According to Flores, blood, grass, ink, and wine are some of the hardest stains to remove, especially once they’ve set in. Other common stains, such as food, oil, makeup, grease, grime, dirt, coffee, and baby stains, can be removed with the right product and pre-treatment if necessary. All of this comes at a fair price, too. "The bottle isn't huge," notes our tester. "But, you still get enough to work on really large or tough stains. The bristle applicator is a major bonus as the friction really seemed to help lift some of the tougher stains, like makeup." With OxiClean stain remover, the length of time you let the product sit can make a big difference. The longer you let the product set, the more it removes the stain. A heads-up that applying the cleaner to the stain takes some effort, because you have to mix the powder in a spray bottle and the process can get messy. You can also use it when pre-soaking laundry, though, and overall it was relatively easy to use. During application, we noticed that the bar can get a bit slippery if your hands are wet, which is quite possible as you have to rinse the fabric during application.

Tide to Go Instant and Effective Stain Remover | Tide Tide to Go Instant and Effective Stain Remover | Tide

Powerful solution breaks stains down; microfiber pad lifts and absorbs them. Works well on tomato juice, ketchup, BBQ sauce, grape juice, coffee, wine, tea, chocolate syrup, and more. In our testing, most of the laundry stain removers struggled to completely remove set-in foundation—even the best results were significantly faded. Dried-on stains left visible traces of mustard, curry sauce and foundation, but all other stains were completely cleared. Buy a stain removing product. Stain removers such as OxiClean and Resolve are readily available at grocery and drug stores. These are designed to remove tough stains like ink, dirt, and other stains.Got yourself a stain that just won’t go? Feel free to repeat these steps as many times as necessary until it’s gone. Make sure you’re prepared to face unexpected stains with the Tide to go stain pen. Tide to go is an instant stain remover designed to help eliminate some of the toughest fresh food and drinks stains on the spot. Thanks to its powerful cleaning solution, this easy-to-handle stain removing pen gets small stains out of your clothes before they set in. Best of all, Tide to Go travels easily to stop stains on the spot. While this is a higher-priced option than others we tested, we appreciate that the formula includes ingredients certified by the EPA Safer Choice Program, and that it's versatile enough for carpets, upholstery, and even car seats. If you're looking for a stain remover that's effective on clothing and useful around the home, and boasts environmentally friendly ingredients, Defunkify is a more than solid choice. The grass, marker, and syrup were all totally removed and no residue from the stain or cleaner remains,” says our tester. “I was worried about the stain transferring based on the sudsiness of the application process, but it all washed away cleanly.” Even though this laundry stain remover comes in a small bottle, our testers found that a little goes a long way. For best results, apply the product to a stain, gently scrub using the applicator brush, let sit for five minutes, and wash like normal.

Stain Removers for Clothes – PureWow The 8 Best Stain Removers for Clothes – PureWow

While it wasn’t quite as impressive on polycotton, or in terms of dried-in stains, it still achieved an impressive overall score thanks to its generally strong performance. This product seemed to work better on set-in stains. For those spots and smears that you've been putting off, or that need more attention, it's worth your consideration—as long as it's not wine or foundation, as those faded but were not completely removed. It also has a very light scent, which our tester found to be pleasant.This article was co-authored by Rani Gorgis. Rani Gorgis is a Laundry and Cleaning Specialist and the Owner of Park Blvd Laundry & Dry Cleaners in San Diego, California. With several years of experience in the laundry and cleaning industry, Rani specializes in dry cleaning, wash-n-fold, shirt laundry, and servicing smoke-damaged clothes. He holds a BS in Accounting and a CPA certification. If you're currently managing your laundry without a stain remover in the mix, please first accept our humble congratulations. Second, allow us to make a few suggestions in case the day finally arrives when you'll need to add one to your routine. Laundry stain removers use enzymes or oxidation to break down and remove tough stains on clothing, and they offer a more targeted approach to spot removal than traditional detergent. As Kathy Cohoon, franchise owner at Two Maids & A Mop, says, "Stain removers are going where they should," unlike general detergents that wash an entire article of clothing. As the label claims, this laundry stain remover was specifically formulated for grease and oil, which makes it especially effective for mechanics, cooks, and messy eaters. We also love that this stain remover is safe to use on colorfast and machine-washable fabrics in any water temperature. When using stain removers (like this product) that need to be pre-treated, Flores recommends dampening the stain with warm water, applying the stain remover, and letting it sit for a couple of minutes before washing.

The 12 Best Laundry Stain Removers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

Formulas vary from brand to brand, but you'll find some consistencies from one product to the next. For oxygen-based cleaners, picture the active ingredients as similar to hydrogen peroxide. That bubbly reaction you may know from using hydrogen peroxide in first aid is a similar process to what's happening when you use oxygen-based cleaners with your laundry. We don’t just have money to go buy new jeans and I’ve been waiting a while for these and now they’re completely ruined 😭 Cover the stain with an alcohol-based cleaner. Use enough hairspray, rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer to fully cover the stain. Use cotton swabs to apply the household product, especially if the ink stain is a thin line.Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox. For an effective stain remover that doubles as a "stink remover," too, look no further than HEX. The cleaner has a slight lemon scent that nicely covered up the normal chemical smell that cleaners typically have. The product itself is noted as fragrance-free, containing no added fragrances. The scent comes from the formula itself, which also happens to be biodegradable and cruelty-free. Treat the stain with an alcohol and vinegar solution. Mix 1 cup of rubbing alcohol with cup of vinegar. Place the garment on a clean dry towel, and apply the solution to the stained area with a rag or a spray bottle until the fabric is thoroughly saturated. Allow the solution to soak in for at least 5 minutes, then pour a small amount of table salt over the stained area. Wait 10 more minutes, and then scrub the stain with a soft brush, and rinse with hot water. To come up with this list, we blind-tested 30 laundry stain removers in our Lab (aka our testers were not aware of the brands they were evaluating until all tests were completed). To test each product’s effectiveness on fresh stains, we applied 1 teaspoon of red wine, 1 teaspoon of chocolate syrup, a smear of grass, and a scribble of a blue Crayola marker to a yellow T-shirt and drew circles around each stain. Testers also applied 1 teaspoon of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of foundation to a separate T-shirt to judge each product’s efficacy on oil-based stains. This laundry stain remover pen is the ideal solution for getting rid of stains while on the go without the need for immediate soaking or washing. “It’s definitely a product to keep on hand, though the small size and slow application process make this more of an emergency product, or better suited for small areas,” says one tester.