How to Remove Fake Tan from Clothing

November 1, 2012

Spray tans are easy, fast and leave you looking as good as the real thing all without exposing you to the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays. However, the self tanner can quite easily stain your clothes and this can be tricky to remove. Fortunately there are various tricks that can help you remove fake tan from clothing:

1. Use baby wipes to clean the stain. One of the easiest ways on how to remove fake tan but it should be done as soon as possible as it works best with self-tanning stains that are fresh. Remember this trick may not work as well with stains that are already set.

2. Mix some lemon juice with water and soak the stain using the mixture. Leave it on the stain for about 30 minutes and then check the stain. If the stain is still there, soak again in fresh lemon water and repeat the process until the stain reduces.

3. Squeeze some dishwater soap onto a wet rag and rub this gently into the self-tanning stain. This is commonly the more popular option in how to remove fake tan stains. Rinse using cold water and repeat this process until the stain fades.

4. Use a stain remover to scrub the self-tanning stain on your clothing. Rinse using cold water and repeat the process until the stain reduces.

5. The easiest way on how to remove fake tan is to use warm water when laundering your clothing and repeat the process if the self-tanning stain remains.

6. For cotton fabrics, self tan stains will come out more easily in the wash. This is because the DHA and erythrulose ingredients in most tanning products do not interact with cotton to cause permanent stains. Your regular detergent and cold water will help remove fake tan from all your stained cotton clothing.

7. For synthetic fabrics like spandex and polyester, soak your stained clothing in warm water with added pre-treater. Rinse the clothing and check whether the stain is still there. If necessary, repeat the process or use a stronger cleaning agent.

8. Dab the stain with club soda for a good spot treatment on the go. If you rub the fabric, you will make the bronzer and the spray tan pigments embed much deeper into the clothing material.

These are some of the tips on how to remove fake tan from clothing. However, you can prevent your clothes from being stained by wearing loose fitting clothes until you have your first shower after the tanning session. You can also wear dark clothes as this ensures that even as you remove fake tan stains, they will be less noticeable.