How to remove an ice cream stain (including smurf!):
A sweet bomb that sticks to your teeth

A story from life

"My son was eating Smurf ice cream when a chunk fell on his light blue shirt. The blue stain remained even after washing, and it was sort of greasy. I thought that was the end of it. But the combination of soda, lemon, and EcoHaus paper totally did the trick. The shirt survived the summer."

- Martina, EcoHaus customer

Why ice cream is so hard to remove

Ice cream, especially the "colored baby" ice cream, contains:

sugars and milk proteins - which are baked in by heat
fats (milk, vegetable) - they soak into the fibres
dyes - often very strong (blue E133, red E120...)
fruit components - pigments that oxidize
chocolate, caramel, flavours - more than one challenge

Stain can be oily, coloured, sticky and very distinctive when dry.

How to stain ice cream step by step

What helps:

Cold or lukewarm water
Baking soda
Citric acid or lemon juice
White vinegar 10%
Sodium percarbonate - ideal for light-coloured linen
EcoHaus Washing Papers

Procedure:

Remove the ice cream gently with a spoon - do not rub!
Rinse the stain with cold water on the reverse side.
Apply a paste of baking soda and lemon juice (or citric acid).
Why it works.
For heavily coloured stains (e.g. blue, red) you can add a little vinegar.
Leave for 15-20 minutes, then gently wash.
Wash with EcoHaus washing papers at 30-40 °C.
For white or light colored laundry, add sodium percarbonate.
Why it works: Active oxygen brightens the fabric and removes pigment and grease residue.

What not to do

Don't use hot water. The milk proteins will curdle and bake.
Don't wait. Dried ice cream is harder to clean.
Don't scrape with force. The pigments will expand and push deeper.

➙ Tip from Grandma Petra

Lemon juice and baking soda have always been used for ice cream. Leave for a few minutes, then gently rub over and put in the washing machine with percarbonate. I also recommend a little vinegar for the smurf - the blue color disappears faster.

➙ Tip from Vlaďka - the cleaning lady

For these baby stains I use a trick: soda, lemon and a few drops of vinegar. Let it "hiss", then wash with EcoHaus paper. If it was on a white sweatshirt, the percarbonate will help get the rest out too.

Are you dealing with another stain?

In our Spotters you'll find articles on chocolate, cocoa, tea, yogurt, snacks and wine. And if you don't know what to do - write to Vlaďka in the bottom right corner. She's here for you.

Share your trick

Have you managed a smurf or other ice cream differently? Send a tip to marketing@ecohaus.cz or write in the comments. Maybe you'll inspire other moms and dads in action.

Summary

Ice cream is great on the tongue, but not on the shirt. But if you know what to do, you can handle even the most colorful mishaps left-handed - no chemistry, no stress, and with your clothes preserved.