Tips For Cleaning and Removing Laundry Stains

How To Remove Laundry Stains

One of the most common places to find a stain is in the laundry. We are rough on our clothing as we go through our daily lives and activities, and our clothing takes a beating. Laundry stain removal is a good practice for anyone to learn.

Prevention is also a good idea and keeping the stain from happening to begin with is easier than trying to figure out how to get rid of it. Of course, we know we can’t always prevent every stain from happening so learning laundry stain removal techniques is a great idea.

So what can you do when you get a stain on your clothing or your children come home with a mess on their new clothes? Your first step is going to be to treat it as soon as you possibly can. Early treatment is important before the stain has time to set.

Some common clothing stains are: Mud, Dirt, Blood, Food, Drink, Sweat and Grease.

Stain Removal Process:

1. Identify the stain
2. Pre-treat the stain directly
3. Put the clothing in the wash.
4. Do not try the fabric until you are certain the stain is gone completely.
5. If not, repeat the pre-treat process and wash again.

First Classify the Stain Type

When you know what type of stain you are dealing with, you are better capable of treating it. For example, protein stains that are fresh can usually be removed with just a soak in water and then washing as normal. What are some common types of protein based stains?

• Ice cream
• Mud
• Blood
• Mucus
• Vomit
• Urine
• Egg
• Milk
• Baby
• Food
• Baby formula
• White paste
• Glue

If the stain is old, you might need to also soak it with detergent or a pre-soak.

Treating Oil Based Stains

With oil based stains you can soak in hot water and a heavy duty type detergent. Oil based stains include:

• Butter/margarine
• Hair oil
• Cooking oil
• Bacon grease
• Mayonnaise
• Salad dressing
• Vehicle oil and automotive grease

Removing Permanent Stains – Dye Stains

There are some stains that are much more difficult to get rid of such as ink stains, dye stains and permanent markers. Some other examples of permanent stains are:

• Mustard
• Tempera paint
• Dye transfer
• Felt tip pens
• Grass
• Kool-aid

These stains are much more difficult to remove, especially if they have time to become set in. The sooner you see them to treat them, the better your chances of removing them.

If the stain is on a fabric that can be bleached, your chances of getting the stain out are much higher. Since bleaches can alter the color of a fabric as well as the stain, bleach the whole garment and do not try to bleach just a spot. But if you can’t bleach the item without damaging it, you will have to try another method.

Try pre-treating it with a heavy duty detergent that is strong but will not damage the fabric. Then wash and check the stain again to see if it is gone before drying.

Kid’s Clothing

Laundry stain removal for kids clothing is in great demand. Children are even rougher on their clothing than adults. In fact, you will find they probably get a little bit of everything on their clothes at some time. Grass stains and blood stains are common and are hard to remove as well as mud, dirt, grease and much more. You can even find chewing gum in clothing!

But every stained item doesn’t have to become part of the “play clothes” pile. You can remove many of those stains, especially if you are able to treat them right away.

Below are some more laundry stain removal techniques to help you. Remember, you don’t always have to throw that item away simply because of a stain. With the proper care, you clothing can last much longer.

Process For Stain Removal

1. Pre-treat: If you have stains, you should pre-treat them before throwing them through the regular wash for the best results of removing the stain.
2. Use the right temperature: Use the proper temperature setting for the type of fabric you are washing and you will get much better results at removing stains.
3. Wash likes together: You probably heard your mom say it a million times but it’s all for good reason. If you wash like colors and materials together, you will get better results from your laundering.

When you take your time and work at the stain, you can usually get most stains out of most fabrics but again, it varies. Remember how important it is not to wash and dry the fabric before treating the stain or it will just set in.