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Help! Set-in stains on bike jerseys!

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Help! Set-in stains on bike jerseys!

Old 10-10-19, 06:43 AM
  #1  
masi61
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Help! Set-in stains on bike jerseys!

I like to wear light colored bike jerseys. I also carry fruit in the back pockets and my grubby paws wipe dirt from my tires. So I always get some nasty stains at the openings of my back pockets. I also get some other random stains on my jerseys and some yellowing at the neck.

I spray them with my girlfriend’s secret stain remover - Hydrogen Peroxide mixed 50/50 with Dawn dish soap. This concoction actually removes a great many stains, but not the ones listed above. So I have “Shout” gel in a little dispenser with a little plastic brush. Again, some result but no complete removal of these stains.

Can somebody help help me out here and identify an emergency, last ditch stain remover for those stains that I perhaps made permanent by not treating them promptly enough? I thought of actually trying a type of carpet & upholstery cleaner spray. The bottle makes no mention of its use in fabrics but I might start with my white Pace jersey with the most obvious stains.

Anybody have any seriously powerful stain remover for set in stains in Lycra/synthetic athletic fabrics? Let’s hear about them!
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Old 10-10-19, 06:49 AM
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Go with dark shirts.
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Old 10-10-19, 06:57 AM
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I wash my clothing after each use. when there are stains of any kind, I use a spray stain remover. I have found that some stubborn stains require a 2nd treatment & sometimes leave the stain remover on the cloth for some time, sometimes over night before washing again. do not use a dryer between washings / treatments. giggle says try vinegar
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Old 10-10-19, 08:31 AM
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OxyClean

Follow the directions on the bottle

If it doesn't work, nothing will.
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Old 10-10-19, 08:45 AM
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Originally Posted by Skipjacks
OxyClean

Follow the directions on the bottle

If it doesn't work, nothing will.
+1 for OxyClean for set-in sweat and food stains. It's the only thing that's going to work short of dry cleaning. Expect it to kill your elastic after a couple of uses, so only use it as long as necessary. I'm not sure what it does to any treatments your fabrics may have.

For ground in particulate, like grimy hands, that's there to stay. While most laundry stains are a mix of sugars, fats, proteins, and pigment, 'grime' (I'm thinking road dust, chain/drivetrain grime, brake dust, etc.) are really tiny particles that are embedded in the fabric weave/knit, or even the twist of the yarn. You can reduce the stain with a strong surfactant like Simple Green, which can lubricate the knit enough to help you work some of those particles out, but completely eliminating them is a lesson in diminishing returns. You'll have to scrub those spots by hand, because a washer won't do it.


IF YOU MUST REMOVE THESE STAINS:
You might benefit from coupling the surfactant with a softener like a phosphate cleaner or laundry Calgon liquid. The goal is to make the water solution "wet" enough to overcome any natural repellency in the fabric, and get right up to the road dust and rubber particles.
Another alternative is an 'orange degreaser' or some other non-petroleum grease solvent, you might be able to dissolve the bituminous component of the road dust and grease, but any dust and ground metal particles will stay.

You can go on and on in absurdum, but again, it's a jersey, and you likely have the other stuff on hand. A little OxyClean and better washing practices will keep your kit looking good until it loses it's fit.

Last edited by Unca_Sam; 10-10-19 at 08:56 AM.
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Old 10-10-19, 08:59 AM
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
I wash my clothing after each use. when there are stains of any kind, I use a spray stain remover. I have found that some stubborn stains require a 2nd treatment & sometimes leave the stain remover on the cloth for some time, sometimes over night before washing again. do not use a dryer between washings / treatments. giggle says try vinegar
This is the best advice. Along with repeated use of stain remover and multiple washings, I sometimes start by soaking a filthy jersey in the sink with a little bit of laundry soap.

If you’ve already laundered your jersey and the stain is still there, you’re probably never going to remove it at this point.
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Old 10-10-19, 09:23 AM
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In my experience, if you don't get the stain out the first time it's washed, it's probably not going to come completely clean.

One other thing to try is permatex hand cleaner. This has the consistency of face cream but is used by mechanics and people who's hands get really dirty. They claim it works well on clothing stains as well.
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Old 10-10-19, 02:16 PM
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Pure dish soap works for grease/oil stains. I wash my gear in vinegar every once in a while to prevent funkiness.
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Old 10-10-19, 02:23 PM
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My mom always cleans my clothes.
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Old 10-11-19, 04:13 AM
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Tide Ultra. Best stuff I've used. Occasionally peroxide will help with some stains, such as blood, pet urine, etc. But Tide Ultra is the best of the best so far, including compared with other versions of Tide and Gain. It's cleaned out Clif mocha gel stains from my white jersey, blood, muddy and oily grime from rainy rides, everything I've encountered.

The trick is to let it soak. Add a little concentrated liquid with a fingertip to the collar and stains. The enzymes need time to work. For tough stains I'll let the garment soak for up to an hour in tepid water. Thorough agitation by hand in a tub or utility sink can help -- machines don't always offer enough agitation, or agitate too vigorously and damage fabrics. Don't use hot water or warm air drying. Rinse under a full stream of cool water from the tap -- this can help dislodge stains after the detergent soak. Cool water wash and rinse and air dry. It's less likely to set the stain in case it doesn't come out the first wash.

I've heard claims that some complex detergents like Tide and Gain may compromise the wicking and elasticity of some tech fabrics. Some folks prefer detergents without dyes, perfumes, conditioners, etc., for their expensive tech fabric jerseys and shorts. None of my stuff costs that much so I handwash with Tide or Gain (comparable quality detergents). No problems that I can tell. But if you're concerned use Tide only for stubborn cleanups.
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Old 10-11-19, 04:42 AM
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Originally Posted by trailangel
My mom always cleans my clothes.
Wow, I won’t even let my wife touch any of my laundry!
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Old 10-12-19, 10:11 PM
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+1 more for Oxyclean. It removes old stains very well.
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Old 10-12-19, 10:26 PM
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Scissors.


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*got nuthin’*
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Old 10-13-19, 01:36 AM
  #14  
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I found Dawn dish detergent is good at stain removal early on as a pre-treatment but my Shelby t-shirt didn't work out well. Otherwise I've sleaned up stuff from 20 year old shirts I was given fairly well.

Cleans oil-fouled birds and marine life too.
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