How do I Clean my Cricket Whites?

Cricket whites are traditionally, well, white. There are many theories on why this is, but there are two that seem the most plausible. The first one is that white clothing reflects sunlight and doesn’t absorb as much heat as black or dark-coloured clothing does. The second one is simple: it’s tradition!

To keep your Kookaburra clothing clean, please follow the instructions on the tags of the garment.

Although cricketers can now wear colourful kits instead of the standard white and cream, if you have a junior cricketer in your house, chances are he or she has a pair of whites. And if he or she likes to play cricket on a regular basis, chances are those whites are more like cricket way off-whites. Here are a few tips on how to remove mud and grass stains from cricket clothing and have them looking good-as-new.
 

For Grass Stains

• Pre-treat stains with a paste made from mixing laundry detergent with a little bit of water. Apply directly to the stains and wash in hot water.

• Dab stains with methylated spirits. Rubbing alcohol can substitute for metho if you have that handy. This method also works with cricket ball stains.

• Mix a little white vinegar/lemon juice and water and dab the mixture on the stain, making sure to soak it all the way through. Leave on for a few minutes then wash as you normally would.
 

For Mud Stains

• If the mud stain is fresh, give it some time to dry. If you try to remove mud while it’s wet, it will spread out all over the fabric and make matters worse. Once it’s dry, chip the dried mud off with a spoon or your fingers. Make sure you use a light hand. Brush off remaining mud fragments with an old toothbrush. Soak the fabric in water mixed with liquid detergent and wash by hand. Rinse, and pop into the washing machine.
 

Additional Information

After the whites have been washed, don’t use a dryer: line-dry them in the sun. The sunlight will whiten the fabric and help to naturally bleach out stains.

Before you try any of these stain-removal tips out, though, keep in mind that the kind of stain removal processes required may differ depending on the type of fabric or stain. If you’re unsure, try testing the stain removal product on a hidden part of the fabric before proceeding with applying it onto the actual stain.

If you have very little experience in removing stains from clothes, or if you’ve evaluated the damage and concluded that the stains are too many to remove, you may want to take your child’s cricket clothes to a professional dry cleaner.