remover or Dr. Beckmann Stain Devils for Glow/Rust that usually breaks down the bond and saves the dress! 🤞
(By the way, if you ever need quick laundry hacks or local housekeeping help around Berks/Bucks, I use the mycleanerhub.co.uk sitethey post tons of handy cleaning tips like this!)"

@KnickerlessParsons No, I didn’t want to risk making it worse by adding another chemical.

@mumsn26 and @BinBagDress thank you for those suggestions. I shall try them out tomorrow.

If the above suggestions don’t work, OP, you could try Dylon. I’ve refreshed sun cream damaged t-shirts with it, also face towels that were bleached with DD’s acne medication! Worth a go.

@mumsn26and @BinBagDressI ordered the HG rust remover as you suggested. I was just about the use it on the red mark and discovered that it has disappeared by itself!

The original sun cream stain is still there so I need to remove that - but don’t want to cause any more damage.

Do you think if I wash the dress to remove the Ace stain remover, it should be safe to then use the Elbow Grease spray/bar?

@CluelessAboutBiology only just seen your update, yes wash to remove whatever is on there then treat with elbow grease. I have always managed to get suncream out with that method.
I wonder why the red vanishes by itself? Very intriguing!

@BinBagDress thanks for your help. I’ll try the Elbow Grease on the dress after I’ve washed it.

@BinBagDress@SeasideDaisy@SeasideDaisy@mumsn26you are all geniuses. Thanks to your suggestions, the stains - both red and suncream - have gone and my dress is white again!

Thank you for your help.

@CluelessAboutBiology glad you managed to save your dress!