If you come too close to a fireplace or barbecue grill don’t be surprised if there will be black stains on you, including your clothes. If you don’t know what that is, that is called soot. If you want to remove it, you need to learn how to get soot out of your clothes ASAP!
What Is Soot?
There’s a whole lot of chemistry involved in the formation of soot. It’s a byproduct of fossil fuels, specifically when you burn them. During the process of burning fossil fuels, hydrocarbon fuels combust. Various chemical changes happen before it becomes what we now know as soot.
One of the main sources of soot is burning coal. However, soot does not only come from this. If the following materials burn, they will produce soot as well:
- Diesel
- Kerosene
- Natural Gas
- Oil
- Wood
Soot is considered a pollutant. Exposure to it, especially at a high volume, is not good for your health. Due to the size of the soot particles, they can enter the body in many different ways.
It can trigger certain conditions including those related to breathing problems. Prolonged exposure can also lead to the development of cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
Apart from being dangerous to humans, soot is also bad for the environment. It is considered an air pollutant. It has been a major contributor to climate change due to its emissions.
There’s a whole lot of chemistry involved in the formation of soot. It’s a byproduct of fossil fuels, specifically when you burn them. During the process of burning fossil fuels, hydrocarbon fuels combust. Various chemical changes happen before it becomes what we now know as soot.
If you are exposed to any of this while they are burning, don’t be surprised if you get soot all over you. If you are anywhere near a coal-powered plant, a factory, or a fire, trust that you would find soot there.
If you are sitting near the fireplace or a candle, you and your clothes are not safe from soot stains at all! When cooking using a gas-powered stove, you are also not free from soot exposure.
How To Get Soot Out?
If any of your belongings are exposed to fire, there will be a black substance all over them. If you are wondering what that is, that is soot. If your clothes have soot all over them, don’t worry.
Soot stains are not permanent. There are a couple of things you can do to remove it as soon as possible. If you want to know what these are, then sit back and learn from these:
Remove STAT!
You should remove soot stains as fast as you can. While soot stains are not impossible to remove, it’s better to get rid of them as soon as you spot them.
If you just leave it, it might be difficult to remove in the future. If that’s the case, you are just making it harder for yourself. If you don’t want to go through any trouble, just remove it quickly!
Shake It Off
One of the very things you should do when you see soot-stained clothes is brush it off. With just a couple of flicks of your hand, you might be able to remove soot from your clothing. When brushing soot off, don’t do it too hard. Just do it with the right amount of pressure.
If you are removing soot from your clothes, it’s best to do it outside. If you do it indoors, the soot stain might transfer to other objects such as other pieces of clothing. It could move to your wall, upholstrery, and other household items.
If you have managed to remove the stain by just shaking it off, then you can go ahead and wash the clothes as you usually do.
Use Your Vacuum
Your vacuum cleaner is not only there to get rid of dust and dirt inside your home. It can also help you in removing soot. Before you try using the vacuum cleaner to get rid of soot from your clothes, drop some talcum powder and rub it on the stained area.
Once that’s done, attach the nozzle to your vacuum cleaner. When you are ready, turn the vacuum on. The machine would suck the stain out of the clothes.
If you got the stain out, pat yourself in the bag! Throw the clothes in the washing machine and wash it as instructed.
Run It Under Water
One of the things you can do to remove soot stains is to run the clothing under cool water. Before you do this, make sure you turn the clothing inside out.
While the cool water runs through the fabric, make sure you don’t rub it or anything like that. If you keep touching it, you risk transferring the stain to other parts of the clothing. It’s better to just let the water do its thing. It’s safer and the right thing to do!
Trust Baking Soda
If there’s a stain remover out there that you should always have at home, it’s baking soda. It’s always good to have this ready. You never know when you need it!
If you are dealing with stubborn soot stains, you can use baking soda to help remove them. Using this is very simple. All you have to do is pepper baking soda on the stained area.
Let the baking soda sit for about 30 minutes. After soaking the stain in baking soda, you can just shake or brush the baking soda off. The baking soda would help loosen the grip of the soot on the fabric. When you shake it off, the soot comes off as well.
Soak Overnight
If the soot stain is stressing you out, you might want to try soaking your clothes overnight. All you need is warm water, laundry detergent, a bucket, or a basin.
The first thing you should do is fill the bucket or basin with warm water. You can then add your laundry detergent of choice. If you are soaking colored clothing, make sure that the detergent you will be using does not contain bleach, or else it will bleed.
When the basin or bucket is ready, go ahead and soak the piece of clothing in question. Before soaking, make sure you have tried removing soot. You can leave the clothing for at least six hours. For best results, you can leave it overnight.
High Temperature Washing
Here’s your chance to use your washing machine to get rid of stains! Before resorting to this method, make sure you have removed as much soot as you can from your clothing.
If you want to get rid of the soot stain, you set the washing machine to its highest possible temperature. The hot water and the washing mechanism would get rid of the soot stain in no time.
It also helps to use a reliable laundry detergent. If you need to use bleach, then go ahead. However, it’s better to opt for color-safe bleach to avoid any mishaps.
Dry Clean Only
There are some fabrics that you can’t wash with water. So when they get stained, you might want to take them to the Dry Cleaners. It is what you should do if you are dealing with a Dry Clean only fabric stained with soot.
While there are several ways to remove soot from normal fabrics, you can’t do that with Dry Clean ones. If you don’t want to risk damaging your clothes, you better take them to a professional.
If you think you would be exposed to something involving fire or soot, it’s better to wear something else, so you won’t have to deal with this problem after. Remember that sometimes prevention is better than cure! And where there’s smoke, there’s soot!
Soot With Smoke
There are some instances when the soot stain is accompanied by the overwhelming smell of smoke. If this happens, getting soot out is not enough. If you want to salvage your clothes, you need to get rid of both.
For example, if there are clothes saved from a fire, you can still figure out a way to save them. You just need to be patient because it’s going to take some time.
As always, it’s best to start with brushing the stains off before doing anything else. For the more stubborn stains, you can always use the baking soda and water soaking method. You need to get rid of the soot on all these clothes as much as you can.
If you are going to start washing the clothes in the washing machine, combine some baking soda and laundry detergent. If you are going to hand wash the clothes, you can still use both.
Where There’s Smoke, There’s Soot!
If you know the basics of how to get soot out of clothes, removing them would be just like a walk in the park. They are not as difficult as you think.
And if ever some soot stains are harder to remove than others, you can always seek the help of a professional laundry master!
Jessica Oliver is a fashion enthusiast with more than ten years of experience in the industry. She previously managed her own clothing store in New York before becoming a mother of three. With a passion for sustainability and a desire to share clothing care and recycling tips.