How to Remove Stains from Clothes

If you're a mom like me who takes care of washing the clothes of your family members, then you may be faced with the same concerns as I am about removing stains on clothes. I have five children and I find all sorts of stains on their clothes - ballpen ink stains, lead pencil stains, juice stains, chocolate stains, etc. I've used some quick fixes like using baby wipes or cotton with alcohol to remove the ball-pen ink stains. Or simply washing the milk chocolate stains with cold water and a little rubbing does the job.

Being able to keep clothes in wearable condition for a longer time helps reduce clothing costs thus contributing to frugal living. In this hub, I would like to focus on tips on how to remove stains in clothes. I hope this will be helpful to you as the information I put into this is also an eye opener for me.

Basic tips on doing laundry and how to remove stains from clothes:

1. Check the laundry for clothes with stains before washing. Most need pre-treatment or specific action to remove the stain (see below).
2. Be sure to separate the white from the colored clothes to avoid color bleeding to stain the whites. Separate the lightly soiled from the heavily soiled clothes, too, to avoid the small particles of soil to be redeposited on cleaner clothes.
3. Follow the clothes manufacturer label on how to wash the item i.e. dry clean only; do not bleach, etc.
4. Remove stains immediately if possible because then they are easier to remove.
5. Do not dryer dry or iron clothes with stain because the heat can set the stain into the fiber making it more difficult to remove, if not impossible.
6. To avoid making the stain worse or damaging the fabric, avoid rubbing the fabric excessively. Also, don't use dark-colored cloth in rubbing the stain.
7. Test stain removers and bleaches first on a seam or hidden area of the fabric to make sure that it will not further damage or affect the color of the fabric.

6 Classification of Stains and How to Remove Them

Stains can be classified into 6 types: protein stains, tannin stains, oil-based stains, dye stains and also stains that are a combination of the different type of stains.. Stains that go under each type is sorted in the table below.

Different stains need different treatments to remove them properly from clothes. Here is a quick run through of how to remove each kind of stain.

To Remove Protein Stains i.e. blood stains, baby stain/poo

Soak and agitate the fabric in cold water with detergent. Never use hot water because the heat would cause the protein to coagulate between the fabric material. Then wash in warm water and rinse. You may have this process several times to completely remove the stain. Sometimes, bleach is necessary with colored stains like baby food (pureed carrot), baby feces, or strawberry gelatin. If the stain has dried, scrape or brush it off before soaking.

To Remove Tannin Stains i.e. coffee stains, juice stains, tea stains, tomato stains, red wine stains

Soak the cloth in hot water with detergent (NOT SOAP, it will make the stain more or less permanent). Additional bleaching may be necessary.

To Remove Oil-based Stains i.e. grease stain, baby oil stain

Use heavy-duty liquid detergent and apply directly on the stain. You may alternatively use a powdered detergent mixed with warm water to make a runny paste. Then, wash the cloth with hot water. Repeat to remove stain completely.

To Remove Dye Stains i.e. grass stains, felt-tip marker stain, mustard stain

Dye stains are very difficult to remove, if not impossible. First, apply to the stain heavy-duty liquid detergent then rinse. Second step is to soak it in dilute solution of all-fabric powdered bleach then rinse. If the stain is still there, use chlorine bleach for 15 minutes. Be sure to test the garment first for color fastness. If the stain is still there, it might not be possible to remove it completely. Bleaching it one more time will weaken the fabric.

To Remove Combination of Stains i.e. lipstick stain, crayon stain, ink stain, tomato catsup stain

This takes two steps to remove the stain. The first step is to remove the oily or waxy part of the stain. Stains listed under Combination of Stains (A) in the table above needs treatment or application with a dry cleaning solvent, next with heavy-duty liquid detergent and then washed in hot water. For stains listed under Combination of Stains (B), simply rub the stain with heavy-duty liquid detergent before washing.

The second step is to remove the dye part of the stain. To do this, bleach the garment using an all-fabric bleach. If this does not remove the stain, use liquid chlorine. Again, make sure that the fabric is colorfast.

Other Stains Requiring Extra Special Treatment

Removing Rust Stain from Clothing

The environment-friendly way to treat rust stain is to use lemon juice or calamansi juice and salt. Sprinkle some salt on the stain and then apply lemon juice or calamansi juice on it. Let it stand in the sun to dry. (Note this may cause discoloring as in bleaching the fabric). Then wash with detergent and rinse. Repeat if necessary.

Removing Bubble Gum Stain

Rub ice on the gum until it hardens. Scrape off the hardened gum. Rub the remaining stain with a cotton wet with oil. Then, wash in warm water and detergent. Repeat if necessary.

Removing Deodorant | Perspiration Stain

Apply liquid detergent directly on the part of the garment with perspiration or deodorant stain. Let stand for 15-30 minutes then wash in warm water and detergent. Don't allow the build-up of aluminum or zinc salts as this may be impossible to remove.

Removing Mildew Stain

Shake or brush off any sight of mildew outdoors. Then, apply heavy-duty liquid detergent on the darkest stains. Wash in hot water. If the stain remains, bleach as necessary.

Removing Lead Pencil Stain

Use a pencil eraser to remove the stain without rubbing too hard. Then, wash with liquid detergent and rinse in warm water.

That's it for all the tips on how to remove stain from your clothes.

Reading Resource: Quick 'N Easy StainRemoval by Janis Stone