The Household Essential Martha Stewart Uses To Remove Stubborn Gardening Stains From Clothing

Martha Stewart has shared plenty of helpful garden hacks during her time in the spotlight, and, as a keen gardener, she knows the struggle of starting out with pristine clothes and ending up with dirty ones. While there are loads of specialized products out there that will remove marks, there's one product the domestic goddess swears by when it comes to removing stubborn garden stains – bleach. Not only a versatile cleaning product, bleach's formulation will be tough on even the most stubborn of clothes stains.

Whether it's pesky grass stains you're looking to remove or you've accumulated dirt marks on your crisp white t-shirt, there's no denying that dirt and stains from gardening can be a pain to get out. Unlike regular stains, there's also a chance that those from gardening will be more embedded into your clothes — for example, when you've been kneeling on grass or end up with ground-in dirt from digging a new bed. Don't stress though, as your mud-splattered clothes will be back to their pre-garden look in no time thanks to Stewart's handy cleaning tip.

In a YouTube video discussing the advantages of bleach for various gardening-related activities, Martha Stewart outlined how you can use the product to remove pesky mud and grass spots from your clothes. The trick is to do your laundry as usual on a hot water cycle but add in approximately three quarters of a cup of bleach. This method should get rid of most stains, but stubborn stains will require a bit more attention, Stewart suggests pre-soaking very dirty items before putting them in the wash.

To do this, you'll need a tub or sink full of water and the same amount of bleach. The time you should leave your clothes in the mix will vary depending on how bad the marks are, but generally half an hour is enough. Note: bleach is an abrasive chemical substance, so always wear gloves when lifting your clothes out of the bleach and water solution and when you're adding the liquid to your laundry for safety. Your clothes should emerge looking clean, fresh, and stain-free. It's also worth noting that while regular bleach works beautifully on white clothing, it can discolor more vibrant hues; in this case, you may want to have color-safe bleach on hand.