It’s Easy to Clean Grass Stains

Spring and summer are great. The warmer days bring people outdoors to work in the garden, mow the lawn, or partake in other outdoor fun. You will find your kids playing football, tag, or just hunting for bugs on the ground. With all of this outdoor activity, one thing is inevitable though. Grass Stains. Whether it is on your shoes from walking behind the lawn mower, or on your children’s pants from scuffing their knees, grass stains are just another part of this time of year.

We have all had white sneakers turn green, or our favorite jeans seemingly ruined by the bright green color of freshly cut grass, and it seems like even the best detergents and soaps can’t get it out completely. If you have children, you know that they can get a grass stain on just about any piece of clothing, and on any part of their body.

This green streak looks awful unless it is removed, but like any stain, there is a right and a wrong way to do it. If you use the wrong technique you may make the stain worse, or inadvertently prevent it from ever being removed. Instead of spreading it around, locking it in, or tossing the newly green item, continue reading for a fast and effective method to make it look like the damage never happened.

What is a grass stain?

Duh. Pretty self explanatory right? It certainly is, but the exact organic make-up of this particular mess is what makes it so vivid and stubborn come laundry time. The lovely green color of a grass stain is caused by all of the chlorophyll in the plant. There are also proteins and other organic matter that combine to create what is considered to be a pretty tough stain to remove.

This is due to the strong bond between the plant material and the fabric of your clothing, or sole of your shoe. Once it gets smeared on there, the grass holds on tight to create a bright spot or streak that is difficult to remove. If you’re lucky, there will even be some brown dirt, worm guts or other fun stuff mixed in there too.

Technically this is referred to as a dye stain because it almost becomes one with the affected material in order to change it to a new color. This means that using the wrong tool or technique for removal will only cause it to fade, and could actually result in the spot becoming permanent.

Top 5 Ways To Clean a Grass Stain

This is one of those messes that comes up all the time. Every household with children will encounter it eventually, so there are many suggestions floating around.  This is due to the number of people trying to clean them, but also due to the difficulty and effort involved, combined with the end result which often just fades the green color. We will list the traditional techniques for cleaning grass stains along with any drawbacks that might be involved. Continue reading after the regular options to discover a faster, cheaper, safer and more effective way to completely eliminate this menace.

1. Vinegar

Cleaning a grass stain with vinegar is preferred by many, at it’s actually effective in certain situations. People love it because of how safe and versatile it is, and most folks have some on hand, so it’s a good thing to try, if everything else has failed, or if you have no other options on hand.

You never want to use the apple cider variety, but regular white distilled vinegar can be a powerful cleaner. For this job, it’ll be best used as a stain pre-treater, and it will only really be effective for smaller, less noticeable stains. When applied directly, vinegar should loosen the green stain, and allow it to wash free during the cleaning cycle. This would not be good for footwear, but any dirty garment could be helped by using the technique below.

1. You can use it straight, or combine with warm or hot water to dilute the solution.
2. To clean with a vinegar solution, or straight vinegar, just spray or pour it on, and then rub it into the grass stain.
3. Make sure to thoroughly saturate the whole spot, and for best results apply several layers over a period of time.
4. Place the stained clothing into the wash and then launder like normal.
5. If the stain remains and does not fade, move on to another method. If it fades, but is not gone, try another application for complete elimination.

2. Rubbing Alcohol

Using rubbing Alcohol to remove a grass stain seems to be a bit more effective than vinegar, although it’s not quite as safe in comparison. In certain situations it may not be something you want to use on your clothing, but for grass stained knees on children’s jeans, it can be pretty effective.

Once again, this is not going to work that well on a pair of shoes, but when applied properly to a newly green piece of clothing, it can get the stain out. It will sort of ware down and break apart the pigment to make it wash out when laundered. This technique will take a little bit of effort, and it will not work in all cases, but most of us have some rubbing alcohol on hand, so it can be a great home remedy in a pinch.

3. Bleach And Peroxide Solution

When you combine bleach and hydrogen peroxide together, the resulting solution can be very effective at cleaning many grass stains. It’s powerful concoction that can damage certain surfaces, so it can only be used on light colored clothing. Without proper care, it will ruin stuff, and due to it’s destructive power, it should be used sparingly no matter what you put it on.

Not only will it remove color, it also deteriorates the fibers over time which will increase aging of your garment. Also the substance you mix together will not be ideal for skin contact, and could ruin other surfaces it comes in contact with. This formula is obviously toxic in nature, so some care should be used when working with it.

You’ll basically only want to use it on white clothing, so stained jeans and t-shirts will not apply in most cases, and even though many are white, you would not want to use it on most types of shoes and sneakers either. For tough grass stains on a white dress, this can be something that works, and most folks will already have both ingredients at home. If the conditions are optimal, give this technique a try, and the results should be pretty good.

4. Regular Detergent

Your laundry detergent will not remove a grass stain during the regular wash cycle, but if used in a concentrated manner, it may do the trick. This is a pretty expensive way to go due to the high cost and amount used, but it may be an effective choice if you have nothing else on hand.

Detergents that have ammonia or de-greasing agents may not be effective, and alkaline detergents will often make the green color permanent. If you’re not sure what yours is made of, you may want to skip this option, but many regular style laundry soaps would be just fine.

Usually it is the laundry detergents with a color safe bleach or regular bleach that prove to be most effective with stains caused by grass and other plants.

You may be able to use this method on footwear as well, but always be careful when applying these products to surfaces that might get ruined. In many cases this will only fade the stain, even after repeat applications, but it will definitely work better than just tossing it in the wash with a regular cycle.

The Easy Way To Clean Grass Stains

You could mess around with all of the suggestions floating around out there, or you could just go for one that is proven to work on any grass stain, and on any type of surface. It will work just as well on clothes and shoes, and it does not matter what is mixed in with the grass come cleaning time. You won’t have to worry about ruining the material, changing the color, wearing gloves to apply it, or spending hours with re-application just to get good results.

The steps for using it are quick and simple, the cost is super low, and there are absolutely no harsh chemicals to worry about either.

Instead of dropping five dollars on a stain stick that may not even work, use Quick N Brite and spend pennies to guarantee your results. It will not require effort on your part, and you’ll be able to eliminate all signs of green on your pants, shoes or shirt. A single container will pay for itself after the first stain disappears, but keep it around as a valuable stain fighter for other dirt too.

You may not be able to stop grass stains from showing up, but you can effectively remove them once they arrive. You don’t have to use anything crazy either, or go through any difficult steps to do it. This is one of the jobs that Quick ‘n Brite is really good at.

It doesn’t matter if the stain is on your shoes or your clothes. It can be vinyl, leather, cotton, jeans, a t-shirt or virtually any other material. Quick’n Brite will easily remove almost any grass stain in just minutes. It literally took less than 60 seconds to achieve the results in the picture above because once the cleaner is applied, it goes to work quickly to break apart this type of organic staining so that it is easily removed.

In order to clean the shoe in the picture(which was professionally dirtied by a two-year-old) we took a small amount of the concentrated paste, rubbed it on there, and then wiped the stain away.  A single application achieved the results pictured.

How To Remove Grass Stains on Shoes

Walking through the lawn while mowing, or directly after will often result in green soles, or completely green shoes. When children play sports, or run around, this only makes things worse. Many of us think that when leather or vinyl gets stained, it has to stay that way, but this is only because may traditional products do not work on these materials, or include ingredients that will ruin them.

Quick n Brite is safe to use on canvas, leather, pleather, plastic or any other material, and it will work on all surfaces, even the laces. It’ll be safe on the material, and it will never bleach or ruin it in any way. Quick N Brite safely breaks down the stain, lifts it off the surface, and then makes it slippery so that you can wipe it away completely. To clean grass stains from any shoe or boot, follow these easy steps.

1. Take some full strength paste. A heavy solution of liquid concentrate in a spray bottle can work for lighter staining, but full strength paste will work the best every time.
2. Apply the cleaner with a damp scrub sponge, brush or rag. The exact tool required will vary depending upon your shoe type, so use something that is safe, but also something that will allow you to work the cleaner in as you apply it. When getting your tool wet, warm or hot water will produce the best results. If cleaning leather that you do not want wet, use a barely damp tool, or skip the water and apply the cleaner all by itself.
3. To clean the stained area, use a circular motion, and apply a good layer all over. It’s safe and effective on all parts of your shoe, so use it anywhere.
4. Let the cleaner sit for 10-20 minutes. Instead of scrubbing, you let this cleaner sit to give it time to work. This is the most important step. You will see the pigment lifting and mixing in with the cleaner immediately, but if you allow it time to sit, the results will be better, and it will require less work to get them.
5. Once the cleaner has had time to work, take a dry terry cloth towel that is clean, and wipe the entire shoe. The stain and any other dirt will wipe right off and transfer to the towel to leave your shoe completely clean. For some shoe types, getting the towel damp may make things easier, and for tough stains, using a damp sponge with a small amount of cleaner may improve results.
6. On leather, Quick N Brite will clean and condition at the same time.
7. In nearly every case, all staining should wipe free with a single application. The shoe in the picture underwent a single application. For a spotless shoe that looks like new, we could have gone over it one more time because there were a couple spots remaining. In this case, it was mostly due to the texture and tool used because everything leftover was deep in the cracks.

How To Remove Grass Stains on Clothes

What if it was on my clothes? Good question. Most people encounter this type of stain on clothing, and Quick N Brite is amazing at getting it out. It doesn’t matter if it’s pants or a shirt, and it does not matter if it is red, blue or white. This stuff will work on any fabric without harming it, and it’ll be incredibly effective for any stain made by grass.

It doesn’t matter how big it is, how dark it is, or even if you have tried several cleaners on it in the past. Even washed in or set in stains can be removed with this powerful natural alternative. It’ll break down the organic material that bonds the color with the material and it’ll lift it up off the surface so it can be easily rinsed or washed away.

Unlike other methods that seem to just fade layer after layer until you give up, this one will completely lift and remove the green color with a single application.  You can use it to quickly rub away a spot while still wearing the clothes, or you can use it as a pre-treater to cover a larger area, and then wash it out during your next load of laundry.

Pre-Treat The Stain

As a pre-treater Quick n Brite works great. This is the easiest way to use it for this job, but it will require you to remove the garment, and wear it again only after washing. This method takes longer, but requires almost no effort.

1. Take full strength paste or liquid and apply it to the grass stain. For small spots or light staining, 3 Tbs into a quart of water should give you a powerful enough solution. To apply the liquid, pour it on, and to apply paste, use your hands, or a brush to pick some up and work it in.
2. After the cleaner is on there, quickly work it in a bit to help it break through the stain. You can either scratch it in using your fingernail, or with a brush or sponge. Although you’ll see the stain lifting immediately, you are not trying to scrub it free, or wipe it all off at this stage. You want to make sure the cleaner covers everything, and gets down into the fabric all the way.
3. For larger areas, you could add the cleaner to a bucket of hot water, and let the clothing soak in it overnight.
4. After the cleaner is applied and worked in, or after your garment is soaking, simply let it sit overnight, or for at least and hour. While the Quick’n Brite is on the stain it is working. It will cause the stain to loosen and lift off the surface. Once you put it in the wash, the grass stain or other build-up will wash out nicely.
5. After soaking, place the stained clothing into the wash and launder with a regular cycle. You do not need to rinse prior to washing, or worry about what color or type of fabric is being washed with it. Hot or warm water will generally improve results for tough jobs.

Completely Remove The Stain

If you want to totally clean the stain right away then use a method similar to the one we used on the shoes. This method is more thorough, and can be more effective on tougher stains, plus you can keep wearing the clothes, so when a child trips on the way to the car, the whole outing does not have to be ruined or postponed. For extreme stains you might want to try a combination of both methods, but in most cases that would be completely unnecessary.

1. To clean a grass stain off your jeans without putting them in the washing machine, dampen the area with water, or by spraying a light solution of Quick’n Brite mixed with water.
2. Once damp, apply the paste full strength to the effected areas.
3. Work the cleaner into the stain using a brush or your fingernail, and then let it sit for ten minutes or more. For a light stain, you could wipe it right off, but for anything serious you’ll want to give it a little more time to work.
4. To lift off the stain, wipe the area clean using a dry terry cloth towel. You’ll notice that the stain will transfer from your pants to the towel and turn it nice and green.
5. Depending upon the severity of your grass stain, you may need to reapply the cleaner or place it in the wash to finish, but using this technique, one can easily remove any type of grass stain in minutes. The process is quick and easy.

Why Quick N Brite Is Better

Quick’n Brite is an all natural cleaner that is 100% biodegradable. It is totally safe for use around children and pets, and can be used for hundreds of jobs all over your home, office or vehicle. Despite it being ridiculously safe and natural, Quick’n Brite is one of the toughest cleaners you will ever use, and most people find that it outperforms what they are currently annoyed by.

Try this cleaner to remove a grass stain, then use it to clean everything else too. You actually end up saving money when you switch to Quick’n Brite because it’s a concentrated cleaner, and it can be diluted down for many common jobs. It works great on tub and tile, laundry stains, carpet shampooing, oil stains, grease stains, kitchen cabinets and so much more.

Almost any surface, stain or mess is safe to use this cleaner on, and the results are extraordinary. Because it comes with a money back guarantee, you can get it as a fool-proof way to clean any grass stain, but then keep it around so it can miraculously clean other spots too.

Tip Contents

• What is a grass stain?
• Using Vinegar
• Using Alcohol
• Bleach And Peroxide
• Cleaning With Detergents
• Stain Fighters
• The Simply Good Way
• Remove stains from shoes
• Remove stains from clothes
• Spot Cleaning

Products Mentioned

• Quick’n Brite