No one wants to toss a perfectly good shirt because of a stain that won’t come out! Next time, try these tried & true techniques to remove almost any stain. From blueberries to wine, these simple steps will keep your laundry looking good as new. There’s even a cute printable cheat sheet to hang in your laundry room!
Ugh, STAINS. They’re the worst, right?
And it’s happened to all of us at one point or another. You dribble coffee on your favorite shirt. Your 2-year-old decides to color herself—and her Sunday dress—with a rainbow assortment of felt-tip markers. Your husband gets a little overly enthusiastic with his barbecue sauce. Your romantic candlelit dinner leaves you with candle wax all over the tablecloth. Your little aspiring soccer player ends up with grass stains all over his brand new jeans.
In any of these cases, and certainly a whole lot more, it is easy to just want to throw up your hands and declare a total loss. Yes, it’s unfortunate, you think, but what can you do? After all, these things happen.
But while stains may just be an inevitable part of life, giving up on them doesn’t have to be. With a few simple tricks and some good-old-fashioned elbow grease, you may just be able to salvage that favorite item and save yourself both money and heartache along the way.
Scrape off any dried food with a kitchen knife. Soak item for 15 minutes in a mixture of 1-quart lukewarm water, 1 tablespoon ammonia, and a squirt of liquid dish soap. Gently rub stain from the back, then soak for an additional 15 minutes. Rinse the item, then soak in Oxy-Clean solution for at least 30 minutes, or until the stain is gone. Launder normally.
Soak the item in ice-cold water for 15 minutes. Rub stain from behind. Soak an additional 15 minutes in cold water. Check stain. If still visible, soak the item in Oxy-clean solution for 30 minutes. Launder normally, using bleach for whites.
Place stain face down on a clean paper towel. Pre-treat underside of stain with liquid laundry detergent or stain remover, rubbing the stain gently. Rinse. Soak for 30 minutes in a solution of lukewarm water mixed with all-fabric bleach. Rinse. If an item is white or colorfast, soak in the bleach solution for 15 minutes. Rinse and launder normally.
Scrape off any excess wax with a table knife. Place the stain face down on a clean paper towel. Press an iron over the backside of the stain to release the wax onto a paper towel. Repeat with clean paper towels until no more wax transfers to the paper towel. Treat the remaining color stain with stain remover. Soak in Oxy-Clean solution for 30 minutes. Launder normally, using bleach for whites.
For whites or colorfast fabrics, fill sink or bucket with lukewarm water and 1-2 cups bleach. Soak items for 30 minutes; launder normally with bleach. For non-colorfast fabrics, fill sink or bucket with warm water, 2 squirts dish soap, and 2 tablespoons of ammonia. Soak for 30 minutes. Drain water & rinse items. Refill sink and add ¼ cup vinegar. Soak items for 30 minutes. Rinse and launder normally with the hottest water possible and add Oxy-Clean to detergent.
Place the item face down on a clean towel. Gently rub from the back with a sponge soaked in rubbing alcohol. Soak item for 15 minutes in a mixture of 1-quart lukewarm water, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and a squirt of liquid dish soap. Rinse the item. Soak in Oxy-Clean solution for 30 minutes. Launder normally, using bleach for whites.
Soak the item in cool water & Oxy-Clean solution for several hours or overnight. Launder normally, using bleach for whites. If stain remains, soak in Oxy-Clean solution again, then re-wash.
Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar with 2/3 cup rubbing alcohol. Use a clean cloth or rag to blot the stain with rubbing alcohol solution. Continue blotting until liquid is absorbed and stain disappears. Launder normally.
Place stain face down on a clean paper towel. Blot with sponge or cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol. If stain remains, spray with Aqua-Net hairspray and gently rub stain from the back. Rinse fabric. Launder normally.
Place stain face down on a clean paper towel. Pre-treat underside of stain with liquid laundry detergent or stain remover, rubbing stain gently. Rinse. Soak for 30 minutes in a solution of lukewarm water mixed with all-fabric bleach. Rinse. If an item is white or colorfast, soak in bleach solution for 15 minutes. Rinse and launder normally.
Place stain face down on a clean paper towel. Pre-treat underside of stain with liquid laundry detergent or stain remover, rubbing stain gently. Rinse. Soak for 30 minutes in a solution of lukewarm water mixed with all-fabric bleach. Rinse. If an item is white or colorfast, soak in bleach solution for 15 minutes. Rinse and launder normally.
Place item facedown on a clean towel. Gently rub from the back with a sponge soaked in rubbing alcohol. Soak item for 15 minutes in a mixture of 1-quart lukewarm water, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and a squirt of liquid dish soap. Rinse item. Soak in Oxy-Clean solution for 30 minutes. Launder normally, using bleach for whites.
Place stain face down on a clean paper towel. Pre-treat underside of stain with liquid laundry detergent or stain remover, rubbing stain gently. Rinse. Soak for 30 minutes in a solution of lukewarm water mixed with all-fabric bleach. Rinse. If an item is white or colorfast, soak in bleach solution for 15 minutes. Rinse and launder normally.
Place stain face-down on a clean paper towel. Gently rub from the underside with cloth or sponge soaked in nail polish remover. Repeat with clean paper towels until the stain is gone. Launder normally.
Place stain face-down on a clean paper towel. Pre-treat underside of stain with a generous amount of liquid laundry detergent or stain remover, rubbing stain gently. Rinse with hot water. Launder normally in the hottest water possible.
Place stain face down on a clean paper towel. Pre-treat underside of the stain with liquid laundry detergent or stain remover, rubbing stain gently. Rinse. Soak for 30 minutes in a solution of lukewarm water mixed with all-fabric powdered bleach. Rinse. If the item is white or colorfast, soak in bleach solution for 15 minutes. Rinse and launder normally.
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I have a white couch that’s denim material (don’t know what I was thinking with an 8 year old and a small male dog that’s not fixed) please help there’s urine stains food stains and just looks dingy and what can i use if by some miracle I get every stain out and it looks bright? What can I use to prevent it from happening again? HELP
Oxi-clean has a max force product that you could try on your furniture stains, just be sure to follow the directions and you might also want to invest in a slip cover for your couch.Something that can be laundered a bit easier.
hello! I simply put a yellow candle wax on the fibreglass sink and a yellow ring appeared underneath shortly after. Noticed this interesting article and I thought maybe you have a solution. By the way baking soda not working. thks.
you might want to try adding some lemon juice to your baking soda and making a paste, then put it on the stain and let it sit for a couple of minutes then try to scrub clean.
Hi my husband got a grease mark on his sweater. I tried using vanish spray then washed it as usual. It's now got a white tidal mark aswel as the grease mark. The grease mark is fading but now I'm stuck with this other mark. Any ideas on how to get it out please as it was an expensive sweater.
I would suggest soaking the whole sweater in an oxy-clean solution, the wash and see if stain disappears. Do not dry in dryer, that will set the stain.
my white shirt came out with soap stains on the front of it but I use powdered soap, and I didn't notice it till after the drier, just got it for Christmas.. how can I fix it?
You might want to try and soak it in warm water with out soap. Then do not add to dryer until the stain has diminished.
Hello Ruth, I got permanent marker on my soft material crewneck. I though t would cone off in the wash, but the black marks are still there, and are now embedded into the fabric im pretty sure. I don't want to bleach it as it is a yellow crewneck. I have no idea what to do. What do you suggest I do?
Hi Eleni. Permanent marker is alcohol based so fight fire with fire. Put an old folded towel under the stain and dab with a cotton pad soaked in rubbing alcohol followed by dabbing with paper towel to soak up the stain (DO NOT RUB STAIN) Continue this method using new cotton pad/paper towel until stain is gone. Hand wash in cold water with your regular washing detergent to remove the rest of the stain. Do not dry your crew unless the stain is completely removed. If you still see it, continue with the alcohol. It worked like a charm for me ;)
I would suggest you soak it in Oxy-clean, just be sure not to dry it, that will for sure set the stain.
i have a dual color hoodie and i got eyeliner on it, before i searched how to clean it i rubbed it with soap and water and it didnt work. i left it in water overnight and now its like dried into the fabric. my mom just bought the hoodie for me and i dont want it to be messed up and have to tell her, because im not supposed to wear makeup anyways. please help me figure this out. its half yellow half white, but the eyeliner got on the white part. right now the sleeve that got stained is soaking in bleach but if it doesnt work what do i do? its my favorite hoodie and its brand new so i dont want the stain to stay there
I would suggest you use an Oxi-clean stain remover spray. Spray on the stain, let it sit for about 10 minutes, then hand wash and repeat process until stain disappears. Do NOT dry hoodie in the dryer or the stain will set.
My son got some kind of a paint stain on a sports jersey any suggestion on what to use to remove it? I have used oxi powder, oxi spray and shout spray.
Thanks,
Dina
I would maybe suggest soaking the jersey in some oxi powder and then wash. Be sure not to dry the jersey in the dryer because it will set the stain.
How can barbecue stains be removed from white table cloths. I now have them soaking in dawn dish washing liquid. If I add a little bleach to the water will that be a help?
I would suggest using a little bleach and then let them soak, then be sure to rinse in cool water and then wash, if the stain is still present repeat the process of treating the stain.
A rubber hose at the car wash hit my husband in the back leaving black stains on his white tee shirt. I’ve tried everything from oxi clean, both spray and powdered, dry dish washer soap rubbed on wet stains and Clorox. It did dim the stains a little but still very noticeable. Any ideas?
Hi Sheryl, Some tips you might want to try is to use eucalyptus oil or tea tree oil. Apply eucalyptus oil or tea tree oil to a wash cloth and dab on rubber mark, the oil will break down the rubber trapped in the fabric. then rinse with cold water and wash but do not dry tee-shirt in dryer until stain is gone. Drying in dryer will set the stain. I hope that helps.
Hi Ruth! My kids are always spilling juice on their clothing, so I'm going to try your method out to remove them from their clothing. One of my favorite stain removal tricks actually came from my local carpet cleaner. They told me vinegar and baking soda works really well for removing pet stains. I have 3 dogs, so I use this stain removal trick often and always tell pet owners about it!