Got beer stains on your favorite T-shirt? What’s a beer lover to do? There are many different recommended ways however some of my personal favorites involve not removing it at all. You can make a note in fabric paint about where you were/what you were doing when you got your beer stain. Wash it as usual without treating the beer stain and then use the tee as your official beer-drinking shirt. You can even mark future beer stains similarly until your T-shirt becomes a souvenir of many a party. If you are serious about removing beer stains though, two popular methods are outlined below.

Technique #1

If you really do want to remove beer stains from your T-shirt, here is one method of how to do so. As soon as possible after the spill occurs, remove the shirt. Rinse it thoroughly with cold water from the inside of the shirt, to remove as much of the stain as possible. Then make a mixture of liquid laundry detergent and cold water and apply it to the beer stain for a minimum of 5 minutes, then rinse. If the stain is still visible, make a mixture of 1 part vinegar with 2 parts of water and apply that to it carefully. Rinse it out immediately because if not, the vinegar will bleach the shirt. Wash as usual, according to the instructions on the tag of the T-shirt.

Technique #2

Another highly recommended method also involves vinegar. Rinse the shirt in cold water as soon as possible after the stain occurs and keep the shirt wet until the stain is gone or you may inadvertently let it set in. Mix together a stain treatment that consists of 2 cups of cold water, 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent. The key is choosing the right dishwashing detergent; make sure it is clear or white in color, has no bleach, perfumes, or moisturizers. Lightly apply the mixture to the stain with a white or light-colored cloth. Do not rub it in, as the rubbing action may damage the fabric. Wash as usual. This mixture is a great pre-treatment for most food and beverage stains.

In reality, beer is a relatively easy stain to remove. However, it can be more difficult if it is one of the darker beers, because there is more pigment to remove. Here are some additional beer stain removal tips to keep in mind. You should definitely not use hot water when attempting to remove a beer stain as it will instead cause the stain to set in. Using bar soap also makes it more difficult to remove beer stains, so stick with liquid detergents. Be patient but act quickly and use one of the two techniques described above and in no time, your favorite T-shirt will be beer stain free.

Better yet, get yourself a custom-made T-shirt and have it printed with something fun like “My official beer drinking shirt,” “Ask me where I got these beer stains,” or “Like my clean shirt? Ask me how to remove beer stains.”