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Summer has a lot to offer: camping, swimming, hiking, and general adventuring. Unfortunately, many of these summer activities come with a side service of spills, stains, and residue—all of which can present their own unique cleaning challenges. Your friends at Charlie’s Soap have your back. We’ve compiled a go-to guide for those special cleaning projects you only get in the summer. Here’s what you need to know to take on the summer messes.
Life Jackets
Your time out on the water can leave life jackets crusted with salt, chlorine, and other residues, like algae and other micro-aquatic life. To clean a life jacket, start by using warm water and a gentle cleanser. Charlie’s Soap powder laundry detergent is perfect for the job. For easy cleaning, simply dissolve a tablespoon of Charlie’s powder laundry detergent in a spray bottle of warm water, shaking to mix it thoroughly. Then, spray the life jacket from top to bottom, inside and out, and wipe it down thoroughly with a microfiber cloth. When all the grime has lifted, rinse the jacket and allow it to air-dry away from direct sunlight.
If you’re cleaning a large load of life jackets all together, simply add the powder laundry detergent into a large bucket, tub, or sink filled with your favorite disinfectant. As you dunk your life jackets in, Charlie’s will work to remove grime and residue while you disinfect.
Summer Athletic Gear
Summer gear, like swimsuits, workout clothes, and jogging shorts, tend to be on the front line for sweat and bacteria. For summer athletic gear, you’re going to want a cleaner that can disinfect without damaging colors and fabrics.
That’s where Charlie’s Soap oxygen bleach comes in. Designed with a gentle, all-natural formula, our oxygen bleach is free of all the nasty additives—that means chlorine-free, dye-free, and optical brightener-free. That means it’s perfect for summer athletic gear of all types. Simply add a scoop of oxygen bleach to your next load of athletic wear. Combined with a powerful cleaner like Charlie’s Soap detergents, our oxygen bleach works to disinfect and gently clean, all without the use of harmful chemicals. It’s color safe, but be sure to follow garment care instructions.
Sunscreen Residue
When spending time outside in the summer season, it’s important to protect your skin with sunscreen. However, while you’re applying the sunscreen of your choice, it will almost always find its way onto swimsuits, jeans—and pretty much any other article of clothing that you have.
Luckily, removing sunscreen residue can be done in a jiffy. Sunscreen is oil-based, so the first step is to flush as much of it as possible from the garments. Turn the garment inside out, then hold the stained area under running water. After removing as much residue as possible, apply a powerful stain fighter like Charlie’s Soap Biodegradable Laundry Pre-Spray Stain Remover. Allow the pretreatment to work its magic for at least fifteen minutes, then launder according to garment care instructions.
Poison Ivy
Once you’ve come into contact with poison ivy, it takes a lot of careful handling to prevent it from spreading. Urushiol, the oil that comes off of the poison ivy plant, can spread from skin, clothes, and pretty much anything else it touches. With minimal contact, poison ivy quickly contaminates surrounding bodies—and garments. Once you know that your clothes may be contaminated with poison ivy, avoid touching them with bare hands. Don a pair of disposable rubber gloves and place the clothes in a large plastic bag.
From the plastic bag, the infected clothes will go straight into the washer. While adding them, be careful to avoid contact between the garments and the exterior of the washing machine. Next, add a powerful cleaner to break down the urushiol oil. Our personal favorites? Charlie’s Soap liquid laundry detergent and oxygen bleach. They’ve got the cleaning power to take on even the most stubborn residue. Then, clean the clothes alone at the hottest temperature allowable for the garments. It’s unlikely that the poison ivy will spread to other clothes during the cycle, but washing the contaminated garments alone allows for a more thorough and complete washing. Depending on the severity of the contamination, you may even want to wash the garment again. After it’s cleaned, finish by drying according to garment care instructions. To avoid potential contamination during future cycles, it’s a good idea to run an extra-hot cycle through the washer, sans clothes.
You can even use Charlie’s Soap to lift poison ivy oil from your skin. Once you know you’ve been exposed, scrub the affected area with Charlie’s Soap Indoor & Outdoor surface cleaner and a rough cloth. If the oil is widespread, feel free to shower with it—and don’t forget to really scrub! Since our Indoor & Outdoor cleaner is gentle on skin, you don’t need to worry about chemical after effects or irritation.
Tents
To clean up after a long camping trip, start by removing as much debris as possible. Target leaves, dirt, pinecones, and anything else you can easily remove. For small tents, you may even be able to pick it up and shake it out. Then, it’s time to pull out the vacuum. Using a soft brush attachment, vacuum the interior of the tent, targeting the corners.
If you had a pretty uneventful camping experience, that may be all you have to do. However, chances are that your tent had to undergo some level of mud, splatters, or spills. If so, it’s a good idea to spray the interior and exterior of your tent down with a hose. Follow up with a powerful cleaning product, like Charlie’s Kitchen & Bath Household Cleaner. Since it comes in a convenient spray bottle, it’s extra-easy to apply to the walls, ceiling, and floor of your tent. Once you’ve cleaned any residue away with a microfiber cloth, allow the tent to air-dry completely.
Are RVs more your style? Don’t worry—Charlie’s Soap can help you clean recreational vehicles big and small.
Take on Summer with Charlie’s Soap
No matter what adventures you take on this summer, Charlie’s Soap can help you keep it clean. Summer is full of exciting opportunities, so Charlie’s is here to give you peace of mind that you can clean it up later. From stained clothes to big messes, Charlie’s Soap is here to make sure your summer is full and clean.
No matter what adventures await you this summer, Charlie’s Soap can help with the clean up. With easy and effective cleaning solutions, Charlie’s Soap is here to help you take on summer’s most exciting moments—and the messes that follow. From stained clothes to household cleaning conundrums, Charlie’s Soap has what you need to keep a clean, for life. Shop Charlie’s Soap.
