GOT REDBLACKS FOOTBALL FEVER?

23 Jul GOT REDBLACKS FOOTBALL FEVER?

It looks like the whole city is poised to get RED and BLACK again.

The official grand opening of the new Lansdowne Park, complete with a revitalized stadium, an 18-acre urban park, shopping and event places, is coming up on August 16 – but the most appealing component is already open, accessible, and thriving.

This past Friday, July 18, the city’s newest sports and entertainment destination –TD Place Stadium at Lansdowne Park– was at full capacity (in the thousands) to welcome the Canadian Football League back to Ottawa with open arms!

Evidently Ottawa has been longing for another team to get behind since the CFL left us back in 2006 with the end of the Ottawa Renegades.

Enthusiastic fans turned out in droves to catch the Ottawa Redblacks historic home opener; which saw them beat the Toronto Argonauts 6-3.

But when the days are this long and the weather this great, football and other contact sports are seldom reserved for spectating. If you’re one of the hundreds of urban professionals or families with young kids playing team sports this summer, by now you’ve probably run into the dreaded dirty uniform problem.

If you’re trying to save a few bucks, here’s three common outdoor team sport stains that strike and a simple DIY remedy you can try at home care of laundry.about.com:

• GRASS STAINS: A staple in any outdoor sport. To remove grass stains, first pre-treat the stain with a heavy-duty liquid detergent. Rinse well and then soak the garment in a solution of warm water and all-fabric non-chlorine bleach for at least one hour. Launder as usual.
• SWEAT STAINS: You can pretty well count on this one happening. Try one part baking soda, one part hydrogen peroxide, one part water. Make a solution of the three ingredients. You will need about 1/4 cup each of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and water to treat one shirt. Protect your countertop or work area with a thick white towel, rub the 1:1:1 solution into stains and allow to work for at least 30 minutes. Use an old soft toothbrush or bristle brush to loosen any residue and then wash as usual in warm or cold water.
• BLOOD STAINS: Let’s face it. The more contact in the sport, the more likely you’ll see a little blood shed (even if only from a skinned knee or elbow). Fresh protein stains like blood can be removed by soaking and agitating or rubbing the stain in cold water before washing. These stains contain other ingredients but protein needs treatment first. Never use hot water because it cooks the protein making the stain hard to remove. If the stain is dried or old, scape or brush off any crusted matter, then soak in cold water using a liquid detergent with color-safe bleach. After pre-soaking for 30 minutes and launder in warm (not hot) water with detergent. If stain remains, soak an additional 30 minutes, then rewash.

Sadly, none of the above tactics are guaranteed, which is why at the end of the day we always recommend bringing your sports gear to us! As even our local Sochi 2014 Olympic competitor can tell you, our cleaning expertise are simply unparalleled.

Hope to see you (in clean clothes!) cheering on the Redblacks at their next home game –  Saturday, August 2!