Mary asked: I’ve had linens, bed linens and towels in the airing cupboard and now find that where they were folded, are large, brown burn marks. I can boil wash the white towels, but not the coloreds. Is there any way to remove these marks? Thank you for your help.
It may not be possible to remove all burn marks from clothing, depending on what type of fabric is scorched, how old the stain is, and how dark or severe the marks are. Scorch marks in wool, for example, actually burn and shorten the fibers. Dark or brightly colored fabrics are harder to restore than lighter ones, while burn marks aren’t likely to come out of silk at all. In most scenarios, this method will improve the look of the burned clothing but don’t forget to spot test before you begin.
You Will Need:
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Cold water
- Clean white cloth
- Iron
Steps to Remove the Marks:
- If the scorch mark is fresh, soak it immediately in cold water for at least 24 hours. Often, this will remove the marks. If not, continue with the next step.
- Wet the scorch mark with hydrogen peroxide. Remember to spot test first. Peroxide may fade some fabrics and/or colors.
- Wet the clean white cloth with peroxide, then place it over the scorched fabric.
- Iron lightly.
- Repeat, keeping the cloth moist with peroxide, until the stain is gone or until you no longer see improvement.
Additional Tips and Advice
- As an alternative, rinse with white vinegar then water and repeat until the stain is gone (or you no longer see improvement).
- One more trick is to cover the burn mark with lemon juice and lay it out in the sun. This causes a natural bleaching effect, but it may fade fabrics, so spot test first.
- If there are shiny spots on the fabric, which are often caused by ironing, those are actually places where the fabric melted; they are not burns. Unfortunately, melted fabric spots are permanent. See our guide How to Remove Shiny Iron Spots from Polyester for more information.
I have the outline of the iron on a wool jumper, but it is not scorched. How can I deal with this please?
I tried this and it worked fantastically on my white linen trousers which were scorched lightly due to a hot iron, which I did not check as I was visiting and at home, I use a total steam iron so I just forgot about temperature. I am so happy this remedy did the trick.
I burnt my brand new chambray shirt while blow-drying my hair…I’m soaking it now…hopefully it works! 🙂
Just took out a light burn made by a cigarette from a white T-shirt; works good.
I don’t suppose anyone knows if this may work for singed soft denim? I left my new tight stretchy denim jeans too close to the heater drying and they scorched a horrible brown burn mark right across the leg!!!! $250 Lee jeans ruined! I suppose all of these are worth a try as they aren’t wearable like this! Just wondered if heater burn was the same as iron burns, ya know…! Please, someone have a clue?!
Did you get the jeans fixed? I now have a pair of jeans with a burn mark.
Sir, today my socks went on fire on a lightbulb accident, don’t ask how. How do I get rid of it?
Idk,
If the socks were actually on fire then the damage may be too much to repair. However, you can try the methods in the article to see if they can help. Good luck!
Scorched my black silky material dress. It left 4 iron marks quickly on the dress. Can I get this off it? Please help.
Thank You So Much! The stain came out immediately.
What works if the fabric is black?
Connie,
With black fabrics, the best thing to do is test a cleaning solution on a small, hidden spot first. Peroxide and vinegar do not fade all fabrics. Hopefully, even if one isn’t safe, the other will be.
How to remove burn marks made by an iron on my faint-colour top?
Aarti,
The methods in this article should work to remove iron burn marks. Best of luck!
I used an eyebrow bleaching product containing hydrogen peroxide on my white uniform to remove a large brown stain. I was hoping and praying that it would work and it did, thank God. Thanks for the advice!
Hi. Will this also work for black coats?
Vien,
The type of material that the fabric is made of and how bad the burn is can have an impact on the results, however, this method should work on most common fabrics like cotton or polyester.
I was adding iron-on transfers to a while poly-cotton T-shirt and the last one not only scorched the fabric, but made it hard to the touch. Is it repairable with this method? I have it soaking now.
Amazing! This totally worked!
I ironed on a patch to sort a bad rip in some acid wash jeans and the iron left a green-blue scorch mark in the shape of the iron. I immediately soaked it in cold water for 24 hours and used some 3% peroxide and it came out!! THANK YOU!
Hiya, I got a brand new Levis jumper for Christmas and I burnt a circle into it with my hair dryer. The burns look quite dark. Anything I can do? And will any of these fade the material around the burn?
Emilea,
These methods should work on jeans, however, yes, some of them can cause fading of the fabric dyes. Test a small hidden area first, such as an inside seam to be sure a method is safe. If nothing works without fading, you can always either re-dye the jeans later, or just dye them black to cover the stain. Good luck!
I ironed my black silky shirt with the hot cotton temperature setting and it left shiny iron marks, especially at the joints. I soaked it in warm water and that doesn’t work. Please help.
Nasir,
Unfortunately, the shiny marks left by the iron are actually spots where the iron melted the fabric, which are irreversible.
Source: HowToCleanStuff.net – How to Remove Shiny Iron Spots from Polyester
I really pray that the peroxide will work for me. My son washed his white shirts and put them in the dryer and the dryer burned his clothes. I don’t know what to do being that I have no money to get any new shirts for my son, so I am praying for a miracle. Boy oh boy, when it rains it pours.
I need to know if this will work on bed sheets. My bed sheets are brand new.
Tyler,
Yes, these methods should work on bed sheets. Keep in mind though that a cleaning solution should always be tested on a small, hidden spot first to look for any reaction. Some cleaning solutions can cause fading, which would be more noticeable or drastic on new sheets (due to the fresh dyes).
Which strength of peroxide should I use? Would 12% be OK?
My dress blew up against my cigarette; how do I remove the burn mark?
I tried hydrogen peroxide and has worked perfectly for me.
I had just burnt my beautiful new iron board cover, so I put some hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle with some water (I have distilled water, but I guess will work with normal water too).
I made a solution of 1 part hydrogen peroxide and 10 parts water roughly and sprayed liberally all over the burnt patch, left it to soak for few minutes, then I lightly ironed it until it started to dry and it was pure magic; the burnt stain just vanished!
Thank you so much.
After I soak the shirt in water for 24 hours, should I let it dry before I do the peroxide? I can’t tell if it worked because when the shirt is wet; it hides the light spot.
Hi Bridget,
Yes, you can let the shirt air dry to check it. Don’t put it in the dryer as that can make some stains set; air drying is best until you’re sure the stain is removed. Good luck!
My situation is a little different I put a yummy cozy soft cardigan in the dryer when the instructions state to lay flat to dry. There are no burn marks, but the fabric feels different and scratchy. What can I do to revive the fabric?? I’ve had this sweater for 10 yrs it’s my favorite please help!!
Hi Shiran,
In this case it can help to condition the fabric, literally with conditioner (for hair). Fill a large bowl or sink with water and mix in three tablespoons of hair conditioner. Soak the cardigan for about 15 minutes in the conditioner water, then wash it as suual and this time lay flat to dry. Good luck!
My husband burnt a couple burn marks on a gray cotton T-shirt with a cigarette. Was wondering if you knew how to get out the burn mark.
Cyndi,
Try soaking the shirt in cold water first, then try the white vinegar idea (the first tip in the Additional Tips section) before moving on to try the peroxide method. You can also test the peroxide method first on an inner hem area to see if it changes the color of the fabric. Good luck!
I have a black mark on a yellow blouse caused by an iron which had scorched, will hydrogen peroxide be safe as isn’t it a bleach?
Michelle,
There is never a guarantee when using a chemical on a fabric. The best thing to do is test the peroxide on a smal, hidden area first, such as an inside seam, and look for any adverse reaction. Wait for the peroxide to fully dry to assess the results of the test. You can speed drying time with a hair dryer on the cool setting. Good luck!
I burnt my North Face jacket at church over a candle? What do I do? It looks like bubbles!!!!
Thanks a lot; worked perfectly. I used 3% hydrogen peroxide and followed the instructions. It was a cigarette burn and it saved my white T-shirt. Thanks a lot again 😀
My straightening iron burned my new white cardigan. I hope this works; it’s my favorite cardigan.
I really hope it will work guys… I’m going to soak it first…