Welcome to our comprehensive "Wash and Fold Laundry Stain Removal Guide"! If you dread seeing stains on your favorite clothes, this ultimate stain removal guide is for you. We'll share how to treat stains and prevent them from ruining your clothes.
Consider this your stain salvation handbook. We'll dive into effective solutions for all types of stains - from red wine to grease and everything in between. With our insider tips, you'll be able to rescue stained clothes and keep your wardrobe looking brand new. Say goodbye to wardrobe mishaps and hello to spotless attire with our expert insights!
The Key to Laundry Stain Removal is Acting Quickly!
For the most effective stain removal, deal with the stain as quickly as possible. The less time a stain has to soak into your clothing, the easier it is to remove. Whether you’re stuck at a backyard BBQ with limited options or in the comfort of your home with a laundry room nearby, act quickly!
Pre-treat with a stain remover and allow it to soak in. Remember, the longer you let it soak, the easier it will be to remove.
Launder the stained piece of clothing according to the instructions on the garmet, using the hottest setting the fabric allows. If the stain persists, repeat the process and try scrubbing the stain out of the damp garment. It’s important that you do not to put it in the dryer until the stain is removed!
How to Pretreat and Soak Stained Laundry
Pretreatment is critical for effective stain removal.
What You’ll Need:
- A large container or bucket
- Oxi-Clean powder
- Warm water
- A place to store the bucket while it soaks
- Rubber gloves
The size of the bucket depends on how much clothing you are soaking. If it’s more convenient, you may want to wait and soak everything together to save time, but keep in mind that stains can become more stubborn the longer you wait.
You’ll also need a place to leave the bucket while it soaks, such as in an empty bathtub or shower that you don’t often use. Ensure that children do not have access to the bucket.
Oxi Clean is a powerful stain remover, but it can be harsh on the skin. Prioritize your safety by wearing rubber gloves to shield your skin from potential irritation, itchiness, and redness during the cleaning process.
Follow these steps for effective stain removal:
- Read the product instructions and measure the appropriate amount of Oxi Clean into a bucket. Remember, a little goes a long way, especially with an extended soak time.
- Fill with warm or hot water to help the Oxi Clean dissolve.
- Use your gloved hand to gently mix the Oxi Clean as it dissolves into the water.
- Submerge your stained clothes into the mixture, ensuring they are fully saturated.
- Allow the clothes to soak. You can choose to leave them for a few hours or days – just check on the clothes periodically for noticeable color changes.
Treating Stains with Laundry Detergent
When dealing with most wash-and-fold laundry fabrics, effective stain removal begins with a careful process. Start by blotting any of the excess stain and then rinse the affected area with cold water. It's crucial to avoid rubbing the stain, as this can push it deeper into the fabric. Thanks to advancements in modern detergents, keeping your favorite clothes in pristine condition has become more effortless than ever.
Prewash stain removers are concentrated solutions specifically crafted to be applied directly onto stains. On the other band, detergents, which mix in with ample water during the washing process, may have their stain-removing power diluted. However, if you apply a small amount of detergent directly to the stain before washing and allow it to sit, the detergent alone can effectively eliminate stains. This simple yet strategic application ensures that the detergent's stain-fighting properties are fully utilized for optimal results.
Here are our favorite detergents for removing laundry stains.
Frey Detergent
Frey Detergents are made with biodegradable, natural ingredients and have a concentrated formula that helps tominimize waste and maximize stain removal. Frey detergents do not include parabens, synthetic dyes, and are not tested on animals.
Dropps Detergent
Dropps laundry detergent offers a range of captivating scents. Crafted with the environment in mind, every pod is designed to make a minimal environmental impact while delivering a powerful punch against stains. The commitment to sustainability extends to the packaging, as all Dropps laundry detergent pods are packaged in recyclable cardboard boxes.
Treating Stains with Prewash Stain Removers
Over-the-counter prewash stain removers, available in the form of sprays, sticks, and liquids, are effective on a wide array of fabrics. But how do they work, and what makes them so effective?
Basically, their effectiveness largely hinges on the simple principle of keeping the stain wet. Preventing the stain from drying—even just with water—is more beneficial than letting it dry. However, these versatile products go beyond the hydrating effect of water.
Most prewash stain removers leverage a combination of hydrogen peroxide, detergents, surfactants, and water to disintegrate stain molecules. Striking a balance between strength and gentleness, these formulations are strong enough to tackle most laundry stains while ensuring the preservation of your clothing.
It is important to use a stain treatment quickly and many of these removers conveniently come in pocket-size packaging, allowing for immediate application.
Here are some of our preferred options for on-the-go stain removal:
Miss Mouths
Miss Mouths stands out as a nontoxic and remarkably effective stain remover tailored for the wide spectrum of stains that come with handling kids. Its’ swift and safe treatment ensures stains are dealt with efficiently.
Emergency Stain Rescue
Accidents happen, but stains shouldn’t. Emergency Stain Rescue is an on-the-spot solution that swiftly and safely rescues your clothes, carpets, and upholstery from life's unexpected mishaps.
Treating Stains with Bleach & Laundry Whiteners
When faced with whites who have lost their luster, many people consider reaching for the iconic bottle of Clorox bleach. Not so fast.
Bleach is very powerful. We like to say it’s like using a tractor to pick a single weed in your yard. Opt for a milder laundry whitener instead, as there are big differences between bleach and various laundry whitener subsets.
Explore softer, more reasonable laundry whiteners with our top picks. For an in-depth guide, check out The Best Bleaches and Whiteners for Brighter Laundry in 2024.
Unless you’re cleaning commercial laundry, you can likely skip the bleach and instead opt for a softer laundry whitener. Here are our favorites.
White Brite
White Brite Laundry Cleaner is effective on yellowed whites that oxi cleaners couldn't tackle..
Molly’s Suds
Molly’s Suds, a laundry booster infused with 100% natural lemon essential oil, serves as both a stain treatment and a versatile stain remover without synthetic additives.
Seventh Generation
Perfect for sensitive skin, Seventh Generation Oxygen Bleach is U.S. EPA Safer Choice-certified, ensuring safer ingredients for both human health and the environment.
Most Common Stains & Stain Treatment
Dealing with common stains equires specific strategies. Here are our favorites to remove sweat, poop, grease, blood, wine, and more:
Best Way to Remove Sweat Stains?
Mix a quick stain remover using white vinegar, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide. It's crucial to use white vinegar exclusively, as other types do not offer the same results. Combine one cup of white vinegar with ½ cup of baking soda, adding one tablespoon of salt and one tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide to create a paste-like consistency.
Next, scrub the solution into the sweat stain using a toothbrush or laundry brush.
After scrubbing, let the shirt soak. For newer stains, a 10 or 15-minute soak should do the trick. For older stains, let the shirt sit for a few hours, although it’s best to leave it overnight.
Lastly, machine wash the shirt and follow the garment instructions.
Keep in mind that vinegar is highly acidic, which makes it very effective against tough sweat stains. However, use caution with certain fabrics, as vinegar may be too harsh. Additionally, avoid using chlorine bleach or club soda for sweat stain removal. Bleach can cause damage and may darken pit stains further, while club soda is only effective when applied before the stain sets.
Best Way to Remove Poop Stains?
Parents understand the challenge of dealing with baby poop – it gets everywhere, and it leaves stubborn stains, especially with newborns and breastfed babies.
Pretreat: Soak the Outfit in Cold Water
Run the outfit under cold water to remove as much of the poop as possible. If you’re not able to wash it right away, leave the outfit to soak in a bowl of cold water. This prevents the stain from setting in, making it easier to remove later. Letting the fabric dry makes the stain more challenging to tackle.
After pretreating, wash the outfit according to these steps:
Step 1: Use Oxi Clean following the load size directions. This can be added to pretreatment or the warm water wash cycle.
Step 2: Wash the clothing in warm water. Cold water may not effectively remove the stain. For difficult stains, the agitation of a normal wash cycle is essential. For delicate outfits, consider the gentle cycle, though it may be less effective at stain removal.
Step 3: Air dry outside in the sunlight, so you can use the sun's powerful bleaching qualities. Avoid using the dryer, as wet clothes may disguise stains, and the dryer could set any remaining stains.
Best Way to Remove Grease Stains?
Treat the grease stain with a small amount of dishwashing soap that is about the size of a button.
Use your fingers to rub the soap over the entire stained area and allow a few minutes to let the soap set. The cleaning agents in the detergent grab and hold grease until the stain is washed away in the rinse cycle.
Toss the stained garment into the washing machine with similar items and wash normally.
Best Way to Remove Blood Stains?
Apply a small amount of hydrogen peroxide directly to the blood stain and watch as the stain disappears. In the case of old or stubborn stains, reapply as needed. After the stain is removed, rinse the area with cold water to remove any peroxide that may be left behind.
Best Way to Remove Juice Stains?
Spray a diluted dishwashing soap solution on the juice stain to remove sugars. Use an eyedropper of vinegar followed by hydrogen peroxide to remove any remaining color. Finish with an enzyme detergent to remove residue before washing.
Best Way to Remove Grass Stains?
Mix a tablespoon of baking soda with a few drops of hydrogen peroxide to form a thick paste. Apply this to the grass stain and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Scrub with a brush, rinse with cool water, apply detergent, let sit, then rinse again in cool water.
Best Way to Remove Wine Stains?
Mix equal parts dishwashing detergent and hydrogen peroxide. Pour the mixture over the wine stain and let it soak in. You should see the stain begin to fade almost immediately. After you have allowed the mixture to soak, launder the clothing normally.
Best Way to Remove Coffee Stains?
Coffee stains are not permanent but can be difficult to remove depending on the soak time and the stain size. Most coffee stains can be removed, although the process varies and can be lengthy.
For dried coffee stains, you’ll need water, clean cloths or paper towels, liquid laundry detergent, and, in tough cases, white vinegar. If your clothing has a dried coffee stain, wet the stained area, and apply a few drops of laundry detergent while gently rubbing the stain with your fingers. Use a few drops of white vinegar if the stain persists.
Best Way to Remove Chocolate Stains?
The best way to remove chocolate stains from any fabric is to soak the fabric in a mixture of water and dishwashing soap, detergent, or vinegar to loosen and lift the stain. Use an enzyme cleaner for more stubborn smudges, and then wash and air dry until the stain has lifted.
Best Way to Remove Lipstick Stains?
Begin by pretreating the stain using a solvent-based stain removal product. If you don’t have a solvent-based pre-treater handy, apply a bit of heavy-duty liquid detergent to the stain and work it in by gently rubbing it with your fingers or a soft-bristled brush.
Allow the stain remover to sit for at least fifteen minutes, then wash the garment in the hottest water appropriate for the fabric following the guidelines on the care label. After washing, inspect the stained area before tossing it into the dryer. The dryer's high heat can make the stain very difficult to remove, especially for synthetic fabrics. . Repeat the treatment if necessary.
Best Way to Remove Ink Stains?
Rubbing alcohol should be your first choice for neutralizing and removing ink stains. When it comes to small ink stains, you can apply the rubbing alcohol to a clean cloth or paper towel and start soaking the stain. After a few minutes rinse and blot.
Your goal here is to soak up the ink and not scrub it away so make sure to focus on creating pressure instead of wiping or scrubbing. If you have an old or large ink stain, soak the area in rubbing alcohol for 10 to 15 minutes. After the rubbing alcohol has removed the ink, soapy water may also help.
Best Way to Remove Mud Stains?
Allow the mud to dry. Washing wet mud will only make the stain worse! Shake or brush off any dried-on mud that will come loose then spot-clean the stained area with liquid laundry detergent.
Need Some Help with Your Stained Laundry?
Our Wash and Fold Laundry Stain Removal Guide is a great place to start. But, some stains are best left to the professionals!
At 2ULaundry, we take pride in offering convenient and professional pickup and delivery services. Whether you require weekly laundry services for your everyday clothes or occasional assistance for your wash and fold laundry, we have you covered.
With fast, contactless pickup and delivery, special treatment preferences, and top-tier professional results, you won’t ever go back to doing your laundry again. Learn more about our services and schedule your first pickup today.
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2ULaundry is a premium laundry and dry-cleaning pick-up and delivery service available in Charlotte, Atlanta, Tampa, Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Phoenix. Learn more about 2ULaundry and sign up on our website.
