Tips To Clean The ‘Colourful’ Holi Mess 

The joyous festival of colours is almost upon us. As much as we enjoy playing Holi, we cannot avoid the ‘colourful’ mess that’s created during its celebration. The day after the festival is the toughest as getting the bright splotches of colours off the floor, clothes or skin is a back-breaking task. Are you already haunted by the nightmarish thoughts of spending your days, or probably weeks, endlessly scrubbing and washing off those nasty stains? 

Worry no more! We have some super easy yet useful tips that can end your ‘cleaning-woes’ and save you from draining out your time and energy. 

To Remove Stubborn Stains From Clothes 

• Add half cup of white vinegar and one teaspoon of liquid detergent. The acid in vinegar can counteract the chemicals in the colour and pull the colour out of the clothes.
• You can even try using lemon juice. Soak the stained portion in lemon juice for 15 minutes and scrub gently.
• To remove the stains from white clothes,simply soak them in hot water with non-chlorine bleach and wash as usual.

For Cleaning The Stains From Home /Floor /Walls 

• Try to wash the stains from the glass, walls or floor on the same day of the festival. That will prevent the colours from drying up.
• You can use a nylon brush or cotton wrapped in a cloth along with some liquid detergent to scrub the surface without leaving any scratches.
• If the colour from the floor still doesn’t fade use a paste of  baking soda and water and leave it on the stained floor till it dries. Wipe it with a sponge or a damp cloth. Avoid trying this method on the walls as its paint may get chipped off.

For Cleaning The Stains From Face /Body /Hair

• Never use hot water to remove the stains from your skin. It will solidify them further. An hour prior to indulging in colours, apply cold cream on your skin and coconut oil to your hair. This will form a protective layer making it easy to rinse away the colours later.
• Wash your face with a gentle face wash. Make a pack with two tablespoons of calamine powder, few drops of honey and rosewater and leave it on your face till it dries. Wash it off with cold water and apply moisturizer. Using coconut oil on the face before soap also aids in removing the colour.
• To remove Holi colors from your body use a paste of besan with milk or yoghurt, sweet oil, and rose water, and apply it on your skin. Wash it after 5 minutes with a delicate soap and water. Alternatively you can try rubbing lemon wedges on the skin with oil and wheat flour mixture.
• Surprisingly papaya can also help in removing the colors from your face and skin. Make a pack of Papaya and honey and mix it with Multani Mitti. This paste can be used as a scrub for those parts of the body where you’ve got stubborn Holi colours. They may not come off in one go but the paste will lighten the effect. You can use this paste every alternate day till the colours have been completely removed.
• For your hair, applying egg yolk and leaving it for about 45 minutes before using a mild shampoo is a proven method to get rid off the damaging Holi colours. However, if you cringe at the mere idea of using an egg, you can apply a mixture of methi (fenugreek) powder and curd on your hair instead. This is equally effective in protecting your hair from the deleterious effects of chemicals used in those colours.

For Removing The Stains From Shoes /Sneakers 

• Firstly dust off dirt or powdered colour from the shoes/sneakers before putting them in water. Spread little baking soda in a toothbrush and scrub the stains using it. Then prepare a solution by mixing half cup water, a dab of dish soap and one tablespoon ammonia. Dip the brush in the solution and scrub again.
• If the shoes in question are purely white in colour, mix bleach, baking soda and a little detergent in water. Dip a toothbrush and scrub out the stains to clean them shining bright.

Now that you have got all the cleaning tips, be carefree and enjoy this traditional festival of love and joy. Cherish the Holi mess and happily color yourself pink, blue and green. Happy Holi!

Image Credits – Pixabay. Com