Removing Mud and Soil Stains from Clothes

Why you should NOT rush

With most stains, the rule is to be quick and to work wet. Mud and soil are the opposite. Mud is tiny soil particles – clay, minerals and humus – held together by water. Rub wet mud and you grind the particles further between the threads, making the stain both bigger and harder to shift. Let it dry completely, though, and most of it turns into a dry, brittle crust that lets go almost by itself. So you remove the bulk mechanically and dry, before a single drop of water touches it.

Let it dry, then brush it off

You do the first half of the job with no water at all.

1. Let the stain dry completely – overnight is ideal. Resist the urge to rinse it while it is wet.
2. Brush or scrape off the dry layer with a clothes brush or a blunt spoon, working from the edges inwards.
3. Knock or vacuum out the rest of the loose particles, especially if the fabric has texture or is knitted.
4. Pat the garment lightly – if loose soil remains, get it out now, before you add any moisture.

Treat what is left behind

Once the dry matter is gone, you are often left with a fainter brownish shadow from humus and plant colour. That one you take on wet.

1. Rub a little liquid detergent or a pre-treatment straight onto the shadow, and let it work for a few minutes.
2. Rinse from the back, pushing the colour out of the fabric rather than deeper in.
3. Wash at the warmest temperature the fabric tolerates according to the care label.
4. Check the stain is fully gone before drying – no tumble drying until it is, as heat sets whatever remains.

Clay and red soil are worse

Not all soil is the same. Clay-rich, iron-rich soil – the reddish-brown kind familiar from football pitches and trails – clings harder and can leave an ochre or rust-like tint even after the particles are brushed away. This discolouration behaves more like a rust stain than ordinary dirt and does not take kindly to hard rubbing. If it stays, don't force it out yourself on a garment you care about.

Send the garment to us

If the mud is in a shell jacket, a down garment, suit trousers or a delicate fabric – or a clay stain has left a tint you can't shift – you can send the garment to us wherever you are in Norway. Professional cleaning treats the stain according to the fabric and its care label, and if the garment also needs repair or re-proofing, we can do it in the same round. You describe the stain when you order, and you see the price before you order.

Frequently asked questions