How to Clean and Remove Laundry Stains

Stains happen. It’s just as simple as that. It’s unavoidable. You’re eating and something falls on your lap. You’re drinking a cup of coffee and it spills on your shirt. Lipstick, dirt, grass stains, and so much more happen.

But the question is, do you know what to do if you a stain happens? No one wants to throw a perfectly good piece of clothing away because of a stain. With the right method, most stains can be removed.

So, with a few good laundry tips, and in some cases a little elbow grease, much of your stained clothing can be salvaged.

Gather Up Your Supplies

If you always have just a few of products on hand, then you’ll be set for cleaning just about any laundry stain that happens your way.

• White absorbent terry cloths.
• Plain white vinegar.
• Baking soda.
• Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol).
• Mild detergent without dyes and fragrances.
• Spray bottle.

Check Your Clothing Thoroughly Before Laundering

Before putting clothes in the laundry, remember to check for stains. Not everyone will let you know prior to washing clothes, linens, towels, etc.

• Sort clothing into like colors.
• As you sort, put together your first load. Look for stains.
• If you find a stain, treat it. Pick the type of cleaning solution that is appropriate.
• Apply pretreatment and allow to sit at least five minutes before laundering.
• Launder clothing as you normally would.
• Do not put in the dryer until you know the stain is gone.

Treat Stains Quickly

Of course, the most successful way to get rid of stains is to treat the stain as soon as possible. Older stains are harder and more difficult to remove.

Coffee and Tea Stains

Sipping coffee or tea is a great way to start your morning. It’s also a nice way to relax after eating a big dinner. Most of the time nothing happens but some days we might be a bit clumsy and spill.

If the stain just happened, take it off and rinse from the back side under cold water. Quite often this is all that is needed. If there is still some staining left, apply a mild liquid dish detergent (that does not contain bleach) and rub in the stain using your fingers. Allow to sit for about five minutes then rinse again with cold water.

If you’ve spilled coffee on suede, cashmere, leather or rayon – it’s best to take these items to the dry cleaner.

Chocolate Stains

With a dull edged knife or similar, scrape up any excess chocolate (if necessary). Rinse from the backside of fabric with cold water (if you can). Apply a mild liquid dish detergent and gently rub between your fingers. Let sit about 10 to 15 minutes then rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.

Blood Stains

As with any stains, it best to work on fresh stains. Run the tap water until it runs very cold. Flush as much of the blood out of fabric as you can. Fill the sink with enough cold water and soak the item for about 15 minutes.

If discoloration remains, try using one of these methods to remove it:

• Lather up some soap on the stain (liquid or bar soap). Hand soap or dish soap. Gently rubbing between fingers.
• For whites try hydrogen peroxide. Cover with a clean white cloth (as hydrogen peroxide turns to water when exposed to light) and let sit 15 to 20 minutes.
• Gently rub salt into the stain. Add shampoo and rub between fingers.

Grass Stains

It doesn’t matter the age – we all get grass stains on our clothes. Since you can’t prevent these types of stains – it’s good to know how to treat them.

Rinse the area. Apply liquid laundry detergent to the grass stain and rub in with your fingers or gently with an old soft bristled toothbrush. Let sit for about 30 minutes (you don’t want the detergent to dry). Wash as usual.

If you’ve got a heavy duty grass stain or if you tried the laundry detergent and you still have some green pigment left, use isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). Place the item, stained side down on a clean rag. With another clean white rag, dab the backside of fabric with rubbing alcohol until you’ve removed as much of the green pigmentation as possible. Rinse and apply liquid laundry detergent. Let sit about 30 minutes then wash as usual.

Red Wine Stains

Try and treat a wine stain as soon as possible. The older the stain, the harder to remove. Gently blot the stain with a clean cloth working from the outer part of the stain in towards the middle. Do not scrub the stain or it can spread. Rinse area with cold water.

How you next treat the stain will depend on where you are and what you have on hand. Some items that can be used to help remove the stain are:

• Salt
• Club Soda
• Oxi-Clean or Persil Laundry Detergent (or something similar with enzymes
• Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
• Hydrogen Peroxide (white fabrics)
• A Cleaning Product Made Specifically for Wine Stains

After washing, do not put item in the dryer until you know the stain is gone.

Removing Ring Around the Collar

Most of the stain commonly called “ring around the collar” is caused by natural body oil, sweat, dead skin cells, hair products, lotions combined with atmospheric dirt and dust.

Dawn Dish Washing Liquid and Hydrogen Peroxide

One thing to try is mix together 2 tablespoons Dawn dishwashing liquid mixed with 4 tablespoons hydrogen peroxide. Pour over stained area and work in with your fingers or use a clean old toothbrush. For dark fabrics, test in inconspicuous spot first to make sure there is no discoloration from the hydrogen peroxide. Let sit about 20 to 30 minutes then wash on the warmest setting the garment can allow.

Shampoo

Try an application of shampoo directly on the collar stain and scrub in with your fingers or with an old toothbrush. Allow to soak in for a half hour or so, then launder as usual.

Dish Detergent

Take your powdered dishwashing detergent and mix with water to make a paste. Apply to the collar as mentioned above, let sit, launder as usual.