HELP!!! Red clay mud!!

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I just walked my 65lb lab mix to the lake, and let him walk down a boat launch as he has many times before. This time however the dirt at the waters edge was now mud that he sunk about six inches into. By the time I got him bathed, I now have red clay mud on five white bath towels. I’m not sure, hot or cold water for this type of mud? Does anybody know of any good products that might be helpful? This just happened, so I need to try to clean these ASAP, I just wanted advice so hopefully they are not ruined. I only used these as I live alone, and it was more or less a panic situation, and couldn’t get to the dog bathing towels.</p>

<p>Moderator, could you please move this to parent cafe, thanks.</p>

2

<p>GAmom, I never tried this, but this advice sounds reasonable:</p>

<p>[How</a> to Remove Clay From Clothes | eHow.com](<a href=“http://www.ehow.com/how_4431074_remove-clay-from-clothes.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art]How”>http://www.ehow.com/how_4431074_remove-clay-from-clothes.html?ref=fuel&utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_campaign=yssp_art)</p>

<p>May not work well with white towels :(</p>

3

<p>I don’t know if this product works, but it might be worth a try: [Krud</a> Kutter Red Clay Stain Remover - Works Great on Carpet - Original Krud Kutter, Stain Removal, Carpet Cleaning, Cleaning Products, Industrial Cleaning Products, Wipes, Spray, Cleaning And Pressure Washing Products, Janitorial Supplies, Carpet Stai](<a href=“http://www.krudkutter.com/redclay.asp]Krud”>http://www.krudkutter.com/redclay.asp)</p>

<p>I don’t know if bleach and hot water right away would be best, but I have also heard to let the clay dry and then scrape off what you can before washing.</p>

<p>Red clay is red due to iron oxide (rust); I wonder if a rust remover would work.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

4

<p>These were synthetic materials, but for son’s soccer socks I used to use Oxyclean.</p>

5

<p>I would try a cold water soak with oxyclean first. Let soak for a while, drain and resoak in oxyclean. May need to do several times.</p>

<p>Then you can wash in hot water and bleach if you need to.</p>

6

<p>I went rafting this summer in the SW and my white sun-screen shirt turned brick color from the sediment in the river. Oxyclean and all did nothing and since it’s nylon chlorine bleach wasn’t an option. Rit (the dye people) makes a color remover. It was about $3 and was a wonder. Back to snowy white. But - you have to cook it on the stove and to do 5 big bath towels would take lots of time and product. How new are the towels?</p>

7

<p>Beggin’ your pardon Ma’am, but after an event like this isn’t it the husband’s job to create a small but messy “accident” that requires five stained bath towels to clean up?</p>

8

<p>Thanks all for the replies. I went to the store and used the oxyclean. I washed them twice, and all are back to new except one, i’m assuming that might have been the first one I used, therefore the dirtiest! The towels were fairly new, and were the pricier of my towels. Not the general Kohl’s towels I use for everday use!</p>

<p>NewHope33, I haven’t had a husband for over 20 years, so nobody to make the “accident” but me! :(</p>

9

<p>I’ve found that regular blue Dawn dishing liquid makes a good soak for stuff like this. And if it doesn’t work, it also won’t hurt anything.</p>

10

<p>I live in the land of red clay too. This may sound weird but for tough stains like that I’ve gotten good results using carpet cleaner like Resolve (or any other kind I have on hand). I have used it on colors as well as whites. After all, it doesn’t take the color out of your carpet. I haven’t ruined anything with it yet! Just spray it on, rub it around a little and throw it in the washer.</p>

11

<p>From the baseball travels I can tell you that the best thing for baseball pants is Fels Naptha soap… yes that old stuff… Many is the time I have taken a bar of it, thrown the pants into the bathtub of a motel and rubbed the fels naptha bar in hard… cold water and bingo ready to wear the next day (or ready to throw in in the regular wash if the event is over.)</p>

12

<p>Carbona makes a line of stain removers in little yellow bottles. I buy them at my local Kroger store and they really work. I even got a 1" ball-point pen ink stain off my D’s new sweater.
Clay is listed under #6.</p>

<p>[STAIN</a> DEVILS](<a href=“http://www.carbona.com/index.asp?Category=4&PageAction=VIEWCATS]STAIN”>http://www.carbona.com/index.asp?Category=4&PageAction=VIEWCATS)</p>

13

<p>I realize that it is too late for the towels, but as a veteran of many many dog messes (I have a 15 year old yellow lab), I try, if possible to hose off the dog first, outside. Yes she hates it, but then it is easier to clean up. I also have a Yorkie, and she goes into the laundry sink when she gets into muck (not a prissy yorkie.)</p>

14

<p>anothermom2, I would have loved to hose him down, however I live in a condo that is on 2nd and 3rd floors. The downstairs unit has one but it was hooked up to a sprinkler unit. :(</p>

15

<p>If you have not put the first towel through the dryer yet, you can keep trying to treat it. Once you dry it, the stain is much harder to remove. I preach that to my kids about their stains, NOT to put treated things through the dryer until they see if the stain is out. Oxyclean has rescued several of S’s friends’ restaurant uniforms which would otherwise have to be replaced…a miracle product!</p>