How to Remove Sun Stains From Hanging Dress Shirts

Sun stains are commonly known as yellow stains that develop on clothing due to the elements, most notably the sun. One of the types of clothing that are most susceptible to developing sun stains is hanging dress shirts. When you hang dress shirts in sunny areas, the rays of the sun can stain the shirts. With the appropriate cleaning supplies, it is possible to remove sun stains from hanging dress shirts.

Things You'll Need

• Bleach
• Laundry detergent

Instructions

1. Pour a small amount of bleach into the bleach cap. Use color-safe bleach for colored dress shirts or regular bleach for white dress shirts. Use only small amounts of bleach on dress shirts to prevent damaging them. Check your label to determine your dress shirt's material. Cotton dress shirts can withstand more bleaching than linen ones.

2. Dip the sun-stained part of the dress shirt into the bleach. Rub the stained fabric together gently to scrub the sun stain.

3. Allow the bleach to sit on the fabric for approximately five minutes. Check the fabric after five minutes. If the sun stain doesn't appear to have lightened at all, repeat the above steps.

4. Wash the dress shirt in the washing machine with laundry detergent. The sun stain should have disappeared after the washing cycle is through.

Tips & Warnings

• If bleach does not work, try crushing up two to three aspirin tablets in a bowl filled with water. Repeat Steps 2 through 4 outlined above.

• If neither bleach nor aspirin work, try an Oxicleaner.

• Beware of overtreating the delicate fibers of your dress shirt with different chemicals because the fibers could become brittle so that the chemicals could eat through them.

References

• Exec Shirts: Fabric Care Shirts