The Rigours of Rugby

Rugby is the ultimate winter sport. From fast paced running, to tough tackles and ball handling, few sports are as tough on people, and on clothing, as Rugby is. So, when you’re lumped with a wash including a post-practice kit, it’s better to know what you’re signing up for. In this article, we’ve gone through the most typical stains we’ve seen on Rugby kits to give you the lowdown on the best ways to tackle the stains this sport causes.

Mud Stains

Anyone playing Rugby is bound to receive a tackle or two, and getting a bit of mud on your kit is all part of the fun. Since a lot of the game requires diving on the ball, or bringing people to the ground, it’s natural that kits are going to be covered in as much mud as is possible to get on to one set of clothes. Fortunately, mud is no match for Vanish! Here are some things to think about when dealing with mud stains:

• Believe it or not, it’s much easier to clean dried mud than when it’s still wet. Mud smears and spreads when it is still wet, but you can break it off when it’s dry. Then rinse when it has come off!

Sweat Stains

Even in the cold, Rugby is a sweaty sport. For forwards (those who get in the scrum) all that pushing can make for hard work. As for the backs, sprinting can get the sweat glands going. As such, sweat is pretty pervasive on thicker kits, and especially on socks! Here’s the trick with sweat stains:

• Sweat stains are best removed with a good soak in Vanish Oxi Action Gel. Soak for an hour in 60ml of the gel in 4L of warm water. Then, wash to remove the stain.
• Soaking is the best way to remove sweat stains, so try to do this often with older pieces of clothes, or kits you can’t quite seem to let go of! 

Blood Stains

Since rugby is a very physical sport it’s an unfortunate reality that players can get hurt. Although many injuries tend to range from bruises to sprains, sometimes a player can get cut and bleed. We’ve often seen international players with a cut brow, and perhaps a change of top at half time, so what to do with the kit? Vanish works very well with blood stains, so here’s the lowdown on how to get that kit as clean as the first wear:

• If you don’t have Vanish on hand immediately then running cold and clean water through the stain on both sides will help wash out some of the blood.
• Blotting away the stain with a napkin is also effective.
• With Vanish, soak the item with 1 scoop of Vanish Oxi Action Powder, soaking the item for up to an hour.
• Then, wash as usual with detergent. The stain should be gone and your kit will be as good as new!