A day of sunning yourself on the beach and splashing around in the water is idyllic. What’s less than idyllic is when you can’t seem to get rid of the sand relentlessly sticking to every inch of your clothing- towels included. Hopefully, these tips will help when it comes to the tiresome task of removing sand from your clothing.

• Start from the top
• De-sand your items
• Bag your items
• Wash away the sand
• Clean up any lingering sand

Start from the top

Sand seems to find its way into every single space it can stick itself to. To begin the removal process, start from the very top of your body, and work your way down. If you are at a beach with access to showers, make use of them. The quickest way to get rid of sand is by washing it away. If there are no showers, simply begin by shaking out your hair, and rubbing as much sand away from your body and swimsuit as possible. To get rid of the sand on your feet, try adding baby powder once they are dry. This will prevent you from picking up any more sand as you make your way home. 

De-sand your items

Before putting your beach towels, flip flops, and any other items you have taken to the beach, back in your bag, give them a really good shake. Sand belongs on the beach, not in your personal belongings, so make sure to de-sand ALL of your items before heading home. If you miss this step you will be finding sand grains for days, maybe even weeks, after your beach trip. To help remove sand from smaller items, such as sun lotion or water bottles, use baby wipes. The moisture from the wipe will easily pick up the sand and remove it from your belongings. 

Bag your items

Some items are harder to get sand off than others. For example, if your swimming attire is wet, sand will easily stick to it, and not so easily come off. For these items, it’s best to simply bag them up and deal with them when you get home. Make sure that you bring an ample amount of bags to the beach with you, as, if your clothing is particularly sandy, you may need to double bag. Securely tie your bags so that no sand can escape before you get home. 

Wash away the sand

For your bagged items, it’s important to wash them as soon as you get in. 

To wash your beach towels, use a hot wash setting unless stated otherwise, and dry either in a tumble dryer or by air drying. Once you have used the washing machine to wash your towels, run an empty wash. This will prevent sand from being transferred onto any clothes you wash in the future. 

When washing your swimsuit, it’s important to avoid using the washing machine as this will stretch the material and damage the item. Instead, fill a basin with lukewarm water and add a mild laundry detergent. Place your swimsuit in the water, and leave it to soak for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, swirl your swimming costume in the water, before lifting and rinsing it with cool water. After you have rinsed your swimming costume, leave it to air dry, rather than using the tumble dryer. 

If you have any other items, such as umbrellas or windbreakers, you can wash the sand from them using a hose. It’s important to wash all your items once you get home, unless you want sand to linger in your house.

Clean up any lingering sand

Sand is pesky and can linger for weeks after your beach trip. The best way to clean up lingering sand is by hoovering and mopping it up. Use a hoover to suck up small grains of sand, and go over the area with a mop to make sure that there are no remaining grains. It’s best to do this step last to prevent yourself from constantly having to hoover and mop after de-sanding each item you took to the beach. 

Whilst you’re de-sanding, don’t let your laundry pile up. Book a Laundryheap dry cleaning service, and we will take care of your laundry for you. To book your laundry service, simply head to the Laundryheap website, or download the free Laundryheap app.