Easy three-step cleaning method to remove sun cream stains from white clothes

Daily Mirror

28-07-2025

Sun cream is an essential when going on a beach holiday but it can be difficult to remove when it gets onto clothes, especially those that are white, so a cleaning expert shared what she does
One chore many people loathe after returning home from a holiday is tackling the washing. Clothes are inevitably going to get grubby during a trip abroad and if there's no opportunity to clean them, the only choice is to hold off until you return home.
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There are plenty of ways clothing can become stains, such as through food and drinks or sweat when spending time in a hot destination. Sun cream marks particularly can be very tricky to get rid of, especially from white clothes. Anna Louisa is a home and cleaning content creator who regularly shares advice and techniques on social media and is the author of The 5 Minute Clean Routine.
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In a recent post on Instagram she shared guidance on how she removes sun cream marks from white clothes and brightens them too.
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The cleaning expert said: "The worst part about coming back from a holiday by far is the mountains of laundry that come home with you."
Anna believes white garments are "screaming" to be stripped of sun cream marks and brightened. She then revealed how she cleans them in three straightforward steps.
The cleaning guru begins by immersing the sun cream-stained clothes in citric acid for a few hours before placing them in the washing machine as usual but she substitutes fabric softener for white vinegar and a scoop of Oxi Powder.
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Next, she dries the garments by hanging them on her washing line in the sunlight for "extra brightening power".
In her Instagram post caption, Anna warns that citric acid isn't suitable for silk, leather or suede.
She also advised checking that sun cream stains have been completely removed before drying, noting you may need to repeat the cleaning process as once dried the marks "can set in deeper".
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Skincare brand Eucerin explains that sun cream commonly stains clothes due to the oil and UV filters in the formula.
Sun cream typically contains avobenzone, a chemical ingredient that has a slight yellow tint as it absorbs UV rays.
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This tint causes the initial yellow sun cream stains on clothes and according to Eucerin, avobenzone is susceptible to oxidation, which makes yellow-orange stains deepen in colour over time and become harder to remove.
It adds that light coloured garments and clothing made from natural fibres, like cotton, are most at risk from sun cream stains.
Persil has also offered some advice for removing sun cream stains from white garments.
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Like Anna, it also suggests hanging white clothing out to dry in the sun, explaining the sun is effective at naturally bleaching stained white clothing in a safe and gentle way.
The laundry detergent brand suggests that lemon juice can boost the sun's natural bleaching effect.
For particularly stubborn stains, it recommends applying a small amount of lemon juice to the discoloured area before hanging it out to dry.
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Anna's Instagram video, which shows how she removes sun cream stains from white clothes, racked up 552,000 views, over 4,300 likes and numerous comments, at the time of writing.
One user said: "Well I didn't realise citric acid would be the key." Another confessed: "Wow I wish I saw this sooner. I threw away some dresses because I couldn't get sunscreen out."
They continued: "I now don't pack whites for beach holidays. [I] Will have to try your method next time."
A third viewer chimed in: "Saved, sun cream stains [are] my worst post holiday laundry problem!" Others praised Anna's tips as "so helpful", "amazing" and "so clever."