Cricket whites are traditionally, well, white. There are many theories on why this is, but there are two that seem the most plausible. The first one is that white clothing reflects sunlight and doesn’t absorb as much heat as black or dark-colored clothing does. The second one is simple: it’s tradition! Whoever it was who chose white as the standard color for flannels, as they are also called, he or she must have loved the look of grass stains on clothing!
Although cricketers can now wear colorful kits instead of the standard white and cream, if you have a junior cricketer in your house, chances are he or she has a pair in white. And if he or she likes to play cricket on a regular basis, chances are those whites are more like cricket way off-whites. Here are a few tips on how to remove mud and grass stains from cricket flannels and have them looking good-as-new.
For Grass Stains
- Pre-treat stains with a paste made from mixing laundry detergent with a little bit of water. Apply directly to the stains and wash in hot water.
- Dab stains with diluted denatured alcohol. You can find denatured alcohol, also known as methylated spirits, in most DIY or hardware stores. Rubbing alcohol can substitute for denatured alcohol if you have that handy. This method also works with cricket ball stains.
- Mix a little white vinegar/lemon juice and water and dab the mixture on the stain, making sure to soak it all the way through. Leave on for a few minutes then wash as you normally would.
For Mud Stains
- If the mud stain is fresh, give it some time to dry. If you try to remove mud while it’s wet, it will spread out all over the fabric and make matters worse. Once it’s dry, chip the dried mud off with a spoon or your fingers. Make sure you use a light hand. Brush off remaining mud fragments with an old toothbrush. Soak the fabric in water mixed with liquid detergent and wash by hand. Rinse, and pop into the washing machine.
After the whites have been washed, don’t use a dryer: line-dry them in the sun. The sunlight will whiten the fabric and help to naturally bleach out stains.
Before you try any of these stain-removal tips out, though, keep in mind that the kind of stain removal processes required may differ depending on the type of fabric or stain. If you’re unsure, try testing the stain removal product on a hidden part of the fabric before proceeding with applying it onto the actual stain.
If you have very little experience in removing stains from clothes, or if you’ve evaluated the damage and concluded that the stains are too many to remove, you may want to take your child’s cricket flannels to a professional cleaner. And if that doesn’t work, the Internet is full of great deals on brand-new cricket whites at affordable prices.