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The Soraya Journal

How do you remove sunscreen stains?

Sunscreen is essential for protecting yourself from the sun, but you might accidentally get some on your swimsuit. Don't panic—this article shares all the tips you need to remove sunscreen stains.

Whether you’re at the beach or the pool, it’s essential to protect your skin from the sun by applying sunscreen thoroughly and regularly. While your skin is protected, your swimsuit might end up stained. In fact, sunscreen is one of those beauty products that can leave stains on your clothes that are hard to remove. If that happens, don’t panic! We’ll give you all our tips on how to remove sunscreen stains without damaging your precious swimsuit.

Why does sunscreen stain?

Among all the ingredients in sunscreen, it’s the UVA filter that can stain your clothes, swimsuit, or beach accessories like your towel, sarong, or other textiles. The more of this filter your sunscreen contains, the greater the risk of yellow stains appearing on your beachwear or bikini. Sometimes, the stains don’t appear until after you’ve washed your swimsuit. This chemical reaction is caused by contact between water and the UVA filter, which intensifies the yellowing. Fortunately, there are simple and effective tips for removing these stains.

Tips for Removing a Sunscreen Stain

If your swimsuit is stained, all is not lost. However, you’ll need to act as quickly as possible because the longer you wait, the more time the stain will have to set in. Several products have proven effective against sunscreen stains, so you can choose any of these methods.

Liquid laundry detergent

If you usually wash your clothes with liquid detergent, good news—it’ll work just as well in this situation!

  1. Start by applying a few drops of your laundry detergent to the sunscreen stain.
  2. Work the product into the fabric fibers by gently rubbing it in with your fingers.
  3. Let it sit for 20 minutes.
  4. Gently rub the fabric under a trickle of water.
  5. Let it dry flat in the shade.

Quick tip: If you have some at home, you can also use Marseille soap, a natural and very effective product. Simply follow the same steps.

White vinegar

White vinegar is known for its many benefits and is used in a variety of situations, particularly as a cleaner and stain remover. Plus, since this natural cleaner is much gentler than chemical cleaning products, it’s less likely to damage your clothes. If you find its strong smell off-putting, you can find scented white vinegars.

Here’s how to remove a sunscreen stain:

  1. Soak a clean cloth in white vinegar.
  2. Dab the stain with the cloth.
  3. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, then rinse.
  4. Then wash your bikini.

Washing a swimsuit is a delicate process. To make sure you don’t damage it while cleaning, be sure to read our article “How to Wash a Swimsuit.”

Ammonia

Ammonia is a very powerful industrial detergent and stain remover. However, it should be handled with care if you’re using it to clean your fabrics. You can definitely remove a sunscreen stain with this product by carefully reading the instructions and strictly following these steps:

  1. Apply a few drops of ammonia to a damp cloth.
  2. Dab the stained area of your swimsuit until it is thoroughly saturated with the mixture.
  3. Let it sit for 10 minutes before rinsing.
  4. Wash your bikini by hand or in the washing machine.

Precautions to Take

A swimsuit is a delicate garment. If you don’t take care of it or handle it with care, it may wear out quickly. Washing, in particular, requires the utmost care on your part. To learn more, we invite you to read our Guide: All Our Care Tips for Your Swimsuit. 

Depending on the detergent you use to remove stains, be extremely careful and read the instructions carefully. For example, it’s essential to rinse your garment thoroughly if you’ve used a detergent with a high alcohol content. This is because the risk of flammability is higher. The same applies to detergents that produce toxic fumes. Be sure to thoroughly ventilate the room in your home where you used it.

To avoid any risks—to yourself or your clothing—opt for natural soap.

In conclusion

Applying sunscreen is essential if you want your skin to have optimal protection against the sun’s UVA rays. Due to its composition, your clothes may get stained. By following all our tips, you now know more than one trick for removing sunscreen stains.