It’s always best to try and blot up as much of a stain as you can before applying the stain remover. Use a paper towel instead of a hand towel, otherwise, you’ll just be transferring the stain from the soiled item to the towel. For those everyday stains that occur anywhere from the office to a restaurant, we love Tide To Go Instant Stain Remover. This compact and portable stain remover pen is effective at removing small stains, both fresh and set-in, caused by food, grass, ink, and oil. While the red wine and foundation stains needed a bit more work, our tester says “the grass, marker, and syrup were all totally removed.” 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.

Some laundry stain removers have a subtle, chemically clean scent, while others might have no scent at all. It’s rare to find any type of cleaner that’s free of fragrance and dyes, yet still leaves a pleasant aroma, which is why we love the Hex Stain & Stink Remover. “The cleaner had a slight lemon scent that nicely covered up the normal chemical smell that cleaners typically have,” says one tester. Try this spot remover on pen marks, chocolate stains, yellow underarm stains, blood stains, grease stains, poop stains, baby food stains, cutting board stains, and much more! This product is brilliant, and I;ve been using it for years. My husband recently got grease stains in different areas on a brand new shirt. I was able to remove all of them using this product. Highly recommend it! 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.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. Absolutely love this product. I am obsessed with it. It’s one of the best stain removers on the market. Go granny power!

I have a “hand wash only” shirt (who even makes shirts like this for 3-year-olds?!) that had some new chocolate milk stains on it, and some old pen mark stains on it. I decided this would be a great shirt to test out this homemade stain remover on. This is a close up of just ONE section of her shirt… LAUNDRY STAIN REMOVER: This instant Grandmas stain remover is specifically formulated for the treatment of rust stains. Try fabric stain remover on those stains that have aged in, or ones that have gone through the washing machine already. The best part is that fabric cleaner is concentrated. The clothes stain remover formula has no bleach, chlorine or phosphates added & grandma stain remover leaves behind a pleasant citrus fragrance. 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. Our testers loved how versatile and effective this product was at removing the toughest set-in stains, especially wine, makeup, and ink. While the powder formula can be a little messy to use, especially when mixing in a spray bottle, it’s definitely effective. The label recommends pre-soaking items in warm water before washing for best results, while our testers recommend a lengthy pre-treatment. “The longer you let the product set, the more it removes the stain,” says one tester. Out of all the laundry stain removers we tested, the Shout Advanced Grease Busting Foam was the most impressive. This reliable stain remover is our favorite for its ability to effectively remove various types of stains, including set-in makeup, oil, and grease. (It struggled to remove fresh foundation and set-in wine stains, though.) Our testers found this product very easy to use: Simply spray the foam on stained clothes and wash as you normally would. The fast-acting foam is tough on stains while still being gentle on fabric.Kathy Cohoon, franchise owner at Two Maids & A Mop, shared expertise on how to approach laundry stain removal and what to look for when purchasing a stain fighter. Fresh stains often respond well to stain removers made from plant-based ingredients. For example, some formula’s are biobased and use a quadruple-enzyme formula to break stains up, so you can immediately wash them away. The this type of product is typically free of dyes and artificial fragrances, works in all water temperatures and won’t harm your septic system. I find that the best tactic is to move the toothbrush in small circles until you start to see the stain lift from the material (but if it's hard to tell, scrubbing for about 30-45 seconds should work). After, you'll want to let it sit for a couple of minutes, then follow with the same spray-and-scrub strategy. We noted that the directions tell you not to let this foam dry on stains. If you're someone who easily gets distracted and can see yourself getting interrupted while doing chores, or if you like to take your time with laundry steps, this product might not work with your usual process. Otherwise, it's a high performing, budget-friendly, easy-to-use choice that proved to be effective during our testing process. 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.

I love the grease and stain fighting power of this homemade stain remover! My daughter had another shirt that had coconut oil on it… SAME RESULTS!! WOOT! This DIY stain remover will get coconut oil out with ease! 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." OxiClean is well-known for its effective cleaning power, so it’s no surprise that the brand’s Versatile Stain Remover Powder was able to completely get rid of red wine—one of the most stubborn stains—during our testing. Unlike other laundry stain removers, this oxygen-based, water-activated formula works on various types of fabrics and clothing as well as upholstery, carpet, grout, and other surfaces. 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. Plus, it's a cinch to use, though the process can be a bit messy in comparison to any spray you might use. All bar applications are a little messier than just spraying something on, but one good part of that is there is no plastic bottle! As for its performance, the bar was very strong across multiple categories, including ease of use, effectiveness, and scent. When it comes to price, it's key to note that this one is more expensive, but also worth the splurge, given the results. It also has a light, pleasant scented.Fantastic service from the company and this product is a must for every laundry as it really works. If you're about to toss another shirt, pair of pants, or table linens due to s tains that just won't budge, can we convince you to try one more remedy before give them the old heave-ho? It's Grandma's Secret Spot Remover and fans (including a few of my own family members) call it a stain-removing miracle. EFFECTIVE: Grandma s secret spot remover can be used on blood, food stains, grass stains, pet stains, iodine, beverages (coffee, tea, wine, milk, cola, etc.), crayon, uncured latex paint, chocolate, raw egg, candle wax, heavy grime, ketchup, grease, oil stains, most shoe polishes, much more and the Grandma secret spot remover formula works in all water temperatures. This homemade stain remover can remove almost ANY stain, and I’m not over-exaggerating. Plus, it will cost you pennies on the dime to make it! BABY STAIN REMOVER: No matter how adorable the baby is, keeping your sweet cheeks clean is a challenge. The baby stain remover for laundry goes to work to remove everything from diaper leaks to your baby food mishaps.

Another satisfied user says it's the only thing they will use. "Best stain remover ever! Got old stains out of shirts that have been washed and dried many times." 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. Who it's for: People who don’t have time to immediately treat messes and want to remove set-in stains. Blood stains can be tough to remove because they contain proteins that bind to fabric fibers. To treat a blood stain, soak the garment in cold water for 30 minutes before laundering it as usual,” Flores says. “Grass stains are difficult to remove because of their saturated green pigments, so it might require repeating the stain removal process a few times. Ink is also hard to remove from fabric because it’s water-resistant. To treat an ink stain, blot the area with a dry cloth to absorb as much of the ink as possible.” Although one tester had an issue with the brush smearing certain fresh stains like chocolate, they recommended lightly dabbing any excess from the stain and wiping off the brush after each application. Despite this, our testers still recommend this product for its value and effectiveness on set-in stains. It’s also worth noting that Flores recommends pre-soaking items with set-in stains for best results.

Moderate Concern

Gently agitate fabric with an old toothbrush with the homemade stain remover. For extra tough stains, you can let the mixture sit on the garment for an hour or so, then launder as usual. Or, treat the area a few times before laundering. This often even works on old stains that have even already been set! Simply spraying the solution on the blemish typically isn't enough to fully remove the spot, so I use an old toothbrush to help with the process. I spray it on the stain from a few inches away, let it sit for approximately one minute and follow by scrubbing the stain with the brush. Making this concoction is incredibly easy and fast! Just mix the 3 ingredients together in a small bowl. Rather than make a big batch of this stain remover, just mix up a small amount each time because the hydrogen peroxide may become less effective when exposed to light. The Test Stain Hate Stains Co. Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater: Our testers liked this product for getting out immediate food stains such as chocolate syrup, juice, and sauce. It’s also EPA Safer Choice-certified and is safe to use on several types of fabrics, toys, and even mattresses. However, it struggled to remove wine and foundation stains in our tests. Enzymatic cleaners use biological methods, like beneficial bacteria, to break down organic matter such as food stains, grass stains, and more. In our testing, Seventh Generation’s Free & Clear Laundry Stain Remover was very easy to use. Our testers found that it worked best on fresh, organic stains (it completely removed the olive oil, for example), but it did help fade some of the more stubborn set-in stains (like red wine and foundation).