3 Hacks for Getting Play-Doh Out of Clothes Once It’s Been Through the Wash

Play-Doh is fun, but it’s an easy way to mess up not only your entire house (ever scrubbed Play-Doh out of a rug?) but a good pair of pants as well. All it takes is just one sliver of the clay left behind in a pocket during the wash-and-dry cycle to ruin an outfit — or even an entire load of laundry — with unsightly oil stains. Gross! And we all know our kids are forever leaving fun surprises for us in their pants pockets, right?

Pine-Sol to Remove Play-Doh Stains

While every mom knows checking the pockets before a wash is a must, sometimes it’s an easy thing to overlook, especially when you’re doing a million things at once. So for those times when you forget — and your child’s pocket of Play-Doh leaves an oil stain behind — we’ve got the perfect solution: Pine-Sol.

That’s right, the popular floor cleaner can help you deal with any Play-Doh mess. All you have to do is dab a little bit of Pine-Sol on the stain, then throw the clothing into the wash as usual. Another cleaning product, Lestoil ($5.54, Walmart), works great for grease and oil stains, too. Quick tip: If you have a high-efficiency (HE) washer, the scent of the cleaning product tends to linger, so a second or third wash (with regular detergent) may be in order.

Cornstarch to Remove Play-Doh Stains

If you’re fresh out of Pine-Sol (pun intended!), cornstarch is another way to get those pesky stains out — and it’s perfect for things that can’t go in the normal wash cycle.

Just lay your stained item on a flat surface and put an anthill-style mound of cornstarch directly on the stain. Let your hill sit there for a while — an hour or two should do the trick — then just brush the cornstarch away or dump it in a trash can. Any leftover residue can easily be wiped off with a damp cloth. Alternatively, baby powder for Play-Doh stains works just as well.

Dishwashing Detergent to Remove Play-Doh Stains

Grease stains can also be taken out via the soaking method. Just soak your garment in a vat of liquid dishwashing detergent. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then wash in hot water.

Whether that oil stain is from Play-Doh or even a forgotten tub of lip balm that finds its way into the washing machine, these sneaky cleaning methods should do the trick. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to check every pocket next time you put in a load!

More From FIRST

Keep Your House Smelling Fresh With This Cotton Ball Life Hack

7 Ways to Redecorate Your Home With the Things You Already Have

5 Natural Cleaning Product Alternatives That Actually Work