Any tips on keeping White Uniforms White?
What has worked for you?
I have heard the car wash power sprayer works great and Oxyclean.
Has anyone Scotch guarded the uniforms pre-season, how did that turn out. Did it help?
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Iron Out. The best there is. It is way better than Oxyclean. Does not fade. Only problem is I have to rewash jerseys after to get the smell out. Put it in. Soak for 12-24 hours. Wash. Clean every time including red clay.
Iron Out and power sprayer. Don't worry too much. Dirt is a ballplayer's badge.
Hot water + iron out = soak for at least 4 hours. (this takes care of the red stains)
Using a stainlifting detergent wash after soaking. (this takes care of the grass stains)
Word of warning. If the pants don't appear white after the iron out do it longer, NEVER EVER wash and dry when there are still red stains....you will have them forever.
Soak in hot water and Iron Out (https://summitbrands.com/iron-...tain-removers/powder) overnight. I also add a splash of laundry detergent to the mix and that helps get any grass/mud stains out. I soak in a bucket and put it in the garage - it's a bit stinky. Then wash as normal.
If you're into scrubbing, Fels Naphtha bar soap, in the laundry section, does a really good job. Requires elbow grease and a good laundry brush and the hottest water you can stand. Get wet, soap up generously, scrub hard against a washboard, put in regular wash cycle. Won't take as long as the above methods but might give you carpal tunnel syndrome.
Even better than Iron Out is OUT White Brite, which is made by the same company. Iron Out doesn't do anything for grass stains that are often under the red Georgia clay. Here's my procedure: 1. Wash the pants normally if you have time, but don't dry them in the dryer (don't ever dry them in the dryer). 2. Dissolve 1/3 c. White Brite in hot water in a bucket; this is usually enough to soak two pair of pants with water to just cover them. 3. Soak the pants in it up to overnight, but at least several hours. 4. Wash the pants again, using regular detergent, hot water and the heavy duty cycle. That usually takes care of it with no scrubbing and no Fels Naptha (though I've sure scrubbed my share of grass stains out with that stuff). White Brite will fade the stitching on the Nike or Mizuno logo, and both WB and Iron Out will fade parts of some hats, but it does not fade the piping on the pants.
Another Iron Out user here.
As soon as my son became a PO....no more issues with white pants. 
We use Fel Naptha (bars can be bought in Walmart). Like everyone has stated, use a palm bristle brush. Rub soap on stains with water running on it and work the soap in with the brush. Let it soak in the sink with soap residue. You can even use a cheese grater and shave some off into the wash as well. I cannnot speak to Iron Out, but I do hear good things.
I've done the pressure washer thing too, but you cannot convince me that you're not shortening the life of the pants in key areas by blasting it with high pressure water. Shoot your bare toe with a pressure washer and then tell me it's not damaging the fabric.
Cascade... It works on baked on dirty plates, so they say. BTW: My experience is that while PO's may not have stains on the front, but they spend a lot of time sitting and pick up who knows what off the bench ;-)
Another Iron Out user. As has been said above, soak 12-24 hours in a bucket outside, then wash as normal. I would always have my son at least 2 (usually 3) pairs of game pants. That covered the whole week. After Friday nights games, they'd soak and I'd wash them Sunday afternoon. I'd also soak his white socks that he wore in games, they were normally as bad or worse than the pants.
Also, I never put any of his uniforms, pants or shirt, in the dryer. They hung dry.
Thanks all. I appreciate the pressure washer tip, didn’t think of the breakdown of the fabric that is happening there 😱. I will go to the store today to get iron out. He has 3 pairs of white pants. And has 2-3 games per week. I may need to get him 1 more pair 😂
I know the stains are a badge of honor, and that’s fine during and after a game. But then for the next game he needs to be ready. My son and I both look at the uniform as a sign of respect. Your uniform reflects who you are as a player and you are representing your school, your coach and your parent(s) so you want to look professional. I can’t stand to see a ball player with his shirt half tucked, hat on crooked, dirt stains galore and the game hasn’t started yet. Tells me he doesn’t care.
When kids show up to showcases wearing pants with dirt stains that look fresh this tells they weren’t prepared. And pulled out the pants out of the hamper 🙄
okay, off my soap box now 😂
Iron Out.
Soak overnight. Wash with regular detergent after the soak. Pack with you for long tournaments and offer to soak your son's and other players pants in the hotel tub. You will be a hero.
I have long stopped washing my player's uniforms, but I keep it on hand for bloody pillowcases, blood on anything, stains on tablecloths, etc....
They sell it in walmart in the paint area at most stores not in the detergent area. You can also buy a 9 lb from Amazon for about $25.
Great topic as I'm one of those dads who prefers pants clean as possible. I, too, use Fels Naptha along with Dawn dishwashing liquid and Oxy Clean. However, based on the popularity here, I will be trying Iron Out or White Iron Out.
Another vote for soaking in Iron Out.
PROBEAGLE posted:Great topic as I'm one of those dads who prefers pants clean as possible. I, too, use Fels Naptha along with Dawn dishwashing liquid and Oxy Clean. However, based on the popularity here, I will be trying Iron Out or White Iron Out.
I’m thankful, Comrade Probeagle, that I’m not all alone in the laundry room, scrub scrub scrubbing my life away with Fels Naptha. I beseech you tho to reconsider the use of iron out. I’m convinced that relationships born of the physical effort Fels Naptha requires to achieve our common goal of the whitest white uniforms will stand the test of time much more strongly than dumping the uniforms in a bucket of chemically laced water and walking away. Where’s the expert craftsmanship in the latter, I ask.
Just can't beat Fels Naptha bars! 99 cents at Walmart. Better for environment. I can literally get any clay stain out no matter how old or how many times it's been through the dryer. Elbow grease required. I don't use a brush though. It roughs up the fabric. Sounds strange but I use a small plastic thing that's for applying spackle to walls. Just scrape it across the fabric after applying Fels Naptha. Our HS teams use the same uniforms for many years. I was able to make the white jersey we got this year for V look 5 years younger.
Yes! Hold the line!
What about for gray uni's? Besides Fells Naptha and having to do any work...
Here is an oldy but goody from way back when. About this very subject.
Thx, BLD! formerobserver looks like my kind of person! I wonder if he/she's related to Timtheenchanter?