How to get mud out of clothes: let it dry, brush, pretreat and wash

Step by step: how to get mud out of clothes

1. 1

   Let the mud dry completely

   Leave muddy clothes flat or hung outside, in a garage or over a tub until the mud is dry and crumbly, usually a few hours. Wiping wet mud smears fine soil deeper into the weave and spreads the stain.

2. 2

   Scrape and brush it off outside

   Knock the garment against a railing, then scrape off clumps with a butter knife and brush the rest out with a stiff brush, working from both sides. Wipe the brush often. A small handheld vacuum also pulls out fine dust. Most of the stain leaves at this stage.

3. 3

   Rinse from the back with cold water

   Hold the stain under cold running water with the wrong side facing the tap so the water pushes soil back out the way it came in. Keep going until the water runs mostly clear.

4. 4

   Rub in liquid detergent

   Cover the stain with heavy-duty liquid detergent and work it in with your fingers or a soft brush for a minute. Leave it 5 to 10 minutes. Do not rinse it off before the wash.

5. 5

   Soak heavy or old stains

   For caked-in mud, kids’ knees and white socks, dissolve oxygen bleach in warm water as the package directs and soak the items for 1 to 6 hours. Weigh them down with a white towel so they stay under.

6. 6

   Wash on the warmest setting the label allows

   Wash with your usual detergent on the warmest temperature the care label lists. Do not overload the drum; muddy clothes need room for the water to flush out grit. Wash very muddy sports gear in its own load.

7. 7

   Check before you dry

   Inspect the stain and smell the garment while it is wet. If you still see a brown shadow or it smells earthy, repeat the detergent and wash steps. Dryer heat can set what is left.

Why you should let mud dry before cleaning it

Let mud dry first because dry soil brushes off as loose particles, while wet mud acts like a paste that you push deeper into the fibers when you wipe it.

OxiClean’s mud stain guide explains that mud is soil, clay and silt bound with water, and that trying to remove it while it is still wet can spread the stain and set it deeper. It recommends waiting until the mud is completely dry, brushing off the surface dirt, spot treating, and washing warm where the label allows, then keeping the item out of the dryer until the stain is gone. Tide gives the same advice: scrape off the dried mud, wash, and repeat before drying if the stain remains, because drying will set it.

Mud on jeans, whites, sports uniforms and shoes

The routine is the same for most clothes; what changes is how long you soak and how warm you wash.

For red clay that leaves an orange stain, our rust stain guide explains which removers are safe on fabric. For muddy sneakers, see how to clean sneakers.

How to get dirt stains and set-in mud out of clothes

Ground-in dirt and stains that already went through the dryer usually need a soak and two washes, but most still come out.

For dirt stains, Tide’s dirt stain method is to scrape off the excess, rinse under cold running water, soak the item in about 1 ounce of liquid detergent per gallon of cold water for up to 5 minutes, then pretreat and wash on the hottest temperature the care label allows, repeating before drying if the stain persists.

For set-in mud, rewet the stain, pretreat with a laundry stain remover spray, and soak in an oxygen bleach solution for several hours before washing again. OxiClean suggests soaking for up to 6 hours for tough stains. Grass often comes with mud on kids’ clothes; if a green mark is left after the mud is gone, follow our grass stain guide.

Mistakes to avoid

• Scrubbing wet mud with a wet cloth, which spreads the stain.
• Throwing caked muddy clothes straight into the washer, which leaves grit on the whole load.
• Drying the garment before checking that the stain is gone.
• Using chlorine bleach on colored uniforms, which can strip the color around the stain.
• Leaving wet, muddy clothes in a hamper, where they start to smell within a day.