17 Laundry Stain Removal Tips

Laundry stain removal tips for smudges, drips, drops, and smears. No matter what their source, the key to keeping them from ruining your favorite clothes is to take quick action before the stain gets the chance to dry.

For most fabrics, this means blotting up the excess or rinsing the stain with cold water (don't rub; this spreads the stain and grinds it in deeper) and then pretreating the spot. Thanks today's detergents, keeping your favorite garments blemish-free is easier than ever.

These 17 stain removal tips can save your beloved clothes from ending up in the rag pile.

1.  Laundry Detergent Stain Removal Tips

When mixed with water, powdered detergent is especially effective at loosening ground-in dirt before washing so it can be carried away during the machine wash.

Liquid detergents can help make oil, grease, and food stains disappear. Prewash stain removers (available as sprays, sticks, and liquids) are effective on most fibers.

Either chlorine or oxygen bleach ("color-safe") in the wash cycle can help your detergent remove tough stains, including rust spots and dye stains. But only chlorine bleach kills bacteria and viruses.

2.  Laundry Stain Removal Tips for Blood Stains

3.  Chewing Gum Stain Removal

To remove chewing gum, rub the gummy sport with ice to harden it. Scrape away as much of the gum as possible with a dull knife. Saturate what remains with a prewash stain remover, rinse, and launder as usual.

4.   Chocolate Laundry Stain Removal Tips

Treat the spot with enzyme laundry detergent mix; allow to sit for 30 minutes. If a ring or a slight stain remains, feather the edges or spotty areas with a cloth dampened with hydrogen peroxide, rinse thoroughly with clear, cold water. 

5.    Removing Coffee Stains

To remove coffee stains, sponge with or soak in cold water. Apply a pretreating product on the stain. Wash as usual and air-dry; repeat if the stain remains.

6.    Cosmetic Stain Removal

7.    Removing Crayon Stains

Scrape off surface wax with a dull knife. Place the garment on paper towels, crayoned side up. Spray the crayon-smudged or melted-on area with WD-40. Let stand 10 minutes. Turn the garment over and spray the underside as well. Allow to sit another 10 minutes.

Using paper towels, blot on some hand dishwashing liquid mix, replacing the towels as they absorb the waxy colors. If crayons melted onto your dryer drum, too, spray a soft cloth with WD-40. Wipe clean.

8.  Grass Stains

Presoak or prewash the garment in warm water in a bucket or your washing machine (using the presoak setting) with a detergent containing enzymes. Launder as usual with chlorine bleach if it's safe for the fabric. If the care label instructions advise against it, use oxygen bleach instead.

9.   Ice Cream Stains

Apply the enzyme laundry detergent mix directly onto the smudge. Let sit for 30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with cold, clear water. 

10. Ink Stain Removal Tips

Pull the stained area of the fabric taut over a clear jam or jelly jar. Slowly drip isopropyl rubbing alcohol onto the spot until it lightens substantially. The liquid will dissolve the ink from the fabric and send it dripping colorfully into the jar. 

11.   Removing Juice Stains

Soak juice stains in cold water, then apply a pretreating product on the stain. Launder as label instructions recommend. Air-dry; do not place in dryer until the stain is completely gone.

12.   Removing Ketchup Drips

Apply Fels-Naptha paste, followed by ammonia and vinegar mixes if needed. This also works for spaghetti sauce, mayonnaise, and salad dressings. 

13.   Mildew Stain Removal

To remove mildew stains, douse the garment with a diluted solution of bleach and launder as recommended for the clothing. For mildewed leather, brush on an antiseptic mouthwash.

14.   Mud Stains

Brush off as much of the surface dirt as possible. Pretreat or presoak with laundry detergent. Launder as usual.

15.   Removing Perspiration and Deodorant Stains

Use a prewash stain remover; if the stains are old, apply white vinegar. Rinse, then launder using oxygen bleach in the hottest water that's safe to use with the fabric.

16.   Urine Stains

Cover with salt until all excess liquid is absorbed. Rinse in cold water. If a residual stain remains, apply white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Launder according to the instructions on the item's fabric-care label.

17.    Removing Wine Spills

Generously sprinkle salt on the site of the wine stain to keep additional liquid from saturating the surface. Sponge or soak the stain immediately in cold water for 30 minutes.  

Apply a dishwashing liquid solution, continuing to blot until no more stain is coming off on your paper towel or rag. Use this technique for soft-drink and fruit-drink spills, too. Wash as label instructions recommend.