Condiments are items that can mean a lot of trouble for clothing because of their very nature. They are generally both drippy and thick, and because of this they often end up on t-shirts as well as other articles of clothing. One of the main problems with condiments, however, is that they are brightly colored and therefore can be difficult to get out of fabric.

Mustard and ketchup are generally the most commonly used condiments, and because they are fairly thin, it’s easy to stain t-shirts with drops of mustard and ketchup. Other condiments such as hot sauce and pickle relish can also create very difficult stains and t-shirts. When you first get a stain from one of these condiments, start blotting them away from the t-shirt as quickly as you can. Use whatever you have on hand such as a napkin or paper towel. If there is a lot of the condiment on your shirt, start with a butter knife to scrape it away from the t-shirt. Get as much of it away from the t-shirt you can before you attempt to treat the fabric.

Take off the t-shirt and put it under cold running water. Make sure the water is running directly through the stain. Don’t use a trickle of water – make sure the water is running swiftly ordered to power of the stain out of the fabric. If the condiment stain is fairly fresh, the cold water should take much of it out of the t-shirt. Rub the fabric together under the cold running water in order to force more of the condiment out of the fabric. If it is a fresh stain and this method gets most of the condiment out of the T-shirt, you can then soak it in cold water for a while. Simply fill up the sink with cold water, put the t-shirt in there and push it down to the bottom to make sure that air bubbles don’t force the t-shirt to the surface. The entire t-shirt needs to stay under the water for best results.

Soaking a new condiment stain in cold water should remove the stain completely and the t-shirt can then be washed in the laundry with other clothing. Use cold water and a strong detergent to make sure all of the stain is out of your t-shirt. For white t-shirts, put a little bit of bleach into the wash with the t-shirt. For colored t-shirts, use color-safe bleach only. Don’t use a detergent that contains ammonia or you may cause the stain to set into the fabric permanently.

If you’re condiment stain is very old, it may take a professional to get it out completely. You can try a pre-treating stick or spray and letting it soak into the condiment stain before washing the shirt. If it still doesn’t come out, there are home dry-cleaning kits that may work better. If these also fail, take the t-shirt to a reliable dry cleaner can ask whether they can remove condiment stains.