This is the time of year I start finding tubes of chapstick everywhere…on my night table, in my car, in my purse, and in my pockets.  Inevitably, a tube will end up in my washing machine.

mmmm...almond swirl smells like macaroons

The good news is it isn’t so hard to remove the resulting stains.  Lip balm is mainly composed of oils and will leave grease stains on clothing.  The best home remedy we’ve found for grease is Dawn dish detergent.

Using your fingers rub a bit of Dawn into both sides of the stain.  If you have an old tooth brush handy gently work the detergent into the fabric.  Let this sit 30  minutes or so then rinse and wash as normal.  Repeat if necessary.

As a side note… Dawn is gentle enough to use with all of your handwashables.  They recommend using about a teaspoon of Ultra per gallon of water (you’d need a little more of the regular strength).  Let your clothing soak for about 5 minutes, rinse with cold water, then let dry.