Tree sap is a common phenomenon if you prune trees every now and then. When tree sap falls into any part of your cloth or hands and dries down, it becomes a challenging stain. If you take action immediately, it becomes easy to remove the sap. There are some methods through which you’ll be able to get rid of the stain. Rubbing alcohol, bleach, and detergent powders are pretty impactful when removing a sap’s stubborn stain. Just don’t let the sap dry out, and you’ll be able to remove it. Here are some of the effective techniques:
Rubbing Alcohol to Fade the Stain Gradually
- As soon as there’s a drop of sap on your cloth, freeze it immediately. Freezing will allow it to stiffen and prevent sticking to your fabric. You can simply put your cloth inside the freezer or put an ice bag on top of the sap. It will allow the sap to harden.
- Once you notice that the sap has hardened, take a blunt knife and start scraping it. Try to use a butter knife as it will ensure that you don’t tear down the cloth. Hold the butter knife parallelly to the fabric and start scraping. You’ll notice the sap break. You don’t have to put too much pressure. It should break easily.
- Now take some rubbing alcohol and pour it over a towel. You can also dip a cotton ball into rubbing alcohol and use that instead. Use that alcohol-soaked towel or cotton to remove the remaining sap. You can also use alcohol concentrated sanitizers instead of rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol is also great for taking sap off your body. Rubbing alcohol is also amazing for cleaning pruning tools, like pole saw, reciprocating saw, chainsaw, folding saw, bow saw, crosscut saw, etc.
If you have tree sap over something that is made out of leather, try using saddle soap or peanut butter as it won’t prevent harming the leather.
- Another thing you can do is, pour some rubbing alcohol over the spot and use a toothbrush to scrub the remaining sap. Make sure to do it gently, as aggressive rubbing can tear the cloth.
You can certainly repeat the process if the spot is too large and complex to get rid of. You can also take some extra alcohol, pour it directly over the area, and keep scrubbing until it gets away.
- Put it in the laundry basket once you notice the sap fading away. You can wash the cloth by hand or take the help of a washing machine. Take whatever detergent you have. This should do the job. But you can also clean the cloth with some hot water. Make sure you check the recommendation and washing points of that fabric.
Bleach or Stain Remover to Get Rid of the Stain
- If you have sap on your clothes, sitting for a while, don’t worry because it’s not that difficult. Most of the liquids or sprays that claim to remove the stain do the job pretty conveniently. You can also use your go-to detergent. That should work fine. Take a cotton ball and pour some stain remover over the cotton. Create a thin layer over the sap.
- Use your fingers or take a toothbrush and distribute the product nicely. Let it get into the fabric and then leave it for twenty minutes. Let it dry. This will allow the product to break the particles of the sap and make your job easy.
- Before washing, make sure you check the temperature of the water. Not every temperature is suitable for every fabric. Each fabric has different requirements when it comes to water temperature. Usually, warm water works fine for most fabrics, but it’s not enough for stubborn sap stains. On the other hand, dark and fine fabrics need to be cleaned under cold water. You can use a washing machine or clean it by hand.
- If the stain is not coming off at any cost, then you can use bleach instead. Chlorine bleach is way more robust than other cleaning products. It is also harmless for cotton and light-colored clothes. For other fabrics and the colored ones, you will need oxygen bleach instead of chlorine bleach. Ensure to check the label for added safety.
- It might seem impossible to get rid of a sap stain but have a little patience. Don’t throw your favorite piece of cloth in a dryer, as it’ll make it even harder to remove. Instead, rewash it. Use alcohol a few times to get rid of the stain. A fewer attempt should make your cloth look brand new.
Detergent Powder for Easy Stains
- Take a bowl and pour equal parts of detergent and water into it. Take whichever detergent you prefer. Just make sure that it doesn’t contain any bleach. Don’t take too much. Take a little bit at the beginning. For example, if you have sap on your t-shirt, take one teaspoon of detergent and mix it with one teaspoon of water. That should leave you with a thick paste. If you are using liquid detergent, then you won’t have to dilute it with water.
- Spread the paste evenly over the stained area. You can distribute the paste by hand, using a spoon or a sponge.
- Don’t wash the clothes immediately. Let the stain sit for at least half an hour. It will allow the sap to break up. You don’t have to worry because it won’t ruin your cloth. If the detergent contained bleach, then it would have damaged your clothes.
- Another product that is readily available in the market is non-sudsy ammonia. It doesn’t have any color and works like magic. If the stain isn’t coming off, you can put a little bit of non-sudsy ammonia over the paint. You can also use this technique after a few washes.
- Once you are done juggling with the sap, put your clothes in the machine. Let it run through a few cycles. Any detergent should work perfectly. Look for the water temperature as per your clothing requirement. If your fabric is strong enough to handle hot water, then go for a higher temperature. It would be best if you had brand-new clothes once they come out of the washing makes.
If you ever get sap stain on your favorite cloth, don’t just throw it away so easily. It might be difficult if the stain dries up. But it is certainly not impossible. Follow the given methods and give it a few shots. It might not come off after the first try, but after a few washes, you’ll definitely end up with a cloth fresh as new.