The many stains of Autumn

You know it’s autumn when the leaves steadily change their colour from green to yellow, and from orange to deep red – and it feels like one of the most magical times of the year.

Nothing beats walking through the park or woodland, hearing crisp leaves crunching underfoot, before returning home to enjoy comfort food and a lazy afternoon by the fireplace or watching your favourite romcom on the TV.

Whether it’s from working up a sweat with our pick of the best autumnal activities or cooking up a storm in the kitchen with our favourite hearty recipes, you are bound to get some clothes stains along the way. Thanks to the range of products from Vanish, you don’t have to worry about stain removal in this wonderful season.

• Fruit picking
  The perfect way for the whole family to spend an afternoon together is by picking fruit. With a wide range of fruits at their most ripe in September and October, autumn is the ideal time of year to go scouting out for fresh fruit from parks and even in your own back garden. Many can be found growing naturally in hedgerows and waste patches so you can pick and eat the fruit to your heart’s content. You can be certain that there will be some vivid stains to tackle when you get home.
• Puddle jumping
  A popular favourite amongst the children is puddle jumping. Armed with wellies and waterproof bootsand jackets, there’s nothing better than getting down and dirty in the great outdoors. Puddle jumping is simple, all they need is a pair of wellies and plenty of puddles! Watch their delight as they jump and stomp the afternoon away. With every splash, you’ll see a new stain appear, but just enjoy the fun for now and let Vanish do the hard work for you when you get home.
• Fallen leaves
  There’s a lot you can do with fallen leaves – from throwing and kicking to playing hide and seek. If they end up scurrying and crawling around the piles of leaves, expect to see some grass and mud stains on their clothes when you get home.

When autumn hits, colder weather follows. Warming you from the inside out, try one of these three delicious comfort treats that you can make with your children, while having some fun in the kitchen too. As with all kitchen adventures, reach for Vanish afterwards to take care of any of those inevitable stains:

Comforting and delicious, a vegetable hotpot is the perfect dish for Autumn, and it’s healthy too!

A vegetable hot pot is a great way to use up any spare vegetables in the cupboard. Some vegetables to consider using are celery, onion, garlic, turnip, carrots, parsnips and potatoes; although you really can add anything. You will also need 500ml of vegetable stock.

Start by placing the onion and celery in a saucepan along with 250ml of vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Next, add the remaining stock and vegetables to the saucepan and simmer until the vegetables are tender (approx. 25 minutes).

Garnish with any additional seasoning you like, and serve immediately. The rich aroma around the house will have everyone longing for dinner. As with any hotpot, there are bound to be some splash stains.

To make the crumbly topping for your pudding, mix 120g plain flour with 60g caster sugar and use your fingertips to combine with 60g unsalted butter. Once the mixture resembles breadcrumbs sprinkle onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes at 190°C.

To make the delicious berry compote filling start by melting 30g unsalted butter with 30g demerara sugar in a saucepan. While your caramel is taking shape peel, core and cut 300g apples and add them to your saucepan before covering.

After three minutes add 115g blackberries and ¼tsp ground cinnamon before cooking for another three minutes. Just before serving add your compote to an ovenproof dish, top with the crumble mix and reheat for 5 - 10 minutes.

This is one the children will really want to get stuck into! To make cookies, cream 225g of butter with 110g of caster sugar in a bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy. Sift the flour into the mixture and add 75g of chocolate chips. For extra flavor add one tsp of cinnamon. Bring the mixture together until it forms a dough.

Ask the children to make small balls of the dough and place them on the baking tray. Once they are ready to go, pop them in a preheated oven at 170oC.

Let them cool and serve with a glass of milk - doughy treats the whole family can enjoy!

Whether they have been jumping in the mud or have covered themselves in flour or vegetable stock, autumn stains on your children’s clothes need to be treated as soon as possible.

To treat food stains, mix 1/4 scoop of Vanish Gold Oxi Action Powder with 3/4 scoop of warm water. Rub in the mixture to the front and back of your stain then to ensure all traces of the stain are removed, add an additional scoop of powder, and wash as normal.

For grass and dirt stains, fill the Vanish dosing pod with 20ml of the fast-acting Vanish Gold Oxi Action Gel and rub it onto the stain using the base of the pod. After 10 minutes, wash as normal with 60ml of gel along with your usual detergent.

No matter what you choose to do for fun this autumn, if you have Vanish you don’t need to worry about the stains.