How to remove set in stains | The Great American Laundromat (2023)

FAQs

How do you get set in stains out of clothes that have been dried? ›

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.

OxiClean has the best overall value for its ability to tackle tough, set-in stains on clothes and throughout other household areas. We think it's the best laundry stain cleaner on the market and can replace several products in the laundry room. OxiClean is also easy to use in most cases.

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.

Turns out the solution to these stubborn stains has been right in front of my face this entire time: It's Dawn Dish Soap.

Even if that stained shirt has been sitting at the bottom of the laundry bin forever, OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover can get out even old, set-in stains.

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!

In a spray bottle, combine 1 cup white vinegar and 1 cup water. Spritz the stain, then blot with a damp cloth. Next, dab with diluted ammonia (1 tablespoon clear ammonia in 1 cup water)—a step probably best saved for once you're home from the office, to avoid drawing attention to the aroma.

Are there any stains that Cannot be removed? ›

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.

The acetic acid in vinegar acts as a disinfectant and reacts with the baking soda to lift stains. This combination is also great for brightening whites. With a little bit of scrubbing and leaving the paste to set for 30 minutes, I was able to almost remove the stains completely from my white jeans.

As a Stain Remover

Make a paste with six tablespoons of baking soda and 1/3 cup of warm water, rub it into the stain and let it do its thing. The baking soda will lift the stain out of the fibers. Discard the baking soda before you put the item in the washer.

Distilled white vinegar is actually one of the best stain removers we have been given from nature. Found in invariably every household, it is mildly acidic, so acetic vinegar removes the tough spots and blotches without ruining the fabric of your clothes.

Enzymes. Enzymes are powerful stain removing ingredients. Their power is to break down stains—just like the enzymes in our digestive system help break down the food we eat.

Hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing liquid is one of the best stain removers around. Nurses have long known that this is the magic solution to getting rid of blood stains, and you can also use it on stains like mustard, ketchup, and even red wine. Scrub until the stain is gone, then launder as usual.

“Use a solution of 50 percent vinegar and 50 percent water on the stain. Apply liberally and then treat with laundry soap and water. “DO NOT put the garment in the dryer until you have seen that the stain is gone,” he warns.

If you find a stain on an item that has been through a hot dryer, it doesn't have to be permanent. By using the right laundry products and the right technique, stains that have been dried do come out.

Heat can set stains permanently. Once you toss the item into the dryer, the stain is set for good. If the stain remains after the first wash, pre-treat and wash again before drying to try and remove the stain.

How much dawn and peroxide does it take to remove stains? ›

So for a small stain mix 1 teaspoon of Dawn with two teaspoons of peroxide. For a large batch 1 cup of hydrogen peroxide to ½ cup detergent works! How to you remove stains with odors? Add a little bit of baking soda if your stain also has odor-like underarm stains, pet stains, vomit, or greasy stains.

Mix 1/4 cup of white vinegar, 1 tbsp. of dish soap, and water in a spray bottle. Spray the area liberally and let soak for 5-10 minutes and then blot again with a clean, dry towel until stain is removed.

According to the product page on Amazon: “Do not store solutions for more than 6 hours, as the pressure can build up and the container may rupture, causing injury.”

Don't use OxiClean on wool, silk, or other off-limits fabrics. OxiClean's manufacturer suggests that it should not be used on the following fabrics: wool, wool blends, silk, silk blends, leather, or on fabrics labeled dry clean only.

To treat stains, pour or spray a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on the stain. Allow it to soak into the fabric for about 10 minutes before washing the garment as usual.

“When you add peroxide to dish soap, it breaks down into oxygen and water. The soapy water then traps that oxygen, creating bubbles, making your dish soap extra foamy.”

“Peroxide kills bacteria, fungi and viruses,” Dr. Beers explains. “It can come in handy if you don't have disinfecting wipes or bleach. Just be careful not to get it on your clothes or furniture, or it may bleach them.”

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.

"The good news is that almost any stain will come out eventually," says Mr. Macpherson. As for stain-removal sprays and pre-treatments, these can be useful, but you will still have to rinse, check the stain and repeat if necessary.

Can you mix Dawn and vinegar and baking soda? ›

Cleaning Organizing. Tired of stinky, retail cleaners? Try this: Vinegar Cleaner: 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp Dawn dish soap 1 tbsp white vinegar Directions: Fill spray bottle with water. Add Dawn.

To remove stains with vinegar via pre-treating, you can dilute the vinegar with water (vinegar 1:3 Water) or soak in undiluted vinegar and allow garments to soak between 15-30 mins or even overnight depending on the stubbornness of the stain.

Don't mix baking soda and vinegar.

pH is a scale used to measure acidity or basicity in chemistry. Since vinegar has a low pH and baking soda high pH, they will neutralize each other when used together. What you want to do instead is to use baking soda first mixed with water to do your laundry.

House Cleaning Tips. Miracle stain remover!! Just mix equal parts of dawn dish soap, baking soda and peroxide and add a liberal amount to the stain rub in really good and let sit for at least 15 or 20 minutes then wash.

Sprinkle Baking Soda and Wait

Sprinkle baking soda on a wet stain and allow it to sit overnight to help remove both the stain and the odor.

Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide make a great stain remover — especially on yellowed whites. Spread a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide on stains, let it sit for half an hour, and launder as usual.

If you need to resurrect items from your wardrobe that have become dull and faded, here's her pro tip: "Soak [your clothing] overnight in a vinegar and water solution. Then wash using half to a full cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle," she says. This should be especially helpful from fulling darker colors.

The acetic acid in distilled white vinegar is so mild that it will not harm washable fabrics. Yet it is strong enough to dissolve residues (alkalies) left by ingredients in soaps and detergents. Adding just 1/2 cup of vinegar to the final rinse will result in brighter, clearer colors.

As safe as hydrogen peroxide is for clothes, there are just some fibers that hydrogen peroxide can't befriend. Synthetic fibers don't react very well with hydrogen peroxide and often result in a yellow tinge or stain. However, for natural fibers, hydrogen peroxide is just as functional as ever.

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.

What can cause stains to become permanent? ›

DRINK SPILLS

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.

However, most stains will become permanent if left untreated too long. When first coming into contact with fabric, most stains will initially remain on the surface and can be removed relatively easily. Over time, stains absorb into the fabric and permeate the fibres.

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.

To start, vinegar works as a very effective household cleaner because it is an acid. Acids remove stains and clean by adding a chemical charge to the stain's molecules. Much like a magnet being pulled by another magnet, these newly charged molecules become attracted to the positive and negative charges in water.

Dry cleaning is an effective stain removal method—especially when all else fails. We all know that stains require a prompt treatment; otherwise, they set-in and become incredibly hard to remove.

For tough stains, try blotting the stains with one of the following: 1/3 cup vinegar in 2/3 cup water; 2 tablespoons ammonia in 1 cup water; or rubbing alcohol, either straight or mixed with an equal amount of water. Rinse well and then launder as usual.

Stains are harder to remove after a long period of time because they have “time to set” and cling to fibers; most difficult to remove if petroleum based. It can be done by “pretreating” the stains with a remover that is specifically made to combat that particular type of stain.