If you feel like it's your only option, though, start with diluted oxygen bleach and move on to chlorine bleach if necessary. Really old, stubborn stains sometimes respond best to liquid glycerin. Rub it in, let it soak and then launder again.
Yes! Vanish is capable of removing old stains as well as new stains.
Solution 2: How to remove set in stains with white vinegar!
Yet again white vinegar comes to the rescue when it comes to household chores. Considered to be as effective as oxygen bleach by many, white vinegar is incredibly powerful when it comes to removing stubborn stains.
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.
Crush three uncoated aspirin with the back of a spoon and mix into ½ cup of room temperature water. Allow the stained fabric to soak in this mixture for 2-3 hours. Then wash the garment as you usually would. Remove blood stains with hydrogen peroxide or meat tenderizer.
Unfortunately you can't treat every stain immediately so sometimes they set. But OxiClean™ Max Force™ and its 5 Powerful Stain Fighters, can help you get out old stains.
Make a paste using equal parts baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Cover the stain and let it sit for over an hour in direct sunlight. At this point, check your progress to see how much of a dent you've made in the stain. Continue to let sit, then hand wash or launder according to care instructions.
In a spray bottle combine, 1 tablespoon of both glycerin and dish soap to 1.5 cups of warm water. Shake up the mixture. Spray the stain, making sure to soak the entire area. Let sit on the stain for about 15-20 minutes.
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.
Cocoa is made up of some of the world's toughest stains. It is essentially made from chocolate, which by itself is already a big culprit for dark stains. Apart from this, the drink also proves to be a tough stain to remove because it has the strong combination of proteins, fat, and sugar.
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.
Unfortunately for everyone, some stains are permanent. They simply become part of the fabric. Continued attempts to remove them will cause dye loss or fabric damage, known as chafing or fraying. Many stains are removed by the dry cleaning machine and require no additional effort from the cleaner.
Certain types of fibers, such as wool, cotton, silk, and some nylons are particularly susceptible to permanent staining from coffee, tea, wine, etc. Be aware of hot liquids, especially. Of course, bleach and household chemicals (see below) can cause permanent staining as well.
The longer a stain is left untreated, the less likely it is to be removed. When a spill first occurs, it sits on the surface of the fabric, but over time, that spill can start to react with the fabric causing the fabric to actually change colors.
Try Baking Soda + Vinegar
Sprinkle a layer of dry baking soda on the stain. Then, mix a cup of white vinegar with a cup of water and a few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle. The vinegar will foam when it hits the baking soda which will clean the stain.
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!
The best overall stain remover for most fabrics and stains is a 50-50 mix of white vinegar and water.
“A paste of vinegar and baking soda can remove even the toughest stains,” she says. There's a misconception that vinegar will remove color from clothes but in fact, it's gentle enough to use on most fabrics, vinegar can actually restore and brighten color in fabric and can also prevent fading.
Mix 1 tablespoon of liquid laundry detergent with enzymes with 1 cup of water. Add 1/4 teaspoon of white vinegar and stir. Use a Dobie All Purpose Cleaning Pad to apply the detergent-vinegar mixture to your unidentified stain. Blot with the pad until the stain is gone.
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.
Don't give up if your first soak in OxiClean isn't completely successful. It's expected that “some stains require repeated or longer treatments.” Try, try again. Rinse your fabric or surface with clean water, then try another OxiClean soak and see if the stain improves.
You can't use Oxiclean to clean everything
The Environmental Working Group warned that materials such as silk, leather, and wool should not be cleaned with Oxiclean. Instead, you should follow the recommended washing instructions on the label or have them dry-cleaned.
Apply a Coat of Wood Stain Remover and Wait
If you're removing stain from a piece of furniture or working on a small area, you can apply the stripper with a natural bristle brush. Pour what you need into a metal or aluminum pan, and brush a thick, even layer of stain stripper onto the surface.