Getting Out Stains

Dawn Dishwashing liquid gets most anything out! Just dab a little on and scrub with a toothbrush, let it set for a while and rinse it out before putting it in the washing machine. Also, hairspray works on ink if you use if before it is washed. Greas Lightening works on grease stains if Dawn doesn't do the trick - be careful of colors though.

I use clorox oxymagic on all my 2 year old daughters clothes and it usually gets everything out the first time through.

Hey C.,
My daughter is married to a Soldier, and has two beautiful daughters..9 and 3 years old. Lots of stains, also I wear my food a lot!! Anyhow, she swears by OxyClean. She makes a paste out of it and applies directly to the stain rubbing it in well, lets it sit for a while then soaks the items in cold water with more OxyClean dissolved in the water. Seems to work very well for.

I keep one of those Tide Pens in my purse for stains when I eat out etc. I just rub it on my clothes, (like Kelly Ripa does on TV), then wash item as soon as I get home in cold water.

The trick is getting to the stain as soon as possible I think. Also, using cold water to wash the stained item in.

Good luck and may God bless you and your family.

Ann

My absolute favorite for every stain is OxyMagic (not to be confused with Oxy Clean). I had tried all sorts of products when our son was born and my fabulous husband found OxyMagic. Wonderful!!!! Best thing about it, is just spray and leave until you want to wash. Not having to immediately wash it is wonderful and practical.

Have you tried "Biz"? It works pretty good if you pour it on the stain, or just put it in the washer with water - let it stay a couple of hours or overnight; then put the washer on. Most of my son's clothing stains usually come out with the BIZ.

Good luck!

C.,

I have just two words for you....GREASED LIGHTNING. It can be found at SAM's or some Publix supermarkets and it's the best product I've ever used. (or go to www.greased-lightning.com) It gets out any stain, from anywhere. I've even gotten out grape juice and cranberry juice out of my light beige carpet.

Y.

Carbona. It's in a very small yellow bottle (about 4 inches). There is a different one for each type of stain. The bottles are numbered: #5 Fat, Grease and Oil, etc. I have found them at Kroger. Haven't had much luck finding them at Wal-mart or Target. They work wonders. One example: My granddaughter took a nap at my house and I forgot to put a diaper on her. We had this chair that laid out into a small bed on the floor. It was burgundy. She had on a BRAND new yellow dress. Well...when she woke up that yellow dress was now burgundy. I washed it immediately. No luck. Nothing would budge that stain. I told my cousin who lived in NC about it and she said don't throw it away yet, I'll get it from you the next time we visit. I bought a new yellow dress and then in about 6 months my cousin came. She took it back to NC with her, went to her local grocery and got the Carbona that was for color dye stains. I want you to know that every bit of that stain came out. So now she has two yellow dresses.

Hi,
My Mom taught me a mixture that works great! Use equal parts of blue Dawn kitchen soap, ammonia and water, mix them in a spray bottle. I spray it on all kinds of stains and it gets everything out.

I use dish washing liquid on a lot of things...as soon as I can get it on the stain. You'd be surprised how just rinsing out a bib or burp cloth or tshirt in dish soap will help with the stains.

Also, for tough ones on whites I use yellow out...It's in the plumbing section of walmart or I used greased lighting to scrub with....

i've worked wardrobe on film, television and theatre for years- and we use this product called Clear Choice.
google it- they sell directly from the site. i believe it is ammonia-based.
it's been the most successful pre-treating stain-removing product in my experience

Hi,

I've been around a long time and have been using "Zout" made by Dial Corp. I have not found anything it cannot get out.
Good Luck!!

C.:

I deal with this problem every week that I was my kids clothes. I had a friend that told me that she used Grease Lightening on her son's white t-ball uniform pants to get our grass stains. That stayed with me when I had kids. Boy does it work. I usually wash their clothes on Friday's and my girls cannot eat without getting food all over their clothes. I spray Grease Lightening on them and let it sit for about 5 minutes before I put them in the washer. It usually takes out most stains, even ones that have been on their all week long. The only stain I have trouble with sometimes is a spaghetti sauce stain that might have been on there for awhile. I spray the stain each time I wash it and after several washes it will eventually come out. It works great on grease stains also, even ones that have been on their for a while and have been washed previously. I go through a gallon jug of Grease Lightening in about 6 weeks with a 4 and 2 year old. With a baby on the way in 17 days, I am sure that it won't last me that long anymore. Good luck. You can buy it at Wal-Mart and most grocery stores in the spray bottle.

Hi, I'm not going to try and sell you stuff like alot of people on this site do(there should be ban for people who are trying to telemarket on here). Anyways my husband is a chef like yours and I use Greased Lightening that you can buy at Wal-mart(you need to scrub it in the stain) or I directly pour liquid Tide onto the stain and scrub that into it. Consumer Reports(magazine I get in the mail) had Tide detergent as the best for cleaning cloths and although it is alot more expensive I have been buying it. I used to buy Purex and Arm and Hammer. I have seen a difference in my clothes since I have switched. For my husbands white chef jackets(when I used to have to wash them at home, they have a cleaning service at his job now that does it) I made a spray bottle of bleach and water and sprayed his stains with that and let it soak about 10 minutes or so, then laundered them by themselves, if you need to add a cup of bleach in the wash if they are real bad, you can.
BTW I have tried the all natural cleaning products at Whole Foods and found the detergent did not work for me.

Hi C.!

I'm not the best at this, but, I have found a fantistic solution to those "greasy" spots on clothes. After washing and drying them, if it is a greasy spot, rub "dryly" some dishwashing liquid and let it sit for a few hours then re-wash and voila! greasy stain gone!

Good luck!

I, too, can't stand pulling clothes out of the dryer and seeing stains....Biz (I like the liquid best) is my favorite. You can put it directly on clothes for pretreating and also add it to the wash for an extra stain fighter. I also like Shout Action Gel...it works pretty well also.

Good luck!

Dawn Dish Detergent-- gets out everything!! Just rub it on the spot & wash. It's much less expensive than Shout or any product like that

Hi C.,
My name is M. and i am a mother of 4 they are grown now but i got a secret from my ex mother in law on how to get stains out and it really works in whites and colors that don't bleed.
All you need is cascade dishwasher detergent the dry kind in the green box and clorox bleach.
mix about a cup of each to your wash or use it in the sink ,just swish them around, you will see how bright they get right before your eyes.
Hope you can use it.
M.

Hi, C.. I'm Grandmama J. -
you don't say what kind of stains, but judging by the sex and ages of the boys in your house, I'm guessing milk, juice, pasta sauce from spaghetti, chef boyardy, pizza, etc. and grease from chicken nuggets, etc. Milk responds to cold water(immediate) and cold wash, juice, ditto, pasta sauce is a little harder - try diluted white vinegar, rub with shout and then wash in cold water and bleach - either chlorine or color safe with the shout still on it. Grease responds to talcum powder generously poured on and left for a while to soak up the grease, then shout, a tide pen and bleach in warm water. If the stain on big boy is wine, white vinegar and shout in the wash. Socks should all be bleached and washed in hot water - gets the dirt out; in all loads, use a half a cup more of the detergent (dry) and a quarter cup more of liquid. Other than that, don't worry too much about it; the boys won't care as much as you do, and if they do, then they need to be more careful of their clothing. If all else fails, draw funny pictures around the stains with fabric pens and keep the wine stained shirt for yourself to wear while finishing the rest of the bottle :) Don't fret, they'll be grown and gone soon, and then you'll ONLY see the kids when they need laundry done - so don't get TOO good at it!

Until you can get the stain out. Don't put the item in the dryer, it will set the stain! If it is a greasy stain I have found that Dawn dish washing liquid for pots and pans works well. A product called "Zout" gets all other stains out. If you have ball point pen ink on you , use arosol hairspray to pretreat. Hope this helps. Deb

Hi C.,

I find that the only thing that works for me is Zout. I've tried it on a number of different stains and it out performs Shout and other stain removers.

I use this stuff called Awesome it works really great it takes out grease out of my husbands redskin jacket when he got grease on it, he thought it was done for,well and behold I sprayed Awesome on it and washed it Purex liguid soap and it came clean it was awesome.And it also worked on getting out grease that my son tracked in on his shoes on my country blue carpeting and it came out.And also I have used the Spray and Wash with the Resolve cleaner in it,it works pretty good too.Let me know how it comes out,ok? Take care,B.

Well I use dawn. It seems to work really well. Most stains are food and its good enough for the dishes.

C.,
There are some great products that Mellaluca has out. One is pre-spot treatment. You use it before you put your clothes in the wash. It is great. If you would like to know more let me know. I can help you get it.

The only thing that works consistently for my is Oxyclean in a bucket of hot water. Even works on old stains!

I swear by Oxy Clean. I often soak clothes in cold water and Oxy Clean prior to washing to remove dirt/food/stains. This even gets out 'baby poop' from a 4 mth old breastfed baby---(not easy to remove). I also use it in the wash. It works better than anything else I have tried.
Hope this helps!
K.

Use Shout's stain stick. Make sure you rub it in on both sides of the fabric. You can also treat the stain and leave it until you get to your laundry (up to one week). I've been using this for year's!

Spray & Wash w/Resolve Power Stain Remover! (comes in a green bottle with red spray handle, i think, and you can buy refill bottles to re-use spray bottle.
I spray this on anything that gets on my daughter's clothes (almost 1 yr old) and she has not one stain on her clothing. you dont even have to let it set....i pull the clothes out of the basket, spray them while the water's filling up and set them aside while throwing the non-marked ones into the water and by the time the water has filled up, i throw in the sprayed ones and thats it! cake!

I use Spray-N-Wash. I LOVE IT!

Hey C.

I use Shout. I spary it on the clothes when I see the stain (somedays right away some days not until I am doing laundry for the week). 99% of the time, it works. I have found if you spray the spot, let it sit for 1-24hrs, it works very well. Some things just don't come out...for instance, my kids have an adorable red shirt that has a blackberry stain. Nothing I do will get rid of it. But everything else is pretty stain free after one or two uses of Shout and a wash. Good luck!

OxiClean is a great way to deal with stains. Soak the clothes in OxiClean and a little bit of detergent. I always use more than the recommended amount of OxiClean when I'm soaking.

It also helps to treat some stains right when they happen. Surprisingly, diaper wipes are very good for getting stains out. You might need to put a little water on them, but our Huggies diaper wipes can get out even ink.

I have found that Shout Advance (in a blue spray bottle) works best. Sometimes depending on the stain it may take 2 or 3 washes to come out like tomato sauce and oils.

Hi! Since my children were babies, I've used Spray-n-Wash. It gets most stains out. I should have stock in it I use it so much! When I get a load ready to wash, I check shirts,pants, etc. for stains. I spray the stains and rub the spray in. Then the load goes in the washer. Spray-n-Wash works most of the time. I spray the edges of sleeves and around the collar if they look dingy and the shirt comes out like new! Good luck! C. D.

Have you tried the Dreft stain spray? I was pleasantly surprised when it got blood stains that were one week old out of an outfit. I use it for all of our clothes now.

Dear Collen:
I have used a product called Pre-spot from a company called Melaueuca for the past seven years, It works wonders!. My husband is an auto mechancic and it takes out ALL of his greasy stains. I use their entire line of laundry products called Ecosence. It takes out all kind of stains, grease ketsup and even blood.Their ntie line of 400 products are amazing. If you would like to know how to purchase them, I am a Marketing Executive for the MOM Team and we have partnered with Mealeuca and will be happy to give you more information. Just log on to my website at: www.enhanceyourlifeonline.com and click on "get more info" These products work. 100% guarantee!Sincerly,
K.

Hi there! Well anyone with kids knows how fast stains can set in. Brand new clothes don't stay brand new for very long! I have just recently started using color safe bleach when washing colored clothes. It works wonders! I got stains out of clothes that had already been washed and dried. I am a big believer in bleach for my whites. I hate soiled socks! I never thought about bleach for colored clothes but it really does work and it's not expensive.

Hope this helps!!
K.

I have had great success with Oxy Free powder. When I start my daughter's laundry, I put a half scoop of the Oxy Clean Free along with the detergent and get them started. Then, I raise the lid and allow them to soak quite a while. After that, I lower the lid and let them wash and rinse twice to make sure there's no residue on them (she has sensitive skin). It has worked so much better and easier for me than spraying each stain. I generally use it with Cheer Free liquid detergent. Good luck!

This was a frustration of mine for years!! So I completely understand how you feel. I am using Pre-Spot now and love it...an for really stubborn problems use some Sol-U-Mel with it. I order it in the mail. If you want more info, feel free to contact me at ____@____.com's also environmentally friendly too, so I don't have to worry about the toxins in the other stuff. Good luck!!

Hi C.~
I'm sure if someone hasn't already suggested this someone soon will.

Oxy Clean. It's the best. Add a scoop to every load and that's all you have to do. I don't even use bleach for my whites anymore! I used to pretreat stains and soak and anything else you can think of before I discovered this wonder product but no more! I have yet to come across anything it won't get out. Now I have had an occasion that after a single wash a stain remained but when that happens I simply do a sink of water and oxy clean and let the stain soak over night and it's gone. No trace to be found.

Oh and one more little note for any of you that don't know...

Oxy clean is just baking soda and peroxide. ;)

Best of luck against the war against stains,
C.

I have 2 grown children but have been using fantasik as a stain remover for years...it is inexpensive and very effective...I have passed this on to many friends for a long time...Success in removing blood...to ink...pre soak..on dry clothing prior to washing,sometimes slightly rub and reapply if neccessary...and then wash as you would normally.I quickly inspect each piece and simply do this as i am throwing it in the wash. if I have something that is severely stained then I do it obviously right then and there with the fantastik..I think you will be very pleased with the results...and the cost compared to many other products. Also it has never ruined or discolored any material that was washable for me.
Hope this works as well for you as it has for me!!!
D. Hartwell

I like OxyClean. I use the OxyClean Powder and put a scoop in every load with my detergent. For me, it has worked really well at getting out our stains.

I have very good results with my Shaklee laundry products(Get Clean line). I use the liquid now because I have an HE machine and pre spot as necessary but I used to use the powder and the liquid only as a pre spotter. I do laundry for a family of 13...only 11 now actually since my two eldest are off to college but they do come home with bags full! I am a tight wad and this fits the bill for that well too. It is also a green product and totally safe for your family! Shaklee is guaranteed so if you don't like the way it preforms they will give you your money back.

Hope that helps!

K.

Hi C.,

Wow, you have a lot of advice. For the kid stains I have found that Totally Toddler is great. You can find it in the baby section at most places. My daughter use to have some major diaper blowouts and this product always got the stain out.

Good luck,
Cathy

Hi C.,

I use a product called Pre-Spot from Melaleuca. My husband has been in the restaurant business FOREVER and nothing else would help with the tomato sauces and the grease. It has also gotten lipstick and blood out of my carpet. Their laundry detergent is great too! If you want more info, let me know.

Regards,

M.

For spots I love Oxi Clean laundry stain cleaner and for laundry soap I swear by liquid Tide. Good luck!

Personally, I found that putting some liquid soap on a stain as soon as it happens seems to keep it from becoming permanant.  Baby wipes in my purse have also saved the day many times when we are out and about!  With two boys (2 and 7, plus a husband), I can understand where you're coming from!

Here's another vote for OxiClean. It works really well for all kinds of kid stains. I keep a soak bucket in the laundry room and put really dirty stuff in it to soak until laundry day, then dump the whole bucket in with the washer load. Oximagic spray also works well.

Hi Coleen, I am going to recommend some Fuller Brush products. I am a rep, but I really don't promote the products like I should. My sister and I both love the products and she tells me that the liquid detergent works on her husbands clothes. I really do use the products and they are working for me. I don't recommend what I don't use. Good luck with getting the dirt out.

C. H.

Responding to how to get stains out: i use clorox 2 color safe bleach. I also use clorox spray stain remover, and that works. I pre-treat before washing, and that works most of the time. I read the other day that putting aspirin in the wash will whiten your clothes better than bleach. Good luck!

Have you tried presoaking your clothes before you wash them? Also how about trying some of the pre-soaking products that are out there

I use Spray and Wash with Resolve stain power. It isn't in the typical spray bottle. It is in another bottle where 2 chemicals are separated and you only put only 5 mins before you wash. You can get it anywhere you get regular Spray and Wash.

Spray & Wash Stain Stick usually works well for me. For bad, set-in stains, I use Biz powder (the liquid version is not as good on stains). The directions for soaking are on the box. I usually disolve it in a bucket, let the items soak for several hours or overnight and then wring the water out and wash them in the washing machine as usual. You might need to push the clothes back down into the water a few times while soaking. Oxy Clean powder works well also, but it is more expensive. For oil stains from foods, spray with some degreaser and let set for a couple of hours. Do not leave it on for more than 6 hours or so. I left some on overnight and it discolored the fabric. I have gotten into the habit of having the boys change into play clothes after school and after church. This helps alot, although they ruin pants on the playground. My seven year old did something in the sand with his jeans that made them go from looking brand new to old and ratty in one day!

Hey there. I have two boys and a husband so I am very familiar with stains. I use shout xtra concentrated for set in stains (not the normal shout...this one comes in a small blue bottle), that seems to do it. I want to try Oxi Clean. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Two suggestions that work for me (my husband is constantly getting stains on his work shirts)...

1. Oxyclean works great as a booster straight in the washer or if you have stubborn stains, make a paste out of the Oxyclean and a little water and put it right on the stain.
2. Clorox bleach for Colors works great as a pre-treater. I've used it to get out some really bad stains like blood and it has always worked for me. I also use it with every load of color laundry to get those stains I might miss.

For most stains, I soak in Biz detergent. I got this idea from another mother's website that was answering to question about mildew in cloth diapers(I was just looking to remove a mildew stan period). It works great for most organic stains. For greasy stains I use Dawn. both work great even after the cllthes have been washed and dried.

I really like Oxyclean. I have even used it on already washed and dried stains and it STILL gets them out. The trick is to let the Oxyclean to soak before you wash it.

What works for me - and gets out absolutely every stain - is a combination of OxyClean and Shout.

I spray Shout onto the stain until it is saturated, then I sprinkle powdered OxyClean on it, followed by a few more sprays of Shout to wet the OxyClean. Then I just toss it in the wash and it comes out clean. No sigh of the stain.

For particularly bad stains - prunes, blood, oil, etc. - you may want to set it aside and let the combo work for a few hours, then wash it. Don't leave it for days though - on some fabrics you might end up with a light spot on the fabric.

Good luck!

Greased Lightening (the spray cleaner) gets ANYTHING out -- from grass stains to grape juice. I've had stains that sat for a while that still came out with this product. It works really great on clothes -- The only thing is it needs to be treated as soon as possible. (I've had a few really tough stains that didn't come out completely, but all in all, this is a great stain remover).

I work in the ER and I know a little bit about getting stains out of my clothing such as blood, charcoal, etc. For blood which I hope you don't have to use this often peroxide is the best agent to remove this. Hairsray for ink, Spot Shot in a blue and orange can is good for charcoal (we use in overdoses and it really dyes the skin and clothing for days) and other carpet problems. As for spagetti and raviolli stains which my 3 year was notorious about you can try Spray and wash dual action. I LOVE the stuff. Pretreat your clothing and also put some in the wash. I usually count 15 seconds while I pour it in the laundry. Also great for your carpet. I hope some of these tips help you out and let me know how they work.

I carry a Tide pen in my purse whever I go. Blot the stain immediately with a napkin, then treat it with the Tide pen. That will usually do the trick.

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This may be a little overkill, but it works. I use All Free and Clear detergent, Chlorox 2 bleach, and oxy clean in each wash. For specific stains I use Shout Advance. Works like a charm. My boys, 4 and 2, can get some really tough stains and this has worked beautifully for all of them. The Shout Advance even gets out stains on things I've washed before.

Hope this helps.

K. M

I use Spray N Wash right before I throw the clothes in. It seems to work well for me. Especially on my 2 year old clothes.

A.

I have 3 little boys and I am total there with the stain issue I use spray and wash and leave it on for at least 24 hours if not more. My husband calls me the stain master. Also I have found over time cheaper is not always better, I use tide for all my laundry needs and it is the best, I sometimes feel the washer up and just let the laundry sit in the detergent for a couple of hours especially if there are the tough stain items in there (always in cold).

K.

Top of the list...1. Spray n' Wash stain stick
2. Spray n' Wash Dual Power (has 2 seperate cleaners that come out at the same time and mix)
3. Shout Stain Remover (comes in a large spray can.

I usually get everything out with these. Use number 1. especially with greasy stains.
Sometimes I let it wash for about 5 mins. and then stop the machine and just let the wash soak for a while and then restart again. That really seems to help on really stained and dirty clothing.