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Laundry Stain Treatments: Tip Sheet
*Each point is a separate treatment, choose one method. Test a small hidden area first to make sure garment color or fibers won’t be damaged.
Blood Stain Removal
- Apply hydrogen peroxide to the stain, cover with salt, then sit for several minutes. You should see the blood draw up from the garment. Remove salt once stain has lifted and launder as usual. Test a small, hidden area first to make sure the color won’t be bleached.
- Try rinsing the stain area in cool water then sprinkle on meat tenderizer. Sit for a few minutes then launder as usual.
- You could also use hydrogen peroxide plain, apply to area, sit for a few minutes then launder in cool water (first test a small hidden area to make sure the garment color won’t be bleached).
- Make a batch of cold, salty water and soak garment overnight. General guideline is 1 TBS salt per 2 1/2 cups of water. Launder as usual.
Chocolate Stain Removal
- Mix 4 TBS borax with 2 1/2 cups of warm water, soak garment in solution. After soaking, place stained area under cool running water, if stain doesn’t disappear, rub with a bar of laundry soap. Launder as usual.
Coffee Stain Removal
- Same as chocolate stains, see above.
Grass Stain Removal
- Before washing items with grass stains, try dabbing a generous amount of vinegar into the stain first. Launder as usual. This should help lift the stain right out.
- Wet stain with water and cover with sugar. Leave for at least 1 hour then launder as usual.
Ink Stains
Lipstick Stains
- Saturate a clean white cloth with household winger, rub lipstick stain lightly until it is removed.
Mildew Stains
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice on the spots then sprinkle with salt. Let dry in the sun. Launder as usual. Try this treatment for old stains, great for those vintage linens!
Mustard Stains
- Mix 1 TBS laundry detergent with 1/4 cup warm water. Soak stain overnight and launder as usual.
- Apply a few drops of liquid dish detergent to stain, gently rub into stain and soak overnight, launder as usual.
Perspiration Stains
- Mix a solution of water and vinegar (60/40) then sponge onto stain areas. Launder as usual.
- Mix a solution of 1 quart warm water with 4 TBS table salt, soak garment. Wash as usual.
Ring Around The Collar
- Try rubbing toothpaste along the stain before tossing in the washing machine. Careful on items that aren’t white, the toothpaste could cause discoloration.
- Use 3 parts baking soda to 2 parts vinegar to make a paste, rub into stain and allow to set for 60 minutes, launder as usual (found on 10 Laundry Boosters Using Vinegar).
You could also dab toothpaste on white items that have hard to remove stains–it just might do the trick!
Rust Spots On Cloth Items
- Try treating the stains with a 50/50 mixture of lemon juice and water. Let sit for about 30 minutes before washing.
- Rub powdered Cream of Tartar into stain, then wash in hot soapy water. You can also boil garment in water mixed with Cream of Tartar (4 tsp Cream of Tartar per pint of water).
Rust stains on laundry can happen if your washing machine or dryer has a part that’s rusted. It can also be caused by hard water or if the clothing was accidentally washed with something metal that rusted in the wash.
Did you know: Chlorine bleach will make the rust stains harder to remove or even permanent?
Wine Stains
- Mix 1 1/4 cups of water and 2 tsp borax, apply over stain. Soak for 15 minutes, launder as usual.
More tips for stain removal:
*Some of the information above was previously published as individual Quick Tips. They’ve been moved here into one list for convenience. All bookmarks will automatically forward to this page.
Don't Miss These Tips:
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I am greatful for all of the wonderful ideas you have! Not just the laundry ones, but recipes and kitchen helps too. The reason I am writing is I’d like to know how (and if it’s at all possible) to get grease splatters out of clothes. I cook a lot but grease always seems to splatter on my shirt and I haven’t found anything that works yet! Thank you for reading, Karen
My son worked at KFC and his shirts were always covered with grease. Spraying them with GooGone before washing them was the only thing I found that got the grease out.
Tip I received from a seamstress: If you prick your finger while sewing, getting blood on the garment, spit on the blood stain to remove it. If it’s your blood, your own saliva will remove it.
I rubbed dawn dish liquid into a blood stain they used the sink sprayer to force the bubbles through after it soaked for 1/2 hour or so. Took the blood right out!
The absolute BEST chocolate stain remover EVER is club soda! My mother-in-law told me about it, and I couldn’t believe it…the stain just disappeared with no rubbing at all. It works best on fresh stains, but it will work with fels-naptha laundry bar soap on set in stains too. Guess some “soda jerk” discovered this fix!
I accidently washed and dried a load of clothes that had a shimmmering peach chap sick type product in a pocket. All of my work scrubs and three of my husbands dress shirts are stained. Anybody know how to get this out? I tried to re-wash the load after treating individualy with oxy stain remover and it didn’t do a thing.
RUST stains: I have been most successful removing rust stains on WHITE clothing using TOILET BOWL cleaner listed as a rust remover. Test first; then Saturate the spot, give it a few minutes or longer to work, scrub with an old toothbrush used for cleaning (rinse it afterwards) and rinse and dry, or wash in the laundry with other whites. Works like a charm.
Meat tenderizer works on blood. You can make a paste and put it on the blood stain. The enzymes break down the proteins. I usually use the hydrogen peroxide as a rinse and then follow with the meat tenderizer as a paste. After is sits for a while, I wash the item in cold water and it comes out perfect. I get bloody noses, a lot, so I know this works.