Football, Mud Stains and More!

The whistle’s blown and football’s well and truly back from its summer holiday. Your kids are always seen on the field, practicing their kicks or getting on with a fast and exciting match. Seriously, there’s no better way of getting your children active than a friendly game of five-a-side!

If your child is thinking about joining a football team this autumn, here’s everything you’ll need to know about preparing their kit for the game.

Playing football is going to result in a lot of tough stains on their clothes and shoes, particularly from excess sweat and contact with grass. Thanks to the wide range of Vanish stain removal products and our tips, you can keep your child’s football kit looking as good as new.

The kit

Whether they’re inspired by the colours and stripes of their favourite team or their inspiration is totally something new, when it comes to selecting their kit, these five items are essential: a shirt, shorts, socks, boots and shin pads.  

When choosing their shirt and shorts, they’re going to want something that looks good. However, when it comes to selecting football boots, it should be more about practicality and the right fit than style.

Boots, Stains and Football Surfaces

Depending on the position they play on the team and the surface they will be playing on, there are different styles of boots to pick. If they are a “forward” or “winger”, choose lightweight boots so they can accelerate quickly, and if they play “midfield”, a more versatile boot will suit better.

Here’s a guide to the type of boots that suit specific surfaces and the stains that can occur for each:

• Soft ground

Boots suitable for play on soft ground come with screw-in studs that are either round or blade shaped. These boots are ideal for grass surfaces. Your child will be glad of the extra grip when it’s wet and muddy. If they’re playing on soft ground, you can be sure they will return home covered in mud stains after sliding around the pitch!

• Firm ground

Football boots with moulded rubber studs on the soles are specifically designed for hard pitches. Boots with moulded studs tend to have more studs than other football boots, so that they can improve your child’s balance during play. These boots are also good for beginners. Firm ground usually results in a lot of grass stains, so you can expect to find a lot of green stained garments in their wash basket later!

Score with Vanish

If your child is playing outdoors, it’s unlikely that they will ever come off the field with a spotless kit. There’s likely to be rain, a lot of sweat and even more mud!

Whether the stains are caused by skidding after they have scored a goal or simply going down after a tackle, there are no stains too tough for Vanish to handle. So there’s no reason why your child should worry about staining their clothes, since you’ve got Vanish on your side.

Cleaning football boots is easy! If the mud’s fresh, simply hose off with water. If the mud has dried, carefully use something sharp to remove any chunks, ensuring that the chunks are out of the reach of small children and pets. Finish cleaning by wiping with a damp cloth.

To get out grass, mud and dirt stains on shirts and shorts, use Vanish Gold Oxi Action Powder. Mix one scoop of powder to 4 litres of warm water and leave their shirt and shorts to soak for an hour. To ensure all of the stains are removed, wash the clothes as usual with an additional scoop of powder.

To tackle tougher stains caused by sweat, try Vanish Gold Oxi Action Gel. First, fill the dosing pod with 20ml of the fast-acting gel and rub into the stain using the base of the pod leaving for 10 minutes. Then, soak the stained clothes in 60ml of gel and 4 litre of warm water – leave heavily stained shirts and shorts for up to an hour. When the time’s up, put the garments through the wash with an additional 60ml of Vanish.

So there you have it. No matter what the football pitch throws at your child, Vanish will ensure their kit looks the part all season.