How to remove sunscreen stains from clothes and furniture

Whether you’re swimming, playing outdoor sports, or simply basking in the sun, slathering on sunscreen is one of the most essential rituals of the season. While your SPF helps protect against sunburns and skin cancer, it’s also really hard to keep the stuff contained to just your skin.

Tackling yellowy-orange sunscreen stains on clothes, furniture and car seats is an annoying part of the summer experience. But experts like Vera Peterson, the Dallas-based president of Molly Maid, a Neighborly company, say that there are effective ways to remove sunscreen stains. Here’s what to do.

One thing you can do to avoid sunscreen stains in the first place is to wait until the sunscreen fully dries before putting on your bathing suit or getting dressed. Additionally, when reapplying, be mindful of your sleeves and necklines.

But accidents happen, so whether wet sunscreen from your arm smears on your shirt or a big, goopy drop lands on your dress, the best way to prevent the stain is to focus your stain-removal efforts on the oil. “Since sunscreen is an oil-based product, the first step is to remove the oil,” Peterson told TODAY Home.

-Turn the clothing inside out and flush the stain under cold running water.
-Make a solution of warm water and liquid dish soap and blot the stain with it, working from the outer edges inwards.
-Rinse the area well with cold water.
-Launder as usual, using a heavy-duty detergent.
-Don’t place clothing in the dryer until you’re certain the stain has been removed, since the intense heat could set the stain.
-If further treatment is required, Peterson suggests soaking the clothing overnight in a solution of cold water and oxygen-based bleach, mixed according to package directions.