The summer sun brings fun on the beach, cool drinks and -- sometimes -- tanning oil stains on your favorite T-shirts and swimwear. You won't always be able to remove these stains completely because of their chemical and biological makeup, which is based on fats and oils. But if you can get to the stain in time and use the right methods, you should be able to avoid having your clothes ruined.

Apply pre-wash stain remover to the tanning oil spot.

Scrub the pre-wash stain remover into the stain with the cleaning brush.

Allow the stain remover to sit for one to five minutes, depending on the darkness of the stain.

Wash your garment in the hottest possible water suggested by the manufacturer. Find this information on the sizing tag.

Allow the clothing to air-dry. If the stain persists, repeat the process.

Add a generous amount of white vinegar to the bowl.

Soak the stained garment for one hour in the white vinegar.

Wash the garment at the hottest possible temperature suggested by the manufacturer.

Air-dry the garment after washing. If the stain persists, repeat the process.