BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL UNIFORM CLEANING GUIDE

Baseball uniforms get destroyed quickly and white pants are the toughest — red clay stains, grass stains, dirt stains, Gatorade, snack bar stuff and sweat can make pants look permanently stained after just one game.

This guide explains how professional clubhouse managers clean baseball uniforms and how parents can use the same methods at home.

Why Baseball Uniforms Are Hard to Clean

Almost all baseball/softball uniforms are made of a polyester or polyester-blend material. No more cotton wool like the old days.

  • polyester fibers trap clay
  • red clay contains iron oxide
  • red clay contains dye
  • sliding forces dirt deep into fabric
  • Grocery store cleaners, even OXY-this and MAX-stain that, are made for everyday wear, not baseball.

How to Remove Red Clay Stains from Baseball Pants

Steps:

  1. Wash uniform in hot water in your machine’s heavy-duty cycle
  2. Use an enzyme and peroxide based detergent. ALL STAR, produced by Clubhouse Clean, is a pro-clubbie favorite.
  3. Remove from washer and inspect for red clay stains

4.      While damp, apply red clay stain remover directly to stains. Professional clubhouse managers use specialized baseball stain removers, such as Clubhouse Clean’s SLIDE OUT 1 and SLIDE OUT 2 (clubhouseclean.com), designed specifically for red clay stains.

  1. Lightly agitate stain if needed, rinse, wring out excess water
  2. Dry as usual.

 

How to Remove Grass and Dirt Stains from Baseball Pants

Grass, dirt, blood and sweat all leave organic stains. The best way to defeat these stains is with an enzyme based cleaner. Enzymes break down organic stains by acting as biological catalysts that target and dismantle specific stain molecules—such as proteins, fats, or starches—into smaller, water-soluble, and non-sticky fragments.

Steps:

  1. Use a pre-wash spray treatment to target organic stains. Clubhouse Clean offers their MEAN GREEN Enzyme Spot Treatment to tackle tough organic stains.
  2. Liberally spray all stains – grass, dirt, blood, red clay, etc. – and let soak for 3-5 minutes. Sometimes folding the uniform over to agitate the stain will aid in breaking down the tougher stains.
  3. Wash in hot water on the washing machine’s heavy-duty cycle using enzyme and peroxide based detergent

How to Wash White Baseball Pants

Tips:

  •  Always pre-treat stains with an enzyme-based spot cleaner (Mean Green by Clubhouse Clean)
  • Wash uniforms in HOT on longest cycle with like fabrics (polyester or poly-blend)
  • Avoid bleach
  • Use enzyme and peroxide based detergent (ALL STAR by Clubhouse Clean)
  • After wash, Use a professional red clay remover (SLIDE OUT by Clubhouse Clean) as directed.
  • Dry as usual

 How MLB Clubhouse Managers Clean Uniforms

Pro clubhouses use systems including enzyme spot treatments, professional red clay remover, enzyme and peroxide based detergents and specialized cleaners for specific stains like pine tar, turf, and red hot ointment.

Many professional and minor league teams use Clubhouse Clean uniform cleaning products as the Company solely engineers and formulates cleaning and detergent products for the game of baseball. The only main differences between the pro systems and retail versions are the quantities which they use and the sophisticated commercial washers and dryers that utilize automated dispensing systems and power washers.

The Most Common Baseball Uniform Stains

  • red clay
  • grass stains
  • pine tar
  • dirt and sliding marks
  • turf stains caused by the plastic and rubber pellets
  • sweat discoloration
  • Red Hot muscle ointment
  • Blood

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you remove red clay stains from baseball pants?

Wash with enzyme and peroxide based detergent and use a targeted red clay remover designed to eliminate iron oxide and dye. SLIDE OUT by Clubhouse Clean is the best on the market.

Can you bleach baseball pants?

Bleach can damage polyester and often makes clay stains worse. Additionally, it will fade colors and piping.

Why do baseball pants turn orange?

Red clay contains iron oxide and dye that bonds to fabric fibers.

Final Tips for Keeping Baseball Uniforms White All Season

Short bullet list:

  • Pre-treat with enzyme-based spot cleaner
  • Wash in HOT water in the machine’s heavy-duty cycle
  • Always use an enzyme and peroxide-based detergent (ALL STAR)
  • Use cleaners specifically designed for baseball uniform stains

Clubhouse Clean offers:

              SLIDE OUT for red clay

              MEAN GREEN for dirt, grass, blood, sweat and other organic stains

              BOLT – Pine Tar remover

              BAM – Turf stain remover