Watermelons are practically a symbol of summertime. No other fruit so completely screams summer like a juicy watermelon. It is fresh, provides hydration, is sweet and is actually pretty fun to eat. Seeded watermelon is the perfect outdoor fruit, with many a watermelon lover enjoying seed spitting as part of the fun of partaking in their favorite fruit. Watermelon works for celebrations wonderfully. Just one watermelon and you’ve got enough fruit for a gang of people. Summer celebrations just seem to revolve about this colorful, fragrant fruit. There is just one drawback however- the juice. It runs everywhere. In fact, if you pick up a piece of watermelon to bite into, you can rest assured that you will be dealing with watermelon stains later when it is time to do the laundry.

If you notice that you have watermelon stains on your clothing, treat them right away. Use a paper towel to soak up any excess juice. Then if you can’t change out of your clothing right away to treat the stain, then use a wet paper towel to blot at the stain to get as much of it off your clothing as possible.

Luckily for you watermelon stains are one of the easiest types of food stains to eliminate from clothing. The juices of the watermelon are mostly water and contain very little pigment to deal with therefore you have a much easier stain to deal with than one from blueberries or beets, which are known serious stains.

The light pink stains from watermelon juice can usually be eliminated by pouring boiling water through the stain, if you are working on a fabric that can be washed in hot water. Before starting any type of stain removal treatments on clothes, be sure to read the fabric care label so you know what you can and can’t do with the fabric you are dealing with. You don’t want to pour hot water on a shirt that must be washed by hand in cold water only.

If the stain persists the easiest way to deal with a watermelon stain is to simply apply a commercial stain pretreatment to the item and then launder as usual. Be sure that the pretreatment you use is one that contains enzymes and is formulated for such types of stains. Choose a laundry detergent with enzymes also for added cleaning power. When the wash cycle ends, inspect the clothing carefully in good light. Make sure all traces of the stain are completely gone. If not, repeat one of the stain treatments already mentioned and leave the item soaking in the pretreatment for several hours before re-washing. Following a second washing your stain should be a thing of the past.

A little knowledge and a little time invested into dealing with clothing stains can save you a lot of money in new clothes and dry cleaning bills. Enjoy even the messiest food, like watermelon, without the worry of not knowing how to deal with clothing stains.