Did your favorite shirt get stained? Don’t worry! Here are several of the best stain remover for clothes. You’ll find most of the items on this list lying around your kitchen.
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Top 7 Best Stain Remover for Clothes for All Kinds of Marks and Spots
1. White Vinegar
White vinegar is used not just as a laundry stain remover, but as an all-around cleaning solution as well. In fact, homesteaders can clean window sills, counters, and sinks with a vinegar solution.
What makes it such a great cleaning agent is its antibacterial properties. It can easily get rid of sweat stains, deodorant marks, and even mildew buildup on all kinds of laundry.
Plus, it’s softer and gentler than bleach, so your laundry will feel soft and fluffy after washing them. On the other hand, bleach makes fabric itchy and starchy.
How to Use:
Pour in one cup of distilled white vinegar during the final rinse.
Note: White vinegar does not leave an undesirable, sour smell. It can actually remove foul odors by getting rid of the bacteria buildups themselves.
If you want, you can opt to add in a few teaspoons of essential oils to make your laundry smell even better.
2. Baking Soda
Baking soda is another popular cleaning agent. It’s often combined with vinegar to create an effective stain remover suitable for all kinds of surfaces.
What makes it a great cleaning agent is the combination of its antibacterial and abrasive compounds.
When you’re scrubbing your laundry, the coarse baking soda brushes against the fabric to quickly remove the stain marks. Meanwhile, its antibacterial properties disinfect the fabric from the inside.
Plus, they’re so easy to find. Chances are, you already have a box of baking soda just lying around your kitchen cabinets. And if you don’t, you can easily buy one at the nearest store.
How to Use:
- Add 1/2 cup of your preferred baking soda in the washer.
- Run the wash cycle.
- Add another 1/2 cup during the rinse cycle.
3. Talc/Chalk
Did you accidentally spill oil on your clothes, carpet, or bed sheets? Don’t worry! You can easily resolve the issue with some talc, chalk, or cornstarch.
How to Use:
- Sprinkle a generous amount of talc, cornstarch, or chalk powder on the affected area.
- Then, scrub it onto the fabric for at least five minutes.
- Sprinkle some more powder and then let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Afterward, brush the powder away.
- You should see a noticeable difference in the size and density of the grease stain. If there are still some oil left, repeat as needed.
- Once the fabric is grease-free again, throw it in the washers for complete cleaning.
Pro Tip:
Carry a small bottle of baby powder around. That way, you can easily remove grease marks whenever you need to.
4. Hydrogen Peroxide
Are you having trouble buying bleach? With the COVID-19 pandemic, supermarkets are always packed with buyers and the shelves with cleaning items are always cleared empty.
This especially applies to bleach because CDC states that it can kill the new strain of coronavirus. So people are bleaching their household items like crazy.
The shortage leaves homeowners who need to do their laundry in a tough spot. What do you do? Well, you can head over to the nearest 24/7 local pharmacy and buy a bottle of 3% hydrogen peroxide.
It’s a great bleach alternative you can use to remove tough stains, whiten yellow clothes, and deodorize foul-smelling fabric. Also, hydrogen peroxide is a powerful agent against bloodstains.
How to Use:
Mix one cup of hydrogen peroxide in with your laundry during the wash cycle.
Cleaning Tip: Make your white sneakers look as good as new again with hydrogen peroxide. Mix one part detergent with one part hydrogen peroxide, dip a toothbrush in the solution, and then use it to clean your shoes.
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5. Fresh Lemon Juice
As we said, white vinegar does not leave a sour smell on your laundry. However, some people still claim that it leaves a faint hint after multiple wash cycles. If you’re one of these people, then opt to use lemon juice instead.
Its acidic properties make it the best stain remover for clothes when it comes to grease, oil, and sweat marks. Plus, they’ll leave your clothes smelling fresh and citrusy.
Lemon juice is also safe to use on colored items. On the other hand, using bleach on colored clothes will cause fading or discoloration.
Just imagine how big of a headache it’d be to have your beautiful red shirt discolored to pale pink.
How to Use:
Mix one cup of 100% pure lemon juice with your detergent and then do your laundry as you normally would.
6. Table Salt
Salt has been used to clean clothes for centuries now. In fact, there’s an old wives’ tale that using salt can stop colored fabric from dye bleeding.
The reasoning behind it is salt’s abrasive properties work as a natural combatant against stains, specifically those from wine and rust, before they set.
How to Use:
- Sprinkle table salt on the wine or rust stain.
- Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Brush off with your hand.
- Then throw the laundry in the washer.
7. Borax
Many people choose borax over regular detergent because it’s 100% chemical-free. It’s an all-natural cleaning compound that consists of sodium, water, oxygen, and boron. Plus, unlike other cleaning agents, it doesn’t emit any kind of foul, strong toxic fume or stench.
What makes borax a good option is it doubles as a detergent and laundry booster. First, its abrasive properties seep in the fabric to remove all kinds of dirt and stains.
Next, the minerals soften the laundry water. This is a must especially if you’re washing sensitive, fragile materials.
How to Use:
- Before putting your laundry in the washer, submerge them in a gallon of warm water mixed with one tablespoon of borax.
- Pour in half a cup of borax once you load them in the washer.
Overall, it’s best to use a natural stain remover when doing your laundry. Washing with ones containing toxic chemicals may damage your clothes and leave unwanted bleach marks.
Check out this homemade laundry detergent tutorial from Fairyland Cottage:
Just remember that there is no absolute best stain remover for clothes, so don’t fall victim to fake cleaning advertisements that claim to remove all kinds of marks. The laundry cleaning agents you need to use depends on what kind of dirt buildup you’re going to wash off.
Have you tried any other stain removers for your laundry? Share it with us in the comments section below!
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