How to remove sunscreen stains
Oily — and avobenzone can leave orange marks. Here's the safe way to lift a sunscreen stain — these steps work for most fabrics, and you can tailor them to yours in the tool below.
Usually lifts if you treat it promptly.
Do this now
- 1
Scrape off excess and blot — don’t rub it in.
- 2
Sprinkle baking soda to absorb the oil; brush off after 10 minutes.
- 3
Work washing-up liquid into the stain and leave 10 minutes — treat it before it soaks up more water, as avobenzone reacts with minerals in water and can turn orange.
- 4
Wash as warm as the fabric allows. For an orange mark, use a rust remover — not bleach.
Use
- Washing-up liquid
- Baking soda
- Rust remover (orange marks)
Avoid
- Bleach (sets it darker)
- Leaving it to set
- High heat before it’s gone
- Never mix bleach with vinegar, ammonia, alcohol, rust remover, or other cleaners.
- Use only one stain-removal chemical at a time, then rinse before trying another.
Good to know
These steps suit most washable fabrics. Choose your fabric to tailor them — gentler for wool, silk and other delicates, firmer for cotton and denim.