Does Sunlight Remove Stains?

5 steps

Step by step

1. 1

   Wash or treat the stain first

   Wash the item, then check the mark. If a mark remains after washing, put the item in the sun to help bleach it out.

2. 2

   Pretest a hidden area

   Read the care label and test a hidden area first to check colorfastness before you commit the whole item.

3. 3

   Use salt and lemon juice for rust or mildew

   Sprinkle salt on the stain, squeeze or wet it with lemon juice, and spread the item in the sun to dry. Rinse thoroughly and repeat if necessary.

4. 4

   Use the lemon-and-sun method for formula or poop stains

   Rinse the garment under warm water until it is saturated and treat the stain with regular lemon juice. Place it outside on a drying rack in strong, direct sunlight with the stain facing the sun, and check it over the next few hours to keep it in direct sun. Run it through the wash afterward, because the lemon juice leaves the fabric stiff.

5. 5

   Finish with a wash

   Launder the item after the sun step, and keep chlorine bleach out of the process whenever lemon juice is involved.

How sunlight lifts stains

Sunlight acts as a mild natural bleach on fabric. One detergent maker suggests placing the garment in the sun to help bleach out any remaining stains.

A university extension says sun-drying the back of a white or light-colored quilt may bleach the fabric without hurting it. The same ultraviolet light also damages fibers and fades fabric, which is why the effect needs care.

Stains it handles by type

Rust on fabric responds to salt and lemon juice spread in the sun, and a university extension lists this as its first rust step. Mildew can be treated with salt and lemon juice and dried in direct sunlight as an alternative to bleach.

Set-in baby formula and poop stains on baby clothes are treated with the lemon-and-sun method, and poop stains left after washing can be placed in the sun to bleach. Light scorch on fabric can be treated with salt, lemon juice and sun-drying before laundering, though severe scorch cannot be removed.

Where sunlight is unsafe

Silk should not be dried outside because sunlight affects it. Wet leather should dry naturally, away from direct sunlight, heat and hair dryers, and suede and nubuck should dry at room temperature away from direct heat or light.

Upholstery fabric can fade and lose strength in direct sun, so furniture should not be left in it. Heirlooms and old textiles should never be dried in a dryer or hung on a clothes line, and a university extension's one exception is a quilt with a white or light-colored back dried upside down in the sun.

Common myths about sun and stains

One myth is that sunlight removes every stain. UGA says severe scorch cannot be removed, and sun works best on leftover marks after washing.

Another myth is that sun-drying is safe for everything, but silk, leather, suede and upholstery can all be harmed by direct sun. A third is that sun works the same everywhere, yet one baby-care brand says its lemon-and-sun method seems to work better in hotter climates.

What never to mix with sunlight methods

Lemon juice's natural acids can react with chlorine bleach to release chlorine gas, so do not combine the lemon-juice sun methods with bleach. A university extension offers salt, lemon juice and sun as an alternative to bleach, not something to use alongside it. Treat one product at a time and rinse thoroughly in between.

Testing and checking before you start

Always read the care label before putting anything in the sun. Pretest on a hidden area first to check colorfastness, as a university extension advises.

Moldy rugs, mattresses and upholstered furniture can go into direct sun and air to stop mold growth, if the item is safe for sun. Drying outside is part of several methods, so pick the one that matches the stain.

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