If you play pool often enough, chances are you’re going to get chalk on your clothes. It’s a fact of pool. But, most of the time, getting the stain out isn’t difficult.
If the article of clothing very important to you, you should take it to a cleaner to have the stain professionally removed. Otherwise, you can apply a laundry stain remover and wash as you normally would.
For the most part, it doesn’t take any extra steps to remove chalk from your clothes, but there are certain circumstances where it could become more difficult. In this article, we’ll discuss how to remove pool chalk from your clothes as well as what you can do in the moment to lessen their appearance.
How to Remove Pool Chalk From Clothes
Most of the time, running the chalk-stained item through the washing machine as your normally would is enough to remove the chalk completely with no sign of staining. However, how well this work s will depend on:
- The material of the clothing
- The color and darkness of the clothing
- How long the stain set
- Whether the stain got rubbed in or not
- The color of the chalk
Because of these different variables, we recommend using a laundry stain remover before putting the item in the laundry. It might be overkill, but it will give you the best outcome.
If you can still see the stain, you can try taking the piece of clothing to a dry cleaner. They may have better luck.
If you’re worried about the chalk on your table, we have the complete guide on removing chalk stains from table felt.
What If It’s Your Favorite Shirt?
There are no guarantees that this method will get all the chalk out without any sign of a stain. This is why we don’t recommend it for any piece of clothing that you love or that is expensive.
Instead, have the shirt dry cleaned and be sure to point out the stain’s location so that the cleaners can give it extra attention.
Don’t try to get the stain out by normal laundering first, as this can make it harder for the cleaners to get it out later.
How to Handle Chalk Marks on Your Clothes When Your Out
If you’re on a date (and pool makes a great first date) or you just want a stain-free look for the rest of the evening, there are some things you can try to make the stainless noticeable. Let’s take a look at them.
- Layer up: If this is important to you, then we recommend a layered look. After you play some pool, you can take off or add on a layer to hide any issues you had with chalk.
- Remove loose chalk with a lint brush: A lint brush won’t make the stain go away completely, but it may help remove any loose chalk and make it less noticeable. Tape can be helpful with this in a pinch.
- Tide Pen: Tide pens are good at removing all kinds of stains from all sorts of fabrics. Give it a shot, but the first test an inconspicuous place on the item in case it doesn’t react well with it.
- Bring a spare shirt: Keep a shirt in the back of your car, just in case. You can always swap it out after you’re done playing pool.
- Wear darker clothes: Dark-colored fabrics will not show chalk marks as much as light-colored fabrics. It also won’t stain as easily.
- Embrace the look: You could always just give in to the edgy pool player look and roll with the chalk stain. The people who matter won’t care.
Any of these suggestions should help you maintain your look well into the night, even when you are playing pool.
Playing Pool Can Get Messy
Playing pool is messier than you might expect. Before going out to your local pool hall, be prepared for chalk marks in whatever way works for you, and when you get home, find your stain remover and get to work on the laundry.