Laundry Remedy For ChapStick Melted In The Dryer

Lip balms, like ChapStick, contain mixtures of wax and oils to create the soothing salve for your lips. The balms conveniently come in handy little sticks that fit neatly inside a purse or pocket. It's not so convenient, though, when you leave them in your pants pocket and they go through the washer and dryer. When this happens, you have stains on anything that you washed with the pants. Once stains go through the drying process, stains are at best difficult to remove. Combine a wax and oil laundry remedy for ChapStick melted in the dryer.

Treating stains as soon as you find them will help in their removal. The longer a stain sits, the harder it will be to get out of the garments. When the clothes obtain the stain during the drying cycle, they tend to set in the fabric. Once this happens, you might need to try more than one laundry remedy to remove the residue. And some post-dryer stains might not come out at all.

First, scrape off dried particles of melted ChapStick. Use a plastic edge, such as a plastic putty knife, to scrape the dried wax from the top of the fabric — the plastic will protect the fabric from tearing. Pour a dry cleaning enzyme pre-soak liquid, or a liquid dishwashing soap specifically formulated to remove grease, directly onto the stain. Let the stain soak for up to 10 minutes.

Place white paper towels on a flat surface and place the fabric with the stain face-down on the towels. Rub the back of the fabric into the stain with a sponge soaked with white vinegar. This transfers the ChapStick stain from the fabric to the towels. Place a clean white rag over the back of the stain and press an iron on its coolest setting to the stain. Leave it there for several seconds, then check the stain. Repeat the process three to four times until you no longer see the stain. Once the stain no longer appears on the fabric or is barely visible, wash the fabric in the washing machine at the hottest temperature safe for the fabric. Use chlorine bleach on white fabrics and color-safe bleach on colored fabrics.

Prevent further stains by removing the melted ChapStick from inside the dryer. Dampen an old washcloth or rag and heat it in the dryer for five to 10 minutes. This will soften the melted wax stuck on the sides of the drum. Soak a cloth in equal parts warm water and white distilled vinegar and press against the softened ChapStick residue. Hold it there for about 30 seconds, then wipe vigorously to remove the waxy substance. Run the dryer with rags in it before drying nice clothes or towels to ensure all the melted ChapStick is cleared from the dryer.