Back to School in Eco-Clean Clothes

September is here and the shops are already clearing out the "back to school" displays that they have been pushing all summer and are turning their thoughts to Christmas. Across the country, children are discarding jeans and shorts in favour of blazers, shirts and mainly grey skirts or trousers. Proud parents are taking photos and reflecting that in just a few days the brand new clothes will be worse for wear and in need of a clean.

Whilst some school clothes now come in handy stain-free cloth, even these won't always stand up to the full rigours of the classroom. So how do you clean school clothes without resorting to very hot water and lots of chemicals?

Typical school stains include ink, paint, and grass. On the basis that prevention is better than cure; our top tip on removing ink stains is to make sure that the pens you give your children don't contain permanent ink. Whilst you can eventually remove permanent ink, it does take time and experiment. Rubbing alcohol, nail varnish remover and hair spray can all work but it is important to try a test patch in a non-visible area such as inside a hem first. Put the garment on a clean absorbent paper towel and dab or spray on the remover. Pat dry with another clean paper towel and repeat until the stain has gone.

For non-permanent ink, repeated rinsing in cold water is the best remedy. Spot cleaning is best as it avoids spreading the stain. Put the garment on an old towel, add water with a sponge and dab the area dry with the towel. Repeat a few times and the ink will transfer to the towel which you can rinse later. Don't use hot water for this as it may set the stain. To remove any residual stubborn stain brush gently with white vinegar.

With paint, the first line of approach is to scrape as much of the paint off as possible using a blunt knife. If the paint is water based then you can remove the remainder in the same way as non-permanent ink. Oil and acrylic paints can be treated in the same way as permanent ink. Remember to test a patch first.

For grass stains a mixture of cold water and white vinegar works well. As grass is effectively a dye you may need to attack residual stains by making up a solution of baking soda and rubbing it into the stain using an old toothbrush. Rinse well with cold water and the stains should have vanished.

So, with the application of a few standard household products, you can send your children off to school safe in the knowledge that you are ready to cope with whatever state their clothes return in.