With Summer months stretching ahead of us, everyone is slathering on the SPF. Protection from the sun's rays is critical, but what about protecting your poor house? Greased up occupants can leave their mark everywhere. Here are a few tips for preventing and cleaning up sunblock messes.
Prevention: Establish a place for applying sunblock that's far away from furniture and walls. Take it outside to a deck or yard if that's an option, otherwise head into the bathroom. Give freshly applied sunblock a chance to absorb before getting dressed. Ideally you're applying sunblock right before heading outside, but if you find yourself indoors, try to keep kids off of upholstered furniture until they are completely dry.
Cleaning Up: You'll need a degreasing solution to cut through sunblock smears on walls. Some effective strategies include a wet rag with dish soap, commercial degreasers, or a 10:1 vinegar and water solution. For fabrics, scrape off any excess sunblock before treating with an enzyme cleaner and air drying. Remove sunblock from natural stone surfaces with a soft-bristled brush and a solution of washing soda and water.
When sunblock finds its way onto leather or suede, do not use water, which will cause the stain to spread. There are special degreasers formulated for leather, and a great home solution for suede is cornstarch. Apply liberally to the stain and let it sit for 10 minutes, then brush it off of the surface. Repeat as needed, then lightly brush the suede with vinegar to remove any remaining residue.
If you get sunscreen on wood floors, use a vinegar and water solution to degrease. Spray sunblock can leave a sticky film on tile floors that's impervious to water. Try vinegar first, and if that doesn't cut through then go to ammonia.
Physical blocks are always going to be greener and safer than chemical blocks, but they aren't exactly tidy. Look for a brand that meets your criteria with minimal mess and stick with it. Check out the Environmental Working Group's Database, which has been updated for 2012.
(Image: Shuttertock)
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i've never managed to have this problem. O_o ????
Is this really a thing? I mean, I'm a redhead with two very fair babies, so sunblock is a constant in our house. Never had this problem.
Southern people problems?
We use sunblock, but in all my life have I never heard this to be an issue. My mom was a neat freak too.
I never had this problem until one of my children got a hold of a can of sunscreen spray. It removed the finish on a coffee table (dark, dark wood stain that now looks like bleached areas) and it stripped the finish on a metal table top. Honest! I'd post pictures if I could.
I wasn't alarmed at the damage on the pieces, I was ALARMED by the fact that I spray this stuff on my kids and myself all the time --- and it managed to strip furniture.
good point Stile!!! we usually use california baby sunscreen on our daughter but occasionally use spray stuff when we're out of that. no more!
anyway, my husband has a bad habit of using the spray stuff in the kitchen and it makes the floor super slippery and is indeed a bit more difficult to clean up (won't just wipe up with a wet/damp rag). I make him spray it outside (not in the already-slick carport, but in the grass) and that eliminates the problem.
This has been an issue in our house. I use Green Screen on my 4 year old son because it's the safest sunscreen you can find (zinc oxide non-nano particles) but it can be very greasy. I have found all of the safest sunscreens to be very thick and greasy. I put this on my son every morning as we live in MN and it's that time of year when we need to lather up. If he wants to sit on the furniture after it's first applied I lay down a blanket so he doesn't get the couch greasy. Unfortunately, this stuff feels a bit greasy all day long. Looks like the little guy will be sitting on blankets a lot this summer and having a nightly bath as well.
This is a FANTASTIC post. I never would have considered it an issue until a few years ago when my continuously-slathered-with-SPF-50+ MIL got into our brand new Volvo and promptly smeared white, sticky sunscreen all over the dark brown leather seats! It was a nightmare to get out and there was really nothing out there on the web that I could find at the time to point me in the right direction.
Thanks for the tips for all types of surfaces.
Just get the spray on kind?
This is more of a problem with mineral sunblock than regular. But yes! The issue really does exist! :) Since mineral sunblocks sit on top of your skin as a physical barrier, it does end up on other things if your kids rub up against something. I mostly find it in the car and on the kitchen chairs since that's where we usually apply it. It's pretty easy to clean up though.