Reader-to-Reader: Your 20 Greatest Stain-Removing Tips

As readers, your generosity knew no bounds when it came to sharing your stain removing tips!

I was flooded with e-mail. I’ve included the top 20 stain-removing tips here, and I am certain you will now have more tricks up your sleeve for dealing with this common and expensive problem. (Who wants to buy a new tablecloth when the old one gets stained?)

And these solutions are non-toxic, to boot!

Note that I (Annie) have included your suggestions even when there are product recommendations (I deleted recommendations that I know are problematic for health or the environment). Please use your own sense, read labels, and proceed carefully with any recommendation. Thanks!
Annie

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I put up an eco-friendly clothesline … and found that the sun will bleach baby poo so the diapers are sparkly white, and the sun will also almost completely lighten tomato-based stains like salsa and marinara
sauce.

— Amy Abbott

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1. The best thing I have found for removing a fat or oil stain—or the oily component of a more complex stain such as salad dressing or gravy (once it is dry)—is to rub cornstarch (or cornstarch powder, or even talcum powder) into the stain , let it sit for at least 20 minutes, and then brush it off with a dry washcloth or soft dry brush. You may need to repeat the treatment several times to fully remove the fat. It works especially well on silk and wool. So well, in fact, that further washing (or dry cleaning) is not needed. You can even speed up the process by placing a paper towel above and below the treated spot, and going over the area with a hot steam iron. This can be repeated several times as well, until the stain is gone. My husband loves this simple method. It has saved shirts, ties and trousers from dinner mishaps while he’s been on business trips! “Have cornstarch powder, will travel.”

2. Another stupendous product for fat, oil, tar, wax and grease removal is the citrus oil (actually, citrus turpine) as compounded into products such as CitraSolve. These are made from natural, steam distilled citrus oils, which are natural solvents. They are not non-toxic, but they have the lowest toxicity of all solvents—and of course, the smell wonderful! I have used the CitraSolve concentrate as a pre-laundry treatment for stubborn grease stains, and it works like a dream. My husband once got a fat stain on his favorite suede vest, which refused to come out with professional dry cleaning. Since he couldn’t wear it anyway, I decided that I had nothing to lose by experimenting. (The cornstarch did not work here!) I dabbed the CitraSolve on with a cotton swab and immediately pulled it out with a paper towel and a hot steam iron. This evaporated the CitraSolve, apparantly with the oil stain! To my utter amazement, there was not even any residual stain or ring from the CitraSolve! I was totally sold. Cornstarch and CitraSolve remain my only two constant fat stain removers.

3. Stains from fruit (including wine and tomato sauce) on washable fabrics disappear instantly when you pour boiling water over them in a bowl or basin.

4. Protein-based stains such as blood, sweat, and other body fluids, and tannin-based stains such as coffee or tea, are set by heat. These need to be initially rinsed out with mild soap, shampoo or dish liquid in cold water. If the stain looks as if it’s come out after this initial treatment, throw it in the wash as usual, to finish it off. For stubborn stains, or tannin stains that re-emerge over time, a truly wonderful new product to soak the items in, is Oxyclean, or other oxygen bleach. It’s also great for un-yellowing old linens. So far, it does not seem to remove color, just stains, but test it first on a colored item to be sure.

5. There are also enzyme products out there that digest stains. The Dutch have used ox-gall soap for decades (Ossengall Zeep), available at some specialty stores. And papaya enzyme is currently available in some health food stores as a laundry additive.

So, there you go! I hope this is helpful to you and your readers. Thanks for a helpful web site.

— Phoebe Alexander

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Read more: Home, Non-Toxic Cleaning

By Annie B. Bond

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Bobbi M.

9:44AM PST on Jan 22, 2012

Tip number 1 is amazing! I used the method of the cornstarch with the hot steam iron on a pair of my husband's favorite 100% wool, dry-clean only dress pants and it worked first try. The oil stain had been in there for about 1 year and we had given up on getting it out. The pants would have been thrown away except they had gotten hung back up in the closet. I found them while cleaning the closet and decided to give it a try. Yeah! Thank you!

send a green star

iii q.

2:14PM PDT on Jul 23, 2011

great tips!
ty

Angelica P.

12:07PM PST on Nov 27, 2010

Thanks.

Lucasul L.

4:11AM PDT on Jul 29, 2010

As a wedding planner i find all of your articles useful in some way. This one in particular.

Eve H.

3:46AM PST on Feb 25, 2010

hi,
Does anyone know how i can get stains out of baby clothes, my sons clothes all have yellow stains around the neck which is from milk and dribble, he wears bibs but it still seems to get on to his clothes.
I've tried a few stain removers and nothing seems to work, i've ended up bleaching anything that is white but that's no good for colours.
Thanks

Phillip C.

9:40AM PDT on Jun 12, 2009

As an employee of jandofabrics.com the importance of good cleaning tips is paramount. This is a very helpful article to use for educating our customers.

Scott E.

4:25AM PDT on May 21, 2009

I found a new green product which removes oil stains and fuel spills using bioremediation technology. It can be used on any surface. Instead of using toxic cleaners and solvents, you just pour the product on the stain and it uses locally existing bacteria to literally eat the oil until it is eliminated. Very easy, no mess and no clean up required. This technique is totally green and cheaper than conventional cleaners. The product was used to clean up the Prestige oil spill off the coast of Spain and is recognized by the EPA. It’s called Oil Gone Easy and is referenced in Wikipedia.

Orly B.

2:22PM PDT on Apr 9, 2009

I had just bought a beautiful silk dress to wear to a dinner party last night. After many wonderful compliments over the dress, I sat down to have dinner and sure enough I spilled a part of my salad with oil dressing on the dress. I was so devastated my evening was ruined and I thought so was my dress! My husband insisted that there is a way to remove the stains, I replied if there was I would have known about it.
I got on the web last night and found Annie's greatest stain removing tips- The cornstarch tip worked amazing on my dress and it looks new.
One note: After going over the process 3 times, I did need to moisten the cloth a little to completely remove the starch residue.
Natalie

Lee W.

7:51AM PDT on Oct 19, 2008

I'm just uncovered some of my Grandmothers wonderful linens and they are badly stained in some places. Some are tablecloths and others are napkins and table top covers. Any safe, non-toxic suggestions for getting them clean? I would love to pass some of them on to my daughters.

Lee Wilschek

Pat T.

7:39AM PDT on Sep 14, 2008

My natural fiber tops, only one or two in a washload, have been coming out with grey splatters on the white fabric...and nothing seems to get them out! It's most peculiar that it's only one or two items in an entire load that seem to be damaged. I switched back to a natural liquid detergent, but yet another top was damaged in the same manner. I do not use fabric softeners, bleaches, etc. To remove the splatters, I've tried rewashing, letting them soak with a heavy paste of the natural powdered detergent (365 from Whole Foods) in which they were originally washed, lemon juice, salt, Oxyclean (which I love!), and even Zout! Nothing works, the grey splatter marks are still there and I'm at a loss. Can anyone help please? Pat