Best way to get sun cream stains out of clothes as temperatures soar across UK (2025)

Scotland is in for another glorious weekend of sunshine so its important you get your sun cream on but also know how to get it out of your clothing because it stains very easily.

With the unusually hot weather the UK has been enjoying this week, many Scots have been whipping out their sun cream a lot sooner than they anticipated this year. As the sunshine continues into the weekend, it's important to protect your skin from exposure to the sun with cream.

While its not quite 'taps aff' weather in Scotland just yet, many of us will be digging out our summer wardrobes and showing a little more skin in the hot temperatures but be careful to cover the parts of your body that are exposed to the sun with lotion that contains certain oils that help absorb any UV rays.

Unfortunately, these oils can very easily cause yellow or orange grease stains. The chemical most widely used in sun cream is avobenzone, and when combined with either water or perspiration, it can cause rusty coloured stains.

Thankfully, there a few ways you can get these pesky stains out of your clothing if you find this has happened to one of your garments and with it being the Easter school holidays, it's likely you will need this guide when one of your kids accidentally rubs some cream on their clothes.

So to help you out, the experts at Crew Clothing have delivered three quick and easy to follow solutions for you and all of them require ingredients you probably already have in your cupboard.

Lemon juice and vinegar is a popular method.

The experts said that the hashtag #lemoncleaninghack has been trending online with over 152.views as homeowners are looking for alternative and environmentally friendly stain removal methods.

Just like any stain, the most important thing you want to do is act fast. As soon as you notice the sunscreen has stained your garment, apply any acidic product such as lemon juice or white vinegar and cover it with salt.

This will help combat the oil and draw it out of the fabric.

Once applied, ensure that you leave it on for at least 30 minutes but letting it sit overnight is the optimum amount of time to wait.

After you have done this, throw it in the wash as normal and your stain should come out. Another handy liquid to eliminate your stain is eucalyptus oil.

This method has also been hitting off with social media users on TikTok, accumulating over 1.2m views for the quick and easy sunscreen stain hack.

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Eucalyptus oil which is well-known for its ability to lift stubborn stains is a handy natural product to keep in your cleaning cupboard.

Simply start by wetting your garments that are stained with sun lotion in cold water.

Then apply a generous amount of oil to the stain and gently rub it in before placing it in the washing machine on a cold wash.

These steps will prevent the stain from setting and will help to lift it out easily.

Lastly, baking soda and dishwashing liquid is also perfect for getting your clothes back to normal after a sunscreen disaster.

All you have to do is combine 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid and 1 teaspoon of baking soda and warm water in a spray bottle.

Next, spray the stained clothing with the cleaning solution and gently dab at any stains. Let it dry before putting it in the wash on a cool cycle and hang it outside to dry. The sun will also help to brighten any white clothing.