How To Get Mud Out Of Clothes In Just 1 Wash!

Mud, mud, glorious mud - according to the old children's rhyme, there is nothing quite like it for cooling the blood.

However, you may find the mounting pile of mud-stained clothes more blood-boiling than blood-cooling! Don't worry though; we're here to show you how to get mud stains out of clothes.

No matter how hard you try to avoid it, getting mud on your clothes is an inevitable part of life. This can be especially true if you have kids who love nothing more than jumping in puddles and splodging about in the mud.

You'll no longer have to chuck the mud-covered clothes out or resign them for wearing when you're doing a spot of DIY.

Eliminating mud stains from clothes requires items you most likely already have, including:

If you don't have a tool to hand that you can use to scrap the mud, get your vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment ready to go!

Step 1 - Be patient

With most stains, you are encouraged to tackle it as soon as possible to prevent it setting into the fibres of the fabric.

However, when it comes to dealing with mud stains, you want to do the opposite and wait. Dry mud is simpler to remove than wet mud, which can smear easily.

Do not be tempted to dry your clothes in a dryer, or on a heat source such as a radiator. Excessive heat may further set the stain and make it even more difficult to remove.

Step 2 - Scrape off the excess mud

Once dry, gently scrape off the excess mud. The majority of the mud should easily crumble off the fabric.

If easier, use a vacuum to pull the mud from the material. Take care not to scrap too vigorously as you don't want to push the mud further into the fabric, or damage the garment.

Step 3 - Soak with detergent

Apply enough liquid detergent on the stain to allow it to soak the fabric thoroughly. After five minutes, rub the fabric to help the detergent penetrate the stain further. Repeat twice more.

Step 4 - Use stain remover (if required)

If the mud stain is persistent, apply a stain removal treatment to the stain.

Allow the treatment to work for at least five minutes.

Step 5 - Rinse stain

Rinse the stain with cold water. If the stain persists, repeat steps 3 and 4.

Step 6 - Wash garment

Using a bio laundry detergent, wash the garment in a warm (not hot) wash.

Step 7 - Dry garment

Dry the garment outside. The sun naturally lightens clothes and will help reduce the stain. 

If, after all of these steps, the stain is still present you can repeat the steps again.

For some reason, unknown to most of us with a bit of common sense, some schools decide that white polo tops are appropriate PE kit.

Of course, children aren't the only ones to get muddy occasionally. It only takes an unexpected rain shower to muddy your white socks or trousers.

Removing the dark brown stains that mud and dirt can leave from pure white clothes can be challenging.

Before following the steps below, make sure you read the care tags on the inside of the garment - some white garments are made from delicate fabrics which make them unsuitable for this method.

Step 1 – Wait for mud to dry

Allow the mud stain to dry to avoid further smearing the mud across a larger area. If it’s a sunny day, you can pop it outside to speed up the process.

Step 2 – Scrape off excess mud

Scrape the dried mud off the fabric. Be gentle to avoid damaging the fabric.

Step 3 – Apply laundry detergent

Rub a little amount of liquid laundry detergent into the stain with your fingers.

Allow it to sit for 15 minutes before rinsing under cold water.

Step 4 – Create bleach mix

Mix approximately 60ml of chlorine bleach in a bucket of cold water.

Take care not to add any additional chemicals that may react with the bleach.

Always proceed with care when using bleach and make sure there are no children or pets nearby.

Step 5 – Soak garment

Submerge the stained garment in the bleach mixture and soak for 5 minutes.

It is sensible to wear washing up gloves at this point as bleach can irritate your skin.

Step 6 – Wash garment

Wash with a bio laundry detergent at the hottest temperature that is safe for your fabric.

Step 7 – Dry garment

Hang outside to dry to take advantage of the natural bleaching effect of the sun.