I CANNOT get his shirts clean. Already!

[Soonish]

I've just washed some of ds1's school shirts twice using persil and using a prewash the second time.

Zilch effect, the collars and cuffs are filthy and there are random grass stains too.

These are brand new, super ultra non iron ones from M&S that he has probably worn about 3 days each.

He's just started secondary and I am almost in tears of despair. I can't afford to keep replacing them every few weeks.

What do I DO?

These saved me having to replace all my 3's white tops last year, not used them to remove stains but they changed grey tops into white ones at a total cost of £2.50 for 6 sachets.

I use double the amount of powder for whites. Washing up liquid for collars, dab it all over the stain and let it soak in for a few minutes.

No need for that Raisinboys . It is an issue that is as worthy of discussion as many on here.
It might save a lot of clothes from landfill, which will help the environment.
And there is nothing wrong with teaching children to take pride in their appearance - to be clean and presentable when going to school is setting a good president for when they go to the world of work.
So it is not as important as feeding the starving or saving lives, but neither are many threads on here.

Don't feel bad OP, I found this thread useful and a good read.

They wouldn't disregard anything I hope. But I think they would notice if it was a regular thing, yes.

"They wouldn't disregard anything I hope. But I think they would notice if it was a regular thing, yes."

And what would they do?

Am I being told off?

Littleprincess my DC are clean, presentable and sometimes stained. They wash every day, wear clean stained shirts every day, smell wonderfully fragrant and are pleasant to be around.

I said I couldn't believe washing shirts would generate so much comment. Still surprised but whatever floats your boat.

I set a terrible precedent for my DC as I work in a field where I am grubby and stained pretty much every day. Oh dear! What are the poor mites to do?

Raisinboys, I wish you had not posted that as it has made me feel rubbish

O for goodness sake *Soonish" Really? You feel "rubbish" about not being able to get some stains out of shirts. It really should not have that level of significance.

Teachers will care! They might not say anything, but trust me, they notice.

Lava The OP said the shirts were clean but remained stained. Raisin commented that teachers wouldn't care. She's right! No one is talking poor hygiene here. The shirts are clean and so would not smell. I would be concerned if a child came in unwashed, smelling and in dirty clothes. Not if an otherwise clean shirt had a grass stain or pen mark on it!

FedUp thanks for that tip! Soda crystals you say?

I just thought you were a little harsh on Soonish that's all Raisinboys. I don't dispute your childrens cleanliness, or hygiene at all, my only issue was with your harsh tone towards OP.
You may not have intended it the way I read it though.
I wouldn't say it floats my boat, but if I can save some money by following some of the tips on here, then it was worth the read.

Nothing I expect, well at least that is what I think they'd do, I mean it's a stain.

I wear a fresh shirt or top everyday and DD as well. I replace my shirts when stained and I can't get it out and this is also true for DD. Regardless if it is uniform or out of school clothes.

Smart looking means DD is not covered in stains.

I washed stained items straight away. No idea what the school uses for pens but apart from the mud from Forest school I got everything out in 3 years of Infant school.

People seem afraid of washing things at 60C or 90C. Basically if something white and cotton is grubby, use bio soap powder and boil wash it with a pre-wash and most stuff comes out. Some people add soda crystals to the wash to help things along.

The mention of first world worries is ironic. Having lived in third world countries for over a decade, I'd say that you have to be a first worlder to NOT care about the cleanliness of your clothes. A poor Mexican family would not want the stigma of sending their kid to school in stained clothes. If real poverty is snapping at your heels, clean and un-torn clothes become a symbol of middle-class aspiration, of having left that poverty trap behind you.

You would be amazed at the difference between independent and state school candidates at some Oxbridge interviews. Applicants are explicitly told to wear whatever makes them feel comfortable. The kids from selective independent schools turn up in expensive but scruffy jeans and tops - Hollister, SuperDry, that kind of thing. Or maybe smart trousers with a tasteful sweater if their mum has influenced proceedings heavily (what my DS1 sarcastically calls his 'Mormon Boy' look). The kids from working class families have usually bought a new outfit for the occasion - boys in shiny suits from a supermarket or possibly Top Man or Marks, girls in polyester pencil skirts and acrylic v-necks with smart plastic court shoes. The difference is so marked, we have discussed it in meetings in the past.

"shiny suits from a supermarket"

Very unhappy with that comment.

Not everyone can afford fine tailoring.

Do you draw conclusions, BoffinMum?

Just to clarify the teacher thing....I was a primary teacher for 20 years.

Every teacher knows there is a world of difference between a child in well washed but stained clothes who skin/hair/ears/teeth are clean and non smelly, and the child with smelly, unwashed clothes, with perpetually grubby skin, ears, hair, and unbrushed teeth.

The first kind is of no concern and entirely normal, the second is a matter for concern.

Personally I am also a little worried about children who are very concerned to keep uber clean all day (SN or sensory issues aside), or who are excessively worried about getting pen on their shirt etc. It is entirely normal and right for children to run around, get sweaty, get grubby, grass up their knees, scrabble in the sand pit, slosh paint etc.

Boffinmum, what about posh people from state schools? Loads here where we live. (we even have a posh state school!)

Also, what do you then DO with the information? What role does class play in the application process (do spill the beans!)

"Boffinmum, what about posh people from state schools?"

Sorry- don't understand? Posh people from state schools? Shurely schome mishtake?

I second Biotex. Never found Vanish particularly effective tbh. Also Discovered a really good stain remover called Its Gone. Got it from Amazon. Got out pen,grass stains and other random stains. It's a spray so no messing about with stick and rubbing etc. Mine wear blue polo shirts so I'm quite lucky. Think all school tops should be navy blue!!

chocolatespiders - the easy iron is basically a synthetic coating on the cotton so it makes the fabric less breathable, and so more smells are trapped.
Might as well have bought a cotton/poly blend in the first place tbh.

I'd second the comments from Boffinmum about boil/hot washing stuff. It does ruin v expensive shirts over time though so not recommended for every wash.

My mum regularly dyed my school shirts a faint pink/blue/grey - no one batted an eyelid except my Dad whose office had slightly higher expectations of personal appearance.

I'm going to ignore the comments about shiny suits. Quite off topic and will just turn a nice helpful thread into a slanging match in no time at all.

"The mention of first world worries is ironic. Having lived in third world countries for over a decade, I'd say that you have to be a first worlder to NOT care about the cleanliness of your clothes."

For goodness sake BravePotato the clothes are CLEAN. The OP said she had washed them but they remained stained. There is no lack of cleanliness.

Teachers have more than enough to deal with without concerning themselves with a grass stain on an otherwise clean shirt on a well cared for child.

Somebody upthread said about sweat smells that aren't washing out. I haven't tried it but I had to pass this tip on to someone who had a real odour issue...apparently you need to blitz the item of clothing in a microwave first and this kills the microbes that feed on the sweat which are actually what is making the smell, you can't wash them out.

I use zoflora in the wash as it is a disinfectant that also kills the bacteria.

Christinecagney: I think there is a difference between children getting dirty and mums trying to get the stains out again.

I once told DD's nursery teacher that I would start wondering if I get her back clean after a day playing. The same is now for school, if she comes home too neat, I want to know what she did in breaktime.

I remember coming home with green knees, we played football at breaktime and I wore trousers (Germany, no uniform). My mum knew I would do it again but still did everything to make the stains go away.