How to Remove Stubborn Yellow Staining on Denim with Laundress and Soap Works Products

I remember humming and hawing over buying this jacket 5 or 6 years ago. I was making something like $11/hour at Anthropologie and this jacket was a bit of a splurgey-splurge as it would have cost about a day’s worth of work. I remember waiting until the XS was sold out at my home store, so I had to drive an hour away to get it.

I put an assortment of pins on the collar, most of which were from my blazer from high-school. But best of all, are the vertical pockets! Vertical pockets are the best kinds of pockets because your shit doesn’t fall out whenever you bend down or move around in general.

I wore this jacket to death in undergrad. I love the soft terry sleeves because it doesn’t feel constricting to wear under a coat. But because I wore it so much, the denim was turning a yellow colour in some spots, but especially at the collar.

It didn’t wash out with a spray of Shout, so I had kind of accepted that due to age, this was the fate of the jacket. It’s just gonna be slightly dingy. So I stopped wearing it.

However, it’s still 2020 and amidst my boredom, I decided to restore and repair my wardrobe. I’ve conditioned all my leather shoes, and bags. All that’s left are my clothes.

Whenever I have a laundry issue, I turn to The Laundress to see what solutions they have. I picked up their Stain Solution and Denim Wash. I’ve been using their Wool and Cashmere Shampoo for years. I was also going to pick up their Bleach Alternative and Wash and Stain Bar, but luckily those had the ingredients on the label so I was able to source the same things for cheaper. Soap Works’ Alternative Bleach and Old-Fashioned Stain Remover Laundry Bar. (For $10 off your purchase of $40 or more at well.ca use coupon code: booitsbloo10)

HOW I BECAME A MOTHERFLUFFIN’ LAUNDRY WIZARD:

The worst stain was along the collar. In person it looked a lot “dirtier” than it does in the photo here. There was also staining on the sleeves and some green-ish spots from my pins under the collar. Those came right out with the stain bar.

I first put about a tablespoon’s worth of The Laundress Stain Solution into a little latte bowl and then worked it into the stain with an old plastic-free toothbrush (I’m obsessed with these toothbrushes and their super-soft bristles).

The darker yellow area is there it’s just been stain solution. Now the real magic happened when I brought sodium percarbonate into the mix (bleach alternative). I filled up the little latte bowl with some freshly boiled water from the kettle and sprinkled some bleach alternative onto the stain. I dipped my toothbrush into the hot water and then worked the bleach alternative into a white paste.

You can see on the left what a difference the bleach alternative made compared to the right side of the collar.

I then used the stain bar (swiping the wet toothbrush back and forth on the bar of soap to pick up product) and worked it into the less intense stains on the rest of the jacket as well as the collar.

Then I tossed the jacket into the washing machine and laundered like normal.

And voila!! Good as new! The stain is about 95% removed because I didn’t want to over-work the fabric the first time around, but I’m confident that if I really want to get that remaining 5% I just need to repeat the process. It’s not the worst stain in the world, but build-up of sweat, oils, and dead skin is a stubborn combination to get out of fabrics.