As spring turns to summer, kids will be spending more time outdoors getting dirty playing the sports they love. The sport of choice this summer will be soccer as World Cup fever strikes the globe. In fact more than 750,000 kids will play in organized soccer programs from coast-to-coast - that's a lot of jerseys and socks and shorts to wash!

Girls are quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with on the soccer field, making up over a third of the junior soccer population. With its mix of competitiveness, fun and personal development, soccer is a natural fit for girls of all skill levels. These girls are getting the chance to build life-long traits that will help them become everyday heroes and the next generation of champion athletes. Character building qualities like fair play and respect are the foundation of soccer, and children who learn this at an early age will benefit from the experience and will take on leadership roles.

Whirlpool Canada is a proud supporter of girls in soccer across the nation through its sponsorship of the Women's National teams. As a company, they firmly believe that supporting today's young ladies on the field will turn them into tomorrow champions. Whirlpool also recognizes that it is inevitable that our kids will return from the game a lot less clean than when we sent them out. When you're lucky enough to be able to identify the stain, chances are there will be a way to remove it. Although sometimes a run through the washing machine will be enough some stubborn stains need a little elbow grease and a few helpful hints to get those stains to come out.

Here are a few tips from Whirlpool to keep those uniforms shiny and new.

COMMON STAINS FOR SOCCER HEROES

• Juice - The sidelines can be a messy place and few children make it through the game without spilling a little juice or sport drink on their uniforms. Soak the item in cold water and follow with a pre-treating product on the stain. Launder according to label instructions. Air-dry; do not place in the dryer, until the stain is gone.
• Grass - Knees and elbows can come home a new shade of green as your little soccer tyke slides and dives across the field. Soak the fabric in cold water then sponge the stain with isopropyl alcohol -- but first test for colourfastness on a hidden area. If the stain persists, soak the item in a pre-treating product for 30 minutes then launder as usual.
• Blood - Soak the fabric in cold water - this is the most important step! Rub liquid detergent into the stain and rinse with cold water. Rub more detergent into the stain and launder in cold water. It is important to NOT use chlorine bleach as it can make the stain even worse!
• Mud - Let the mud dry and shake off as much as you can. If a stain remains, rub in a paste of liquid detergent and colorfast bleach then launder as usual.