How to remove barbecue stains
Apart from the wasps, what’s not to like about a summer barbecue? Delicious food, friends and alfresco vibes – take us there now. But there’s a particular kind of panic that comes from a dollop of ketchup sliding off a bun onto your favourite summer top, especially when you’re not at home.
To remove barbecue stains, time is of the essence. All stains are harder to remove as they dry, so you will need to act fast. Scrape off the excess and dab with a clean cloth before treating it with a specialist stain remover asap.
If you’re hosting or attending a summer barbecue soon, it’s best to be prepared, especially if you have children. Stock your cupboard with a few essentials, and you needn’t fear another stain for the rest of the summer.
Let’s take a look at some of the other most common stains we encounter during the barbecue season and how to treat them.
How to remove BBQ stains? Quickly!
Whatever the culprit of the stain, it’s always best to deal with it straight away. Some stains like red wine, fruit juice and grass, undergo chemical reactions the longer they are left, and combined with the heat of summer days, they can soon become impossible to shift.
It’s also essential to use the right treatment for your particular stain, as they all behave very differently.
The first few minutes matter most. Here’s what you need to do:
- Start by scraping any excess sauce with a spoon. Then grab a clean cloth or sponge and blot the stain gently. This helps lift the stain, as rubbing or scrubbing will drive it further into the fibres. Always work from the outside in to avoid spreading the stain further
- Run cold water through the stained area from the back of the fabric to the front to help push the stain out.
- Next, it’s time to remove the stain. If you’re away from home, then get to it as soon as you can or use one of the suitable home remedies mentioned in the sections below. Ideally, grab an appropriate stain remover from Dr. Beckmann’s Stain Devil range.
- Always do a spot test on an inconspicuous area of fabric first and always follow the garment’s care label. This is especially important on bright coloured clothes, as the dye could lift along with the stain.
- If the stain is dried in and stubborn, you may need to treat the area again. Be patient, and the stain should lift with a few more rounds.
- Once you’re satisfied the stain has lifted – and only then – wash the clothes as normal on the lowest possible heat setting. Avoid putting stained clothes in a hot wash or in the dryer, and the heat will set the stain firmly in the fibres.
How to remove ketchup stains and BBQ sauce stains
Ketchup and barbecue sauce stains are the the classic barbecue mishaps. They are trickier than they look because it’s essentially three stains in one. The oil soaks the fibres, the sugars and starches set it hard and the red pigment sticks to fibres fast.
Dr. Beckmann Stain Devils Fat & Sauces is your friend here. Dab it on the stain to moisten the area thoroughly and wait for minimum of 10 minutes. Its surfactants lift the grease away while enzymes break down the sugars and fade the red stain. It’s also great on mayo and butter.
Alternatively, a drop of washing-up liquid will work to shift most sauce stains, but be sure to follow steps 1 and 2 first.
How to remove wine stains
Glass of sunny sangria? Don’t mind if I do. But what to do when it drips on your summer frock?
Red wine contains tannins and pigments, which is why liquid detergent on its own won’t shift it. The colour comes from anthocyanins, the same compounds that make red cabbage so vivid. Introduced to natural fibres like cotton and linen, they cling fast, and as they oxidise, they will darken. So every minute counts. Deal with the spill right away, and you stand a good chance of saving your clothes.
After following steps 1 and 2 above, reach for Dr. Beckmann Stain Devils Fruit & Drinks. Its active oxygen booster bleaches the colour out while being super gentle on fabrics. Sprinkle it on and leave for 60 minutes for a fresh stain. For a dried-in stain, leave it longer but be sure to keep it wet.
If you can’t lay your hands on a stain remover, you might try using washing-up liquid, but it may disappoint as there are no oils to tackle here. Many swear by a mixture of 1:1 washing-up liquid and white vinegar/hydrogen peroxide. But for best results, buy a specialist stain remover from your local superstore.
How to remove fruit juice stains
If you’re the designated driver or you have children, you may have the odd fruit juice spill. Fruits belong to the same anthocyanin family as red wine and behave in the same way by bonding quickly to fibres.
Stain Devils Fruit & Drinks is the solution here, after carefully dabbing and running through with cold water. The oxi-action breaks down the colour molecules and can save even the whitest of new summer t-shirts. Always follow the instructions on the pack for best results.
You might also try an old trick: stretch the fabric over a bowl and pour boiling water through it from a height to push the stain out. But a word of warning – never try this on a protein stain as the heat will set it. Always check the care label first and avoid using hot water on delicates such as wool or silk.
How to remove grass stains
Grass stains on your little ones’ clothes are the sign of a summer afternoon well-spent. But they can be frustrating when they are on their Sunday best.
Chlorophyll is a very effective natural dye, and it’s stubborn. It bonds quickly to light summer cottons and is also a bit oily. So using just water will spread it around instead of lifting it.
The right product here is Stain Devils Cosmetics & Nature. It pairs a pigment remover with surfactants to tackle oil, break the colour down and push it out. Light grass stains should only take around 15 minutes to treat.
Mud stains require a different approach. First, leave them to dry completely. Then brush the loose soil away before treating it as above.
For a different approach, try dabbing surgical spirit onto a clean cloth and work inwards from the edge of the stain. Test somewhere hidden first, and avoid hot water, which sets mud and grass fast.
How to remove meat and grease stains
Getting burger juice on your clothes is another summer barbecue casualty. As well as the animal fat (or plant-based oil), there may also be the marinade to deal with.
As we all know: fats and water don’t mix. Cold water beads straight off a greasy mark without touching it. So greasy stains need warm (not hot) water to give surfactants like washing-up liquid the mobility they need to break the fat down.
Stain Devils Fat & Sauces is a multi-fat remover that’s great on all protein stains, including butter and chocolate.
If you don’t have any to hand, you could try covering the stain with bicarbonate of soda for 15-minutes to draw the oil out of the weave. Then brush it off and dab it with washing-up liquid diluted in warm water.
How to remove ice cream and ice lolly stains
Ice lollies and ice cream often melt before you get anywhere near the bottom, so the odd drip is inevitable. If it lands on your clothes, act fast before the sugar and dye has a chance to set in.
For fruit-based lollies, use Stain Devils Fruit & Drinks as you would for fruit juice. Both dairy and vegan ice creams contain oils, so Stain Devils Fat & Sauces is the right product for the job. Gently blot the treated area, rinse thoroughly and let it air dry, checking the mark has gone before it sees any heat.
How to remove sunscreen stains
While absolutely essential, sun cream can leave oily, often yellowish marks on collars and straps. They will set quickly with time and heat, so treat them fast.
For any type of lotion or make-up, use Stain Devils – Cosmetics and Nature. It contains the right surfactants to handle the oil, as well as pigment remover. For stubborn fake tan stains, you may have to follow it up with Stain Devils Fruit & Drinks to fade the orange pigment.
Wash and dry the garment according to the care label, ensuring the stain has completely gone first, as the heat will bake in anything left behind.
How to remove barbecue charcoal stains
If you are chief barbecuer, then you might suffer the odd black stain as you brush against the grill. This is soot: fine carbon particles in an oily residue left behind by burning. It’s a tough stain as the carbon sits in the weave and the grease spreads quickly.
First, give it a dry brush. If there is any stubborn soot still sitting on the fabric, use a bit of sticky tape and dab it away. Then use Dr. Beckmann Stain Devils Lubricants & Oils. This powerful stain remover combines solvents with surfactants to loosen stains like charcoal, tar, motor oil and shoe polish.
Not sure what product you need?
If you’re contending with a different stain from the ones mentioned here, visit our Stain Clinic for advice.
Wishing you a happy and stain-free summer!