Beetroot is a delicious vegetable that just happens to be a gorgeous colour. It’s stunning to look at but can quickly become a disaster when accidents happen, and the beautiful purple colour is suddenly all over your favourite white clothes.
The most important factor in successfully removing a beetroot stain is speed! If you can get the affected item into water and treated as swiftly as possible, you will have a much greater chance of salvaging it.
Then it is just a matter of following the steps on this list and hoping that you acted quickly enough.
Here’s how to remove beetroot stains from clothes.
1. Soak the Garment
The first thing to do is carefully pick off any beetroot bits that may be remaining on the item. You can also cautiously blot the stain at this point but be careful not to spread the stain any further into the fabric.
Next, run the item under cold, running water until the water is clear and has no traces of purple. Repeat this step until you’re sure no colour is coming out of the stain.
2. Rinse the Item and Dab the Stain
Next, place the garment into a bucket or sink filled with warm water and a squirt of washing up liquid.
Then grab a clean, dry cloth and dab at the stain. Add a few drops of washing up liquid or your favourite laundry detergent to the stain and then continue to dab.
It is also beneficial to use detergents that contain hydrogen peroxide or other bleaching agents, but be careful not to expose the item to the bleach for longer than a minute before rinsing.
The next step is to carefully rinse the garment and check that the stain is lifting, before repeating the process if necessary.
3. Machine Wash
Once you’re sure the stain has mostly lifted and the rinsing and dabbing is no longer removing any remaining marks, you can run the item through your washing machine on a cold wash.
Avoid the hotter wash cycles as too much heat may cause the stain to set in the item.
4. Air Dry
If you usually use your tumble dryer to dry your clothes after they’re out of the wash, this time it’s best to hold off.
When clothes have been stained with something like beetroot, even if you think you’ve managed to get the stain out, it’s recommended to air dry the garment to ensure that the stain is properly gone.
This is because the heat from the dryer may cause the stain to set into the garment if it wasn’t properly removed by the wash cycle.
Conclusion
Beetroot stains are some of the most stubborn and hardest to remove, but it’s not impossible.
The key to the most successful removal will always be the speed with which you manage to get the item into cold water, and the stain covered with soap and dabbed off.
It’s always a good idea to read the labels on the stained garment to be sure you’re not going to do something that could cause further damage, but in most cases, speediness is key!
An adventurous book lover with an animal obsession and a proclivity for travel and spontaneity. Used to passionately despise cleaning but has grown to enjoy it thanks to learning all the best tricks and shortcuts to guaranteeing a stress-free routine and a spotless home.
