Our top pick for the best laundry stain remover is the Shout Advanced Grease Busting Foam. This affordable stain remover received perfect scores for ease of use, effectiveness, and value. It features stain-removing ingredients that dissolve tough grease stains, and it's safe to use on machine washable fabrics.
Shout Advanced Stain Remover for Clothes with Scrubber Brush
It's no surprise that two products with built-in applicator brushes — our best overall pick from Carbona and this product from Shout — earned the top two spots in our stain-removing tests with both showing similar results in the Lab.
Soak the item of clothing in warm water, then apply a few drops of dish soap on the stain. Hold the material around the stain and start rubbing the sides against each other to work up a lather. This will help the fabric absorb the soap. Let it sit for about an hour or so before putting it through the washing machine.
Mixing 1 part dish soap to 2 parts peroxide and water. Applying the mixture to the dried stains. Putting on a glove and rubbing the mixture gently onto the stain. Letting it sit overnight.
Try one of our alternative stain removers for dried-on, tricky marks that don't come out in a regular wash: Baking soda: make into a paste with water and scrub into stains. Leave for a few minutes then rinse. White vinegar: soak clothes in water then scrub with a solution of a equal parts baking soda and white vinegar.
Sadly, there is no one-size-fits-all stain remover, so that's why we always ask that you share as much information as possible at drop off. There are some stains that are incredibly stubborn, but place that stain on a delicate fabric, then it becomes even more challenging and sometimes impossible to remove.
Once a stain has been dried it's very hard to remove, but it is possible. If you've already used a stain remover, try using it again. More than likely you'll need to soak the stain or use a more aggressive stain remover. On white clothes, try using lemon juice and placing the garment in the sun.
Yes! Vanish is capable of removing old stains as well as new stains.
A mixture of dishwashing liquid and hydrogen peroxide is an effective homemade laundry stain remover. The dishwashing liquid contains ingredients to tackle greasy stains and the hydrogen peroxide helps remove discoloration.
For a tried and true cleaner to tackle hard water stains, we recommend Bio-Clean Hard Water Stain Remover. It's easy to use, efficient, and it smells pleasant, too. For a more budget-friendly but still effective pick, check out CLR Multi-Use Calcium, Lime & Rust Remover.
By comparison, OxiClean suggests that you don't leave it on a garment for more than six hours, because it can start to damage the fabric.
Heat can set stains permanently. Once you toss the item into the dryer, the stain is set for good.
Old Stains There is often the effect of time upon a stain: the older the stain, the harder it is to remove. Drycleaners who are trained in stain removal prefer to work on fresh stains which have not had time to "set" or react with the fabric, dyes, finish, or atmosphere.
You're Using Too Much Detergent or Softener
Higher-efficiency washing machines need less detergent and/or detergent pods, so if you're finding white or blue cast stains on your clothes right after the wash, you could be putting too much soap into the drum.
In fact, water-based wood stains are usually dry within a few hours of the first coat. Oil-based stains can take up to 3 days to completely dry. After the stain has fully cured, you can seal the project with polyurethane or apply additional coats of stain until you reach the desired shade.
The most likely reason is time. When it comes to stain removal, time is the biggest factor. The age of the stain often determines whether it's removable or not. If treated quickly enough, in the hands of a trained professional, almost any stain can be removed from almost any fabric.
Hydrogen peroxide works differently than vinegar and is better at removing different types of stains. Hydrogen peroxide doesn't actually remove stains—it just makes them invisible! It breaks up strong chemical bonds in stains including ink, and in doing so it makes the stains colorless—but they're still there!
Richardson recommends The Laundress' All-Purpose Bleach Alternative, which you can use as a pre-soak or as a laundry boost in a normal load (just follow product instructions). Other options include Nellie's Oxygen Brightener Powder or Branch Basics' Oxygen Boost, which you can find in the brand's laundry starter kit.
White vinegar is a magical stain remover to have on hand in your laundry room. You can leave your clothes soft and fresh with just three minutes of simple soaking time in distilled white vinegar before adding them to your washing machine. It's safe on fabrics--no artificial chemicals or fabric softeners needed!
Don't use OxiClean on wool, silk, or other off-limits fabrics.
probably at least a cup of the Oxy Clean and Biz, ½ - ¾ cup of Cascade and ⅓ cup of Dawn. if you are using a larger container, use more soap. then, mix it all up.
Step Two: I let the clothes soak in the OxiClean for about 8 hours (6 hours is recommended but I just let mine soak overnight). Note: I literally let these SOAK.