How to get grass stains out of clothes

Why grass stains cling, and whether they wash out

Grass is not a simple dye. The University of Georgia textiles extension describes it as a tannin type stain that is genuinely difficult to remove, and the green comes with sap, waxy plant surface and often mud. When you kneel or slide, that mixture is ground into the gaps between the yarns rather than sitting on top. A quick rinse under the tap takes off the surface and leaves the color in the fibers, which is why a stain that looked fainter when wet often dries back to green.

So do grass stains wash out? Most do, on washable cotton, denim and polyester, provided they are pretreated and kept away from high heat until they are gone. A regular wash on its own often fades the stain without removing it. Stains become much harder once they have been through a hot dryer or ironed, because heat fixes the pigment and the protein in the fibers. Even then, repeated enzyme soaks can lighten them considerably, so give a dried stain a second and third attempt before you give up on the garment.

How to get grass stains out of washable clothes

Start by reading the care label. Our guide to reading laundry symbols explains what the tub and triangle symbols allow. The steps below suit cotton, denim, linen and most sports synthetics. Test anything you apply on an inside seam first and wait a few minutes to check the color stays put.

1. 01

   Brush off loose soil and blades

   Let any mud dry and flick it away with a dull knife edge or a dry brush. Wet mud rubbed into the stain spreads it; dry soil lifts off. If the patch is mostly mud, our guide to getting mud out of clothes covers that first stage in more detail.

2. 02

   Pretreat both sides with an enzyme product

   Work a liquid laundry detergent that lists enzymes, or an enzyme stain remover, into the stain from the front and the back. Rub it in gently with your fingertips or a soft toothbrush, moving up and down rather than scrubbing in circles, which can roughen the surface of cotton. The American Cleaning Institute recommends exactly this enzyme pretreatment for grass.

3. 03

   Soak in cool water

   Submerge the garment in cool or lukewarm water with a little more of the same detergent for at least 30 minutes. Fresh stains often need no more; older ones benefit from several hours or overnight. Cool water keeps the protein in the stain from setting while the enzymes work.

   CheckYou should see the green soften and turn more yellow or brown.

4. 04

   Wash as the label allows

   Wash normally, in the warmest water the care label permits, with the usual amount of detergent. Mississippi State University Extension advises the hottest water that is safe for the fabric for persistent grass stains, once the pretreatment has done its work.

5. 05

   Check before drying

   Look at the stain in good light while the garment is still wet. If any green or brown shadow remains, do not put it in the dryer. Go on to the stubborn stain steps below and let the piece air dry in the meantime.

Stubborn and dried grass stains

For green that survives one wash, both the Georgia and Mississippi State extension guides suggest sponging the stain with rubbing alcohol. Dilute it first, about one part alcohol to two parts water, and dab it on with a white cloth while a folded towel sits under the fabric to catch what lifts. Work from the outside edge toward the center so the ring does not spread, then rinse and rewash. Alcohol damages acetate, triacetate, modacrylic and acrylic fibers, so skip this step on those, which often turn up in linings, dressy blouses and some knitwear.

Bleach is the next tool. Oxygen bleach is safe on most colored washables: dissolve it in warm water, soak the garment for a few hours, then wash, as described in our guide to using oxygen bleach. On white cotton that the label marks as bleach safe, the American Cleaning Institute allows chlorine bleach in the wash instead. Georgia's guide also mentions a few drops of hydrogen peroxide on the spot, which is useful on whites and should be tested on anything colored. Never combine chlorine bleach with ammonia, vinegar or other cleaners, since the mixtures release harmful gases.

Dried grass stains, including ones that have already been through the dryer, follow the same order with more patience. Soak overnight in enzyme detergent, wash, then move to alcohol and oxygen bleach, repeating the cycle two or three times. Each round usually takes a little more color out. If a heat set stain has not moved after that, it is likely permanent on that garment, and a professional cleaner is the last reasonable option.

Grass stains on jeans, white pants and sports uniforms

To get grass stains out of jeans, treat the knee from the inside as well as the outside, because denim is thick enough that the stain sits in the back of the weave too. Avoid chlorine bleach entirely on blue denim; it will leave a pale patch that is worse than the green. Enzyme soaks and oxygen bleach are gentler, although dark indigo can still lighten a little, so test inside the waistband first. Our guide to washing jeans covers the inside out, cool wash routine that keeps the rest of the color even.

White baseball and soccer pants take the most punishment, and they are usually polyester or a cotton blend that tolerates a long soak well. Pretreat as soon as the game ends, even if the full wash has to wait, and soak overnight in enzyme detergent before washing. Keep whites apart from colored kit so dye transfer does not add a new problem; our guide to washing white clothes explains how to keep them bright. For grass on white canvas or leather shoes, the fabric rules differ, and our guide to cleaning white sneakers is the better starting point.

Silk, wool and dry clean only pieces

Enzyme products that break down protein can also attack protein fibers, so they are not a safe choice on silk or wool. For a grass mark on a wool skirt or a silk dress, blot gently with cool water and a drop of mild detergent, rinse by dabbing with clean water, and stop there. For anything labeled dry clean only, the Georgia guide lists solvents that are best left to professionals. Take the garment in soon, point to the stain and say it is grass, since cleaners choose their spotting agents by stain type, and the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute stresses that stains treated early come out more reliably.