Best Stain Remover Ever
July 17, 2008 in Homekeeping
You’d never know that a toddler ate played with blueberries in this shirt.
When our white t-shirts start to look a little grungy by midsummer, it’s time to freshen them up. For stains that don’t go away after trying other stain removers, here is what works for practically anything:
- Heat up some water in a big pot on the stove. Make it hot, but not boiling.
- Add 2 scoops of an oxygen base cleaner and a small squirt of liquid dish detergent.
- Put the clothes in the pot and cover it with the lid.
- Turn off the heat and soak for 4-6 hours, or more if needed.
- Wash clothes as usual in the washing machine.
Tip! The generic brand of oxygen cleaner at the dollar store works just as well as Oxi Clean. It’s the same thing.
I like that it doesn’t fade colors (but it wouldn’t hurt to test a small spot first, just to make sure). It can remove the yellow storage stains from vintage linens. It can even help to lighten perspiration stains. I’m not kidding, I tried it.
What’s your go-to stain remover?
I love your blog! I came here from simple mom.
Have you found that any of your clothes have shrunk since the water is hot?? With 2 young boys I’ll definitely be trying this trick
Ooh, I really needed this! I have no idea how my kids get their clothes so dirty…
Carrie, I didn’t notice any of the clothes shrink, because usually by this time the clothes have been washed several times already. I was concerned about that too.
I came yesterday from SimpleMom as well…and last night I read your entire blog start to finish! My only disappointment is that you only started recently.
I love this stain idea and will try it. My daughter’s 3.5 and some of her favorite shirts are no longer the color they began. I’ll have to do this this weekend!
I’m glad to have so many new readers from Simple Mom! Welcome.
Good morning Rachel! My favorite is Kids ‘N’ Pets. It’s in the cleaner aisle in Wal-Mart. It is cheap and it works wonders on stains that should be treated with cold water (blood, urine, vomit). The only thing we have noticed it fading was black cotton. But do test it in a hidden area before using on your furniture or rugs. http://www.kidsnpetsbrand.com
Thanks for this recipe! I will have to give it a try…
I will do a post soon about one of my favorite “homemade” cleaners…not for clothes but for carpets.
I can’t wait to try this! I always have mystery stains leftover after I wash clothes. I am hoping this will work on those, too. Thanks!
thank you so much for the tip! I’m going to give it a little try later tonight, a lot of our kids whites aren’t so sparkly lately
I just love the little picture you drew… too cute!
If you ever need to remove ink – train pre treating with rubbing alcohol – works awesome.
Hey there! I found your blog on Simple Mom! Great post! I love your blog!!
This tip is AWESOME and I can’t wait to give it a try! Thank you for sharing! I LOVE your little picture…that is so stinkin’ cute, helpful too!!
This is an awesome tip – thank you!
I do love those powdered oxygen cleaners–they do some wonderful things for old baby clothes (since I do quite a bit of thrift store shopping), and this method sounds great!
My two personal favorite stain removers, though, are the Spray and Wash stick (it honest to goodness takes out things that the liquid won’t) and the sun (which is amazing at fading stains on white clothes–and it’s free!).
I’m really enjoying your blog, especially your month of no spending. I’ve done that off and on and it’s so pleasant to be able to say no to a trip to Target when I know I’ll wind up buying a few things in addition to the box of diapers I sort of need but husband can pick up on his way home.
I’d be super interested in participating in a group ‘no spend month’ if you’ve thought of hosting one. It would be another great way to drive traffic to our fabulous blogs
Love it! I think my hubby would like a No-Spend year! Lol.
I saw your guest post on Simple Mom and was intrigued to check out your blog. I love your No-Spend idea, we may have to try that next month. It would definetely be a real challenge for us.
And THANK YOU for this stain remover recipe/tip. I’ve been trying to get stains out of my 20 month olds clothes for a long time, I’ve used so many stain removers and it pretty much only fades the stain, never completely removes the stain. So Thank You.
Oh, YES, I found you through Simple Mom. But who knows how on earth I got to her?! LOL.
What a great tip!! I am a fan of the shout stick as well. Love your blog. It is exactly what I have been looking for. Good luck with your no spend month!
haha! my daughter has the exact same shirt–and it’s been attacked by the “berry monster” as well!! that is so very funny–thanks for the tip!
I just found your blog and totally relate! I am a new mom as well (I have one two year old) and struggle with being “good enough” instead of perfect. That is something I am always praying about/ working on. It’s a hard one for me to learn.
I have recently decided to stay home full time so my husband and I are looking for ways to save and try and tackle some debt. It’s good to see others with similar goals!
I’ll be adding you to my blog roll and checking back. Beautiful site
Hello!
Just wanted to say *hello* and that I’m really loving your blog! I can’t remember exactly how I found it–all that crazy blog-hopping I do, I’m sure:)
Thanks for the great tip on stain removal!
Another cleaner you should check out is “Folex” It has been around for years and works on anything (blood, oil, tar, red wine, anything a dog, baby, adult can produce. It is advertised as a carpet cleaner but it can be used on clothing or uphostelry. You can get it at Walmart or Home Depot. It typically runs about $4 for a 32oz. bottle.
Red wine and white carpet: blot up the wine as best you can, then apply salt very liberally to the area. Then pour water on the stain and salt, wait a few minutes, then blot up. Only takes a few times before the stain is gone!
Homemade *Shout* recipe:
SprayBottle (old shout or spray&wash)
1Cup of Wisk Detergent
1Cup of Vinegar
1Cup of Ammonia (low suds)
1Cup of Water
shake gently before spraying or use a 1/4 Cup in a soaking pan. this stuff works!
*do not mix with bleach!
I would die if I didn’t have any Oxiclean on hand!
well, maybe not death but I would be pretty desperate! I can’t imagine how many outfits I would give away because they had stains and having to buy new clothes for the next babe.
I’m pretty laid back until it comes to looking atleast halfway decent, it drives me crazy to see my 15mo old daughter in mismatched dirty/stained clothes! (unless there is a purpose – such as photos with a giant sticky lollipop in a beautiful white dress! and yes! oxiclean got it ALL out! amazing!!!)
Anyway….
LOVE your blog! I’m planning a no-spend month! Keep up the great writing!
Hello,
Found you site looking for a homemade carpet spot cleaner…does anyone have a recipe from products in the kitchen?
Thanks
Hey Nicole, once I had a carpet cleaner over at my house, and he suggested simply using really hot water to get out carpet stains. Sometimes I’ll heat up water on the stove and use that with a rag if I don’t use a product.
Genius.
Sarah@Life in the Parsonage´s last blog post..Oh I Dare…
Rug cleaner home made
rub spot with mens shaving cream and after that rub in orange cleaner the one men use when they are done fixing cars to get the greese off there hands then brush stain away!
I use a similar but safer technique for delicates.
In the sink, get the garment all wet, but let the water out.
Sprinkle the Oxy cleaner liberally over the stain. Leave for a few hours, and wash as normal.
OR
If it’s a greasy stain you can pretreat with dish soap. And then, depending on the colour of the garment, use a half a can of cola or gingerale/lemon-lime/tonic water. The cola really seems to work, but I can’t bring myself to put it on whites. The gingerale seems to work just fine for light-colored items.
Rachel,
Cannot remember how or when I found your blog. But one thing I do know – it is a balm. The necessary injection of simplicity in a life at times crowded with the unecessary. Countless times I have clicked onto smallnotebook, wondering what nugget would lay in store, and each time I come away smiling. Stay simple, stay blessed.
Rachael
Quick question – do you keep the heat on the pot for the 4-6 hours? Thanks.
bean´s last blog post..canadian swim cap
I turn the heat off and then let the clothes soak. I use a big, heavy stainless steel pot that keeps the water warm. Sometimes I let the clothes soak overnight, and it’s ok if the water doesn’t stay hot.
i think that u shouldn’t let it stay over night…..
I stumbled upon your site searching for a way to get yellow “storage stains” out of several white Strausburg dresses. I’m wondering: since I have quite a few to clean, and no way do I have a big enough pan, what if I used my washing machine as the pot, and poured the water heated on the stove into it?
Thanks! Now I’m off to read about this no-spending month…
Hi Emily, I’m sure that would work fine. Some people may even have water from the tap that is hot enough as it is.
Just to let you know…..this works great but will remove iron on numbers/names from uniforms. I learned the hard way. Also certain detergents will react to the intense heat and change the color of the garment.
That is a great result, especially with blueberry stains which are a bear to get out. I also recommend using liquid hydrogen peroxide, which is basically what oxyclean is in powdered form. I love that (generally) hydrogen peroxide is safe for colors, because who just stains white stuff that you can bleach?
Taylor at Stain-Removal-101.com´s last blog post ..Removing Lime Stains – Lime Stain Removal Tips
I don’t have any Oxy Clean (or anything of the like) but I did see someone mention that liquid hydrogen peroxide would work. How much liquid would be comparable to the powder?
Thanks!
I’m not sure, I haven’t tried that personally.
I wouldn’t do that. Peroxide bleaches hair, colored clothes, anything. If you can’t find the Oxy-type powders in your grocery, order it online.
Sounds awesome! What about bleeding though… i.e. any bleeding during this process or how to treat “bleeds”?
So I tried this and it works great! Made my son’s onesies whiter than ever.. and those stained dish towels are now new again.
Only downfall is that I used my calphalon pot to soak and it left a white residue all over the inside. Total bummer since it wouldn’t scrub off. Now I do the soaking in a bucket and cover the top with a folded towel to lock the steam.
Oh no, I hope the residue came off eventually! I tried it in a teflon pot and a stainless steel pot and didn’t experience that result.
I am a new reader and have so enjoyed what I have read so far. For blood stains, use human spit and it takes out the blood. It works great.