A popular Instagrammer is showing the world how to save those bathing suits that have been destroyed by sunscreen.
Some people go as far as getting rid of stained clothing, including bathing suits, after they appear to have what they believe to be irreparable stains.
This hack may end up salvaging lots of swimwear.
The scoop
Nicole Jaques (itsnicolejaques), who boasts nearly half a million followers and provides viewers with "daily mantras and positivity in stories," tells us that "your swimsuits will look good as new" with this hack.
The Reel begins with Jaques telling us not to panic when we get titanium dioxide or zinc oxide on our bathing suits.
Jaques instructs viewers to mix baking soda and dish soap into a paste, "Let it set on the stain and then wash it as normal … It will pull out all of that white cast."
According to the narrator, letting the bathing suit set for one hour after having applied the paste will get rid of the stain. "Your swimsuits will look good as new!" Jaques added in the post's caption.
How it's helping
Buying new clothes can be expensive, so ruining a swimsuit with a big sunscreen spot can end up costing you a pretty penny. Being able to get stains out of clothes like this will save you a lot of cash in the long run.
Plus, the production of clothing has a huge effect on the environment, in large part because it requires lots of energy and water.
For some perspective, 20% of all wastewater is the product of the clothing industry, which contributes up to 8% of the planet-warming carbon pollution released each year by human industrial activities.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), about 85% of U.S. textile waste, including swimwear, ends up in landfills or is incinerated, which also releases excessive amounts of toxic planet-heating pollutants into our atmosphere.
In fact, over 100 million tons of textile waste gets sent to landfills each year, according to Earth.org.
Hacks like this swimsuit-saving solution can definitely help the environment because instead of buying new bathing suits, which requires more production, we can hold onto the ones we already have, which also prevents them from ending up in landfills or getting torched.
What everyone's saying
One commenter admitted how they "love using baking soda to remove stains! Thanks for this."
Another asked if this works "on normal sunscreen stains too?" Adding, "I get yellowish stains from my chemical sunscreen, especially around the neck on white tops."
Another viewer chimed in by expressing how they "use big hats, shade umbrellas, and many varieties of cotton long sleeved shirts from thrift stores because laundry is the least of my worries. All that stuff goes into the water (you know, other animals) and ur skin."
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