Sunscreen is vital to protect our skin from the sun's UV rays, but it’s not ideal when it transfers onto our clothes. Yellow stains on your whites, particularly around the sleeves and collar, are an obvious sign of this, and these marks only get darker with time.
This isn’t an easy stain to shift because sunscreen contains oils to make it moisture-resistant, so you’ll need to act quickly. We’ve listed the GHI’s top tips to remove sunscreen stains below with the best methods for washable fabrics, silk and carpet. So you can enjoy the sun, without fear for ruining your summer wardrobe.
GHI Tip: Apply sunscreen at home or in your hotel room and allow it to dry thoroughly before dressing and going out into the sun. Wash your hands well to avoid transferring it to clothes while you dress.
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General directions
As always with stains, the most important thing is to act fast. Follow the advice below, depending on what material your stain is on.
On washable fabrics
For washable fabrics, gently scrape off any solid residue with a blunt knife. If it's still wet, carefully lift away the excess, taking great care not to spread the sunscreen further as you do and work your way from the outside-in.
Spot-treat the affected area with a pre-wash stain remover such as Dr Beckmann Stain Devils Fruit and Drinks (despite the name, this is actually great at removing sunscreen). Follow the manufacturer's instructions carefully.
Flush with cool water and rub a little liquid biological washing detergent into the affected area, then machine-wash on as high a temperature as the fabric allows.
On silk
For silk, you'll need a stain remover safe for delicates such as Ace Gentle Stain Remover; pre-treat the stain before washing at 30°C on the delicates cycle. Alternatively leave it to the professionals and take to your local reputable dry cleaner.
On carpet
As with most stains, if you've spilled sunscreen on your carpet, it's best to act fast. Start by removing as much of the sunscreen as you can using a damp cloth — take care not to spread it as you remove the excess. Use the cloth to lift it away, moving to a fresh section of the cloth with each pass. Try not to over-blot the affected area of carpet, as this can push the fluid further in.
Then, use Dr Beckmann's Carpet Stain Remover on the affected area, following the instructions on the packaging. Rinse afterwards with a damp cloth, but do not saturate the carpet in the process. Blot with a dry cloth to remove the excess moisture and leave to air dry.
Old sunscreen stains
As mentioned above, sunscreen stains will darken in time making them more prominent on white items. You’re unlikely to restore clothes with old sunscreen stains on them, but you can always try the above methods to see if they have an impact. If all else fails, you can try to whiten the stains too.
