Sun cream is greasy and often leaves an oily, sometimes yellowish mark — the oils and minerals in it cling to fibres. Treat it like a grease stain: absorb first, then degrease.
Scrape up the excess cream with a spoon and blot — don't rub it in. Then reach for an absorbent powder before any water.
- Bicarbonate of soda or cornflour
- Washing-up liquid
- Clean white cloths
- Warm water
Step by step (carpet)
- Lift the excess with a spoon, then cover with bicarbonate of soda to absorb the oils; leave, then vacuum.
- Degrease with a squirt of washing-up liquid in a little warm water; dab and blot.
- Blot gently, swapping to a clean cloth as the grease lifts.
- Rinse with a clean damp cloth and press dry.
- Repeat the powder step for a stubborn oily shadow.
Some sun creams leave a faint yellow tint from the minerals — the degreasing step usually lifts it, but it can take a couple of rounds.
By surface
🛋️ Sofas & upholstery
Check the cushion's cleaning code first: W or W/S means the method above is fine used sparingly; S means solvent-clean only, so leave that to a professional. Use less water than on carpet and blot, don't soak.
🧶 Wool & delicate rugs
Use cool water and a gentle touch — wool can ‘brown’ if over-wet and some rug dyes run. Test a hidden corner first, and for an antique, hand-knotted or silk rug, don't gamble — leave it to us.
🛏️ Mattresses
You can't rinse a mattress, so go light: blot, treat sparingly, then use bicarbonate of soda to absorb the rest. Never soak it — trapped moisture leads to mould and smells.
✅ Do
- Absorb with powder first
- Use a degreasing washing-up liquid
- Blot from the outside in
- Test on a hidden patch first
🚫 Don't
- Add water before absorbing the oil
- Rub it in
- Use bleach
- Leave soap residue behind
Tried it and the sun cream mark is still there — or it's a wool rug, a mattress or something you'd hate to ruin? Don't keep scrubbing; that's how a stain turns permanent. We can often draw out what's left with professional hot-water extraction, and we'll tell you honestly what we expect to get up before we start. Watford family business, 25 years, fully insured — the quote's free.
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