We could’ve spent months and months staining different types of fabrics with different substances, leaving them for different amounts of time and tallying up extremely granular, in-depth results for every possible stain scenario.

They’re seamless to use on the go, offered impressive stain improvement across our test stains, and are safe to use on all washable fabrics. In total, we tested 12 popular stain removers against five common types of stains — coffee, pen ink, mustard, ketchup and olive oil.The design keeps the control in your hands, giving you the ability to regulate how much of the liquid is needed for each particular situation. It's also unscented, which our tester appreciated, though she mentioned that after taking the shirt out of the dryer, it smelled faintly of paint, but that seemed to clear up quickly. Hopeful it wasn’t that bad, I slipped on the shirt again as I continued on to Bordeaux—but after running into colleagues earlier than expected, I splurged on hotel laundry service, pointing out the spot to the lovely staff at Villas Foch. As with all of our tests, our criteria for judging stain removers includes some specs, objective criteria, subjective criteria and any “wow” factors we encountered.

It has a moderate setting time and, like Zout, is safe to use on most fabrics that can handle harsher chemicals. Foundation and ketchup were trickier for Clorox 2 to remove, and admittedly, the brand has said that oily stains tend to fare better when used with a more concentrated surfactant. We’re also continuously improving and fine-tuning our testing process, including weighing the pros/cons of design, weighing convenience against effectiveness, and considering which product, out of many, we’d want to use in our real lives. Not only does it take longer to use because they recommend a pre-soak of 2-6 hours before washing for stain removal, but it didn’t remove stains nearly as well as other, less intensive options.Pen marks and ketchup virtually disappeared in the wash, as did about 80 percent of the coffee and foundation stains. She’s reviewed and written about a plethora of home and fitness products from bike locks to spin bikes, adjustable dumbbells, weighted jump ropes and fitness mirrors. That’s why we gathered a team of editors and had them test out the top stain-fighters on the market, sharing before and after photos of the very best ones so you can choose the brand that’s right for you. Condé Nast Traveler may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers.

After rubbing it out a bit, there was a pink halo around the original stain—and it only set in more as it dried out. We measured both based on the same criteria, taking into account that they’re not made with the exact same objectives in mind. So heed the specific care instructions for each piece by reading the labels and following accordingly. While most of these products are meant to be quick fixes—especially when you're on the road and access to a washing machine is limited—your clothes should provide quality and durability for a long time. While it lacks the name recognition of the best stain sticks, we’d recommend this over the ubiquitous Tide Stain Stick.

It removed ink and ketchup stains with ease, but the coffee and foundation stains were so pronounced that our tester said she wouldn’t wear the shirt again (unless it was for crafting or painting).

If you’re more likely to donate a shirt than deal with its first stain, this is the stain remover for you. While it definitely takes more elbow grease and effort to really get stains out, the textured surface of the cloth helps create friction to quickly get rid of problem areas. Resolve Spray n’ Wash also makes an excellent pre-wash stain remover spray that was super effective during testing. Every person at the table immediately looked at me with sympathy, understanding the horror of a red wine stain. The pen bleeds quite a bit during use, making it somewhat impractical for use on-the-go while you’re wearing the stained item.

Taking an old stick of Dove deodorant, I obnoxiously rubbed in every which way on the inside of a dark blue shirt, caking it with a full-on layer of white. When you’re ready to use it, push down on the perforated portion, which will reveal the wipe and release the liquid. We tried a few ultra-portable stain remover stick and wipe options and this one from OxiClean was the most impressive. While I was at a formal banquet dinner for the European Capitals of Smart Tourism in Valencia, the young man sitting next to me flung his arm at one point, completely knocking a generously-filled glass of red wine into my lap all over my dress.