Stain removal smarts: How to get stains out of your clothes

Jan 30, 2012 3:00 PM by

Posted in Home / Organizing & Cleaning

For all of your clothes

The earlier you catch a stain, the better. If you're out and about (and the item isn't dry-clean only), pre-treat the affected area with something like Spray-n-Wash's Stain Stick, Shout Wipes or a Tide Pen. (If none of these are available, you can at least wet the stain to keep it from setting as completely. An ice cube from your drink is the perfect way to wet the spot.) Then wash the item as soon as you get home.
After washing an item with a stain, check your wet laundry before drying it to make sure the stain is gone (the heat from the drying process will often make the stain permanent). If the mark is still visible, pre-treat as before or try another stain treatment process and wash again.

Ice cream and other dairy product stains

Fresh stains should be soaked and agitated in cold water before washing. If the stain has dried, scrape or brush off any crusted matter. Soak for up to several hours in cold water with a detergent or an enzyme presoak (which breaks down protein-based stains like egg, grass and blood so your detergent can work more effectively). Launder in warm water.

If the stain remains, soak an additional 30 minutes and rewash. If a colored stain remains, launder with bleach safe for the fabric.

Fruit and fruit juice stains

Launder with detergent in the hottest water safe for the fabric. Do not use soap (bar, flake or detergents containing natural soap), since soap-based products could make the stain permanent. Soak tough stains for 30 minutes in one quart of warm water and one teaspoon of enzyme presoak product.

Removal of old or set stains may require washing with bleach that is safe for that particular fabric. If all the sugars are not removed, a brown stain will appear when the cloth is heated in the dryer or is ironed as the sugar is caramelized. This effect great for Crème Brûlée... not so wonderful for your favorite white blouse.

Grass stains

For stubborn stains, like grass, soak in a solution of cool water and a laundry product containing enzymes for at least 30 minutes (and several hours for aged stains). Don't use hot water, as it will coagulate the protein and make the stain more difficult to remove. If stains remain, soak an additional 30 minutes, then rewash. (Follow product instructions, and note that some laundry detergents already contain enzymes.)

After soaking, launder in warm water as usual.

Mud stains

Let mud stains dry. Brush to remove the soil. Soak in a solution of 1 quart warm water, 1 teaspoon liquid dish detergent and 1 tablespoon white vinegar for 15 minutes. Rinse with water. Let stand for several minutes.

If the stain persists, sponge it with rubbing alcohol, then rinse with clear water and wash. You may also soak the stain for 30 minutes in an enzyme presoak, and can add chlorine bleach to the load of laundry if the label says it's safe for the fabric.

Barbeque sauce stains & other tomato-based sauce stains

Soak in cool water, 1/2 -teaspoon liquid hand dishwashing detergent and 1 tablespoon vinegar for 30 minutes. Rinse. If stain remains, pre-treat area with a pre-wash stains remover, liquid laundry detergent or a paste of powdered detergent and water. Then wash in warm water. Air dry.

If the stain remains, soak in an enzyme product for at least an hour or overnight. Some detergents contain enzymes. Launder in warm water. Do not use hot water, hot air drying or iron until the stain is gone as heat will set it.

More laundry tips

Taking control of your laundry
Real moms share their tips for laundry
How to teach your kids to do the laundry

Tags: laundry stains remove stains stain removal

Comments

Comments on "Stain removal smarts: How to get stains out of your clothes"

I bought theis 60 dollars shorts from hollister and I have tomato, lemon, and greas stains on them and I really want them out what should I do? !!!

why are you all asking quesitions on here? No one is answering.

I have beautiful bras from victoria secret however when I wear the bras the clothing I wear always bleeds onto my bras n make the brs look diry

How do I remove a stain made by washing dark colours with a white t shirt. The white t shirt has pink stains on it

Same problem as Bobbie,red polo shirt with bleeding of dark spots.

I have spilt some white wine on my white cotton suit trousers !! i have had them dry cleaned , but the stains are still there , The dry cleaner say they cant get them out !! is there anything i can do to remove these stains .

I have fabric adheesive stain on my material and I washed it and it still has not came out how do i get it out?

i was ing my white clhothes and i nocticed i had red bleach stains in my polo raph luren shirt can i get it out an how

I washed a shirt and dried it without realizing there was stain in it and now i don't know how to get it out or if i can?

Washed new red outfit with beige clothes and the dye ran onto clothes and now their pink. Please help.

How to remove a coffee/with milk stain from white cotton?

Well the best prevention for the case of the 'muddy socks' is not to let them get muddy to start with. All three of my girls have been raised to know they are not permitted outside in only their socks, they have a choice of pulling them off and going barefoot or putting their shoes on (usually too much effort for them). Solves the problem completely, as it never happens.

Two of my dresses were ruined because the sticky part of name tags came off onto the dresses. The sticky stains did not come out after I washed them in the washing machine. What can I do? Anne Teal

My husband has a red polo shirt, that I washed with like colors, only to see that after I had already dried it, it had gotten some dark stains from other clothes that had bleed onto it. I was wondering, is there any hope for this shirt or any others that this could happen to? Thanks.

How did you the detergent spots out of shirts from washing?

How do you get tomato stain out of clothes after they have dried?

First suggestion: Try mixing Woolite, powdered dishwasher soap and 1/2 cup warm water. Rub (repeat rubbing in 1 hour) and soak overnight. (NEVER use Stain Stick or Oxyclean with this, chemically the water will turn ugly brown or pinkish.) Second suggestion: Spray the spots with Tilex (mildew spray), but be very careful as the mist could bleach out anything you are wearing. Soak in some Woolite, a smidge of powdered dishwasher soap and soak overnight. It will whiten and brighten. Again, this is only if you did not use stain stick or Oxyclean. This will work, I always manage to get my whites back... and I tend to have lots of spots when I wear white. Experience has made me a master of the spots on white.

How do I get dried stains out of white shirts? My boyfriend works at a bar, and he washed his white shirts yesterday before I got to treat the stains! Now I dunno what to do with his shirts, I don't want to throw them away because they are just worn once! I tried the tide pen and the bleach...doesn't work. Is there any hope?