A LAUNDRY expert has shared a trick for removing paint stains from clothes.
She explained that her daughter’s school science experiment taught her the cleaning hack.
Mary Gagliardi, a scientist in laundry product research at Clorox, shared the laundry tip in a viral post.
“I first joined Clorox as a scientist in laundry product research and development and I love helping to create and improve laundry products that make a difference in people’s lives,” she said.
“When I became a mom to two kids, that R&D background proved invaluable when I needed to get my kids out the door in clean clothes!
“It’s so great to combine my 12+ years of R&D experience and my real-world experience to help others solve their laundry problems as ‘Dr. Laundry’ for Clorox.”
The expert explained that she’s gotten various kinds of stains out of clothes over the years.
“I know how to banish blotches, stamp out spots, and keep clothes looking their best, wash after wash,” she said.
Commenters came to her with their laundry needs, including one who struggled to remove old paint from styles that had already been washed.
“How would you remove latex paint from clothing?” they asked.
“The items in question have already been through the washer/dryer. The paint is on some old cotton (twill?) work pants and a flannel shirt.”
Gagliardi said although paint is extremely difficult to remove, it’s not impossible.
Her daughter examined the same problem for a school science fair to surprising results.
“Dried-on latex paint is generally permanent,” she said.
“But my daughter did this really cool science experiment last year for school where she looked at whether or not applying a little free and clear liquid laundry detergent to latex paint stains immediately (that is when the paint gets right on the fabric) would help with stain removal.”
Here are some tips to help you when you clean your home next:
The laundry detergent proved effective at helping delay a wash for a few hours.
“She learned that her pretreatment step allowed a person to delay washing the fabric for up to an hour and still get the latex paint stains out,” she said.
“This won’t help you with the stains on the clothes you already have, but if you do a lot of painting, it can help you in the future.
“And she won movie tickets for her experiment!” the mom added.
The commenter was grateful for her help and her revealing anecdote.
“Thank you for the response! I’ll try that next time,” they said.
