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As soon as sap dries, it sticks to the fibers of your clothes and becomes a stubborn stain to get rid of. Sap is easiest to remove when treated immediately, but you don’t have to throw away stained clothing. Rubbing alcohol, stain removers, and detergent are effective at breaking up a stain. Washing your clothing normally gets rid of any remaining traces of the stain. As long as you don’t set a stain by drying it, your clothing will look new again.
Steps
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Freeze sap for a few minutes in the freezer. You only need to do this when you have a lump of sap on your clothing. It won’t come off easily unless you freeze it. Throw your clothing in the freezer or pack some ice in a bag over the sap. After a few minutes, it’ll harden. [1] X Research source -
Scrape off the sap with a knife. Get a blunt butter knife to avoid cutting your fingers or your clothing. Hold the knife flat against the fabric and scrape it over the gob of sap. Be very careful when using the knife. The frozen sap should be brittle and break easily, so you won’t need to push hard. [2] X Research sourceAdvertisement -
Pour some rubbing alcohol on a towel. Moisten an old rag, hand towel, or cotton ball with the alcohol. You can find bottles of isopropyl alcohol at any drug or general store. If you don’t have it, you may use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.- Rubbing alcohol is effective in removing sap from your hair and body as well.
- For leather, try saddle soap instead. A little bit of peanut butter may also work without damaging the leather.
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Rub the alcohol gently into the stain. Blot the area with the damp towel. If you put a little rubbing alcohol on the spot directly, you can also rub it in with your finger or an old toothbrush. -
Repeat the treatment as needed. You’ll most likely see the alcohol dissolving the sap stain immediately. For large spots, you’ll need to apply more. Use the rag again or apply extra alcohol directly. Rub the spot until it fades. -
Launder the clothing. Wash the clothing as you normally would. You can put it in the washing machine and use your regular detergent. For the most effective cleaning, get the water as hot as it can safely be for the fabric you’re treating. To find this, look at the label on the clothes or search the fabric type online for recommendations.
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Pretreat the sap stain with a stain remover. Most commercial stain removers are capable of breaking up sap stains with no issues. Also, a little bit of your everyday liquid laundry detergent may also work. Transfer the stain remover with a rag or cotton ball. Spread it thinly over the area you need to clean. [3] X Research source -
Soak the sap stain for 20 minutes. Work the stain remover into the stain with your fingers or a toothbrush, if you’d like. Leave the clothing to dry in open air for at least 20 minutes. This gives the product time to loosen the dried sap, which is very difficult to remove through washing alone. -
Wash the clothing on the highest temperature possible. The temperature you use depends on the kind of fabric you’re washing. Most clothing can be washed in warm water, which is usually enough to remove sap stains. Delicates and darks should be washed in cold water. Washing can be done either in a washing machine or by hand. -
Wash with bleach to remove tough stains. Your regular laundry detergent is normally enough to remove sap stains. For extra effect, you may use bleach. Chlorine bleach is safe to use on white cotton or cotton-polyester blends. You’ll need an all-color or oxygen bleach for any other type of clothing. Read the label information to ensure the product won’t damage your clothing. [4] X Research source -
Repeat treatment until the sap is gone. No matter how tempted you feel, don’t throw a stained shirt in the dryer. As soon as that stain dries, it’ll be a nightmare to remove, especially if you used heat. Wash the clothing again or try isopropyl alcohol. It may take 2 or 3 rounds to fully remove the sap, but you’ll save a perfectly good piece of clothing.
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Mix powdered detergent and water in equal parts. Get a small container and fill it with a little bit of powdered non-bleach laundry detergent. You don’t need a lot, only enough to spread over the sap stain. Start with a teaspoon of the powder and combine it with an equal amount of water. Stir the ingredients together to create a paste. -
Apply the paste to the stain. Transfer the paste and spread it over the area you wish to clean. This can quickly be done with your stirring spoon or another object, such as a sponge or rag. -
Let the stain soak for 30 minutes. Leave the paste alone and it’ll begin breaking up the sap. Since it doesn’t have bleach in it, it won’t damage the clothing. [5] X Research source -
Sprinkle non-sudsy ammonia on the stain. Non-sudsy ammonia is the clear, colorless ammonia you’ll often see at general stores. Spread a few drops of it over a stubborn stain. This is optional and can also be done for a stain that remains after a wash cycle. [6] X Research source -
Launder the clothing in warm water. Throw the clothing in the washing machine. Put it through a cycle using your normal detergent. Warm water is safe to use on most clothing, but increase the temperature if the fabric can handle it. Now your clothing will be stain-free until the next time you lean up against the wrong tree.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionWill machine washing the clothes get the sap out?Rani Gorgis is a Laundry and Cleaning Specialist and the Owner of Park Blvd Laundry & Dry Cleaners in San Diego, California. With several years of experience in the laundry and cleaning industry, Rani specializes in dry cleaning, wash-n-fold, shirt laundry, and servicing smoke-damaged clothes. He holds a BS in Accounting and a CPA certification.In my experience, I've found that washing the item with detergent and hot water works well. Ensure that the item is washed alone and not mixed with other items. You can also pre-treat the item with rubbing alcohol if it is heavily stained before placing it in the wash.
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Things You’ll Need
Treating Stains with Rubbing Alcohol
- Ice
- Knife
- Rubbing alcohol
- Rag, paper towels, or cotton ball
- Washing machine
Using Stain Removers and Bleach
- Stain remover
- Rag or cotton ball
- Water
- Washing machine
- Chlorine or all-color bleach
Cleaning with Powdered Detergent
- Powdered non-bleach detergent
- Small bowl
- Rag
- Washing machine
- Non-sudsy ammonia
References
- ↑ https://food52.com/blog/26862-how-to-remove-tree-sap-from-clothes
- ↑ http://www.stain-removal-101.com/tree-sap-stain-removal.html
- ↑ http://www.stain-removal-101.com/tree-sap-stain-removal.html
- ↑ http://www.stain-removal-101.com/tree-sap-stain-removal.html
- ↑ http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/tips/a21297/remove-tree-sab-may06/
- ↑ http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/tips/a21297/remove-tree-sab-may06/
About This Article
Article Summary
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If you’ve gotten a big glob of sap on your clothes, start by putting the clothing in the freezer or setting an ice pack on the stain for a few minutes. This will cause the sap to harden so that you can scrape it off more easily. Use a dull butter knife or a spatula to carefully pry and chip the cold sap off of your clothes. When you’ve gotten as much sap off as possible, gently rub the stain with a cotton ball or a clean rag soaked in rubbing alcohol. You might need to do this a few times to get most of the stain out. Finally, wash the item the way you normally would. Use regular laundry detergent and set the washing machine to the hottest setting you can without damaging your clothing. If you don’t have rubbing alcohol, try treating the stain with a commercial stain remover or a paste made of 1 part water and 1 part powdered laundry detergent instead. Let the mixture sit on the stain for 20 to 30 minutes before washing your clothing with regular detergent and hot water. Regular detergent is usually enough to get sap stains out of clothes, but if the stain is really stubborn, add a little bleach to your laundry detergent. Check the label on the item and make sure bleach is safe to use. If not, spritz the stain with a few drops of non-sudsy ammonia after you wash it and see if that helps. Wash the item again when you’re done to get the ammonia out. If you want to learn how to clean sap using powdered laundry detergent, keep reading the article!
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Reader Success Stories
- "I was wearing a pair of brand new Nike athletic shorts outside one night so it was dark and I sat down on tree sap. They cannot be washed in hot water, and I didn't want stains from stain removal! The rubbing alcohol worked, saving expensive shorts!" ..." more
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"I was wearing a pair of brand new Nike athletic shorts outside one night so it was dark and I sat down on tree sap. They cannot be washed in hot water, and I didn't want stains from stain removal! The rubbing alcohol worked, saving expensive shorts!"
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"Rubbing alcohol took pine sap, both new and dried out, off my sweatshirt easily. Very pleased. If it had been a good shirt, I'm not so sure though. Great post."
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