Anyone at a barbecue this weekend urged to ‘act fast’ over sudden problem

Cleaning whizz Lynsey Crombie, aka the Queen of Clean, explains why it’s important to take immediate action if you stain your clothes with barbecue-related nasties

Summer is well and truly here, with the UK having already experienced the hottest day of the year so far – a sizzling 32.2 degrees recorded in Kew, west London on Thursday. Sadly, for some, showers are now predicted to sweep over some regions, with nearly half a month’s rain to brutally end the heatwave. Weather maps show around 30mm of rain – more than half an average June’s total – will lash across parts of the Midlands, the Home Counties and the East of England on Saturday June 28.

But the glorious weather is set to continue for a while, with Saturday anticipated to be the hottest day of the year so far, with the mercury possibly even hitting an incredible 38C in parts of the East of England. And so thoughts are turning to paddling pools, sprinklers and ice lollies to keep cool, and barbecues to have some fun in the sun.

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Unfortunately this season is fraught with stain hazards, from the risk of ketchup or barbecue sauce dripping from our burgers onto our immaculate clothes, to the constant application of SPF leaving cream marks, not to mention the heat causing people to sweat through their clothes.

Thankfully, This Morning cleaning guru Lynsey Crombie aka Queen of Clean has all the tricks up her sleeve for tackling stubborn marks ensuring that you can sail through the heatwave looking and feeling clean and fresh. The 15 Minute Clean: The Quickest Way to a Sparkling Home, £14.99, is available on Amazon, currently on offer for £12.29.

So what should you do if you get a nightmare stain on your clothes during a barbecue this weekend? Lynsey recommends scraping off excess sauce using a blunt knife to avoid rubbing it deeper into the fabric. She adds: “You should then flip the item inside out and rinse under cold running water to push the sauce out from the back, as this helps lift the stain rather than spread it. Cold water also prevents the stain from setting.”

That’s not it though. You should then turn the item right-side out, add a blob of washing-up liquid directly to the area, and pop in the wash as normal. As Lynsey explains: “Washing-up liquid cuts through the grease and sugar in BBQ sauces.”

When it comes to fake tan staining clothes, it’s a different story. Lynsey says: “Suncream can be a real pain to get out of clothes and the longer you leave it the worse it’ll get. If you are out and about when the stain occurs, gently blot to absorb as much as the cream as you can. Or use hand sanitiser to cover the stain – this will stop if from spreading. At the beach? Cover the stain with sand to dry it out. As soon as you can, rinse the stain from the reverse under a cold water tap, to help push it out of the fabric.”

There are some further steps she suggests, which include trying:

• White vinegar: This can help break down the oil base of the suncream – simply cover the stain in the vinegar then leave for 30 minutes.
• Eucalyptus oil: This has magical stain removal qualities and it smells incredible. Coat your stain in the stuff, leave for 15 minutes.

Finally, wash the garment at the hottest temperature that’s safe for the fabric, and check for the stain again before you dry. Once the item has dried you won’t get the stain out. So if there is still a trace of the stain repeat this process again.

But Lynsey cautions: “Avoid the tumble dryer because any trace of the stain will become permanent. Instead air dry on the washing line or on a clothes airer.”

The 15 Minute Clean: The Quickest Way to a Sparkling Home (Welbeck), £14.99, is available on Amazon; visit @lynsey_queenofclean on Instagram