(StatePoint) Between gym class, sports practice and playing outside, your kids’ active lifestyles can leave them sweaty and soiled. While a shower does the trick of getting them fully clean, your wash cycle may not be getting their clothes clean — at least not as clean as you think.

According to experts, visible stains are just the tip of the iceberg, as hidden body oils and sweat get trapped deep in the fabric of clothes, even after washing. In fact, in an average wash load, the ratio of body oils and sweat to visible stains is 20 to one. Without taking proper measures, there’s a lot of grime you may be missing.

So are you your kids’ clothes clean enough? Here are four magic tricks from the experts at Sun Products, the makers of Wisk, to turn gross laundry into clean clothing:

1. Don’t wait! Laundry is a chore that’s easy to put off until later. But doing so can have a downside, most notably the smell. Don’t leave those hidden stains from sweat and body oils to fester. 

2. Don’t reuse clothing. A national survey by the makers of Wisk revealed that four out of five people admit to dirty laundry secrets like taking items out of the basket to wear, or reusing the same pair of socks for several days. While these items may look clean, they too may contain hidden body oils. Don’t leave the house wearing dirty laundry!

3. Use a powerful detergent. Look for a formula that goes beyond surface stains, seeking out and attacking trapped body oils and sweat. Wisk Deep Clean, voted the top laundry product of the year in a TNS consumer survey, uses a patented blend of microcleaners to deep clean the fibers of your clothes. More information can be found at www.wisk.com.

4. Maintain your washing machine. Considering all those grimy loads of laundry you’re doing should be motivation enough to keep your washing machine clean too! Every so often, run a cycle without laundry, adding white vinegar or lemon juice into the tub or detergent dispenser instead. Your machine will be cleaner and smell better as a result.

You can find out how much gunk might be hiding in your clothes by visiting the Wisk Facebook page.

It’s time to air out your active family’s dirty laundry. With the right tools and techniques, you can redefine what it means to be clean.

Photo Credit: (c) biker3 – Fotolia.com