The foolproof way to get period stains out of undies.

As much as women like to play it cool and pretend period stains are a thing distant memory of our teenage past, the reality is that they still happen to us fully-grown adult women, all of the bloody time. Pardon the pun.

And sure, it’s a little bit embarrassing, and maybe our lives would be substantially better if we never suffered spills, but we do. Oh God, we do. Okay?

Great.

Now that you’ve accepted this undeniable truth, we can move onto the important stuff, which is dealing with stains said spills leave behind.

Rule #1: cold water is your friend.

When trying to remove almost any stain, period blood included, it’s essential that you use cold water. The reason being, hot water locks in a stain, whereas cold water acts as your less-judgmental friend that’s there for you when you need it and won’t use this horrible moment of you at your lowest point against you at a later date.

If you can tend to your stain fairly quickly, particularly before the blood dries, cold water may be all you need.

Rule #2: standard stain remover products have got your back.

Sometimes it's just not possible to pull your pants off and run them under cold water. You might be at work. Or in a meeting. Or asleep, damn it. But don't worry about it, even a set stain can be removed with some simple stain remover products. If it's a particularly bad stain, mix two parts stain remover powder to one part water to create a paste and spread across the stain. Leave for a couple of hours before putting into the washing machine (make sure the load is set to use cold water).

Your pants should be stain free and ready for rotation again by the following day. 

Rule #3: kitchen and bathroom staples are also here to help.

If, like me, you don't have any stain remover products in your laundry because you still haven't come to terms with the fact that your parents are not coming back and you're officially in charge of your adult life, fear not.

All you need is some Ibuprofen tablets and/or table salt to set your undies straight. Similar to stain remover products, both salt and Ibuprofen (when crushed up) can be made into pastes and spread across the stain. Unlike, stain removers, however, salt and ibuprofen need to be rubbed against the stain for the most effective removal. Think of it as an exfoliant for your fabric. Following said scrub, your dacks are ready for the washing machine.

Rule #4: When it doubt, bleach it out.

For light coloured and white underwear, you're going to have to charge things up a bit and go turbo. Which is where hydrogen peroxide and other bleach products come in. For this method, you will need a bucket or sink filled with cold water, some stained pants and some bleach. If you can, leave to soak overnight and be careful not to spill bleach anywhere else, as it will discolour everything in its wake. Follow the soaking up with a trip in the washing machine.

Rule #5: Air is essential.

Following your pastes, scrubs, soaks and countless tosses around a washing machine, your underwear needs to dry. Sometimes it's not always possible to see if a stain has fully removed when said underwear is wet, which is why air drying your garments is so important. If a stain is not fully removed and then goes into a dryer, you can consider it dead, set and buried forevermore. If you air dry, though, your pants still stand a chance and a second attempt at stain removal may prove to be more successful.

Listen: period undies are your best friend. Post continues... 

 Rule #6: None of this is a big deal.

To have your period is to know that things in life don't always go to plan. Sometimes it comes early, sometimes it comes late, and sometimes it comes on so strong you have an accident and find yourself reading a post on the internet about how to get period stains out of your undies.

But seriously, don't worry about it. None of this is a big deal.

How do you get stains out?