How do you stain treat?

[veronica]

Why do my DC's brand new summer clothes look filthy after one wearing , when their winter survived tons of washing. Must be the juicy strawberries and blueberries.

Anyway, I have always been ok with spraying some shout and leaving the clothes in the hamper until I wash. Now, that doesn't seem to work. So, now I am taking off their stained shirts immediately and treating with the tide pen (I am going through these like water.....) and that doesn't always seem to work....

So-I am totally up for your suggestions. It is primarily food stains, fresh fruits and veggies, sometimes regular table food like spaghetti sauce, etc. I hate changing my kids shirts so many times per day just to stain treat. Does anyone leave on the stained clothes until bedtime and then successfully stain treat?

[elephantmeg]

oxyclean spray and then if they go through the wash and are still stained I do (once a month or so with all his clothes) a soak in boiling water with oxyclean powder. I will tell you that if you have a shirt with thick letters (shirts with slogans that are puffy) the boiling oxyclean will take them off. Argh, ruined my favorite of DS' shirts that way.

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

second the oxyclean reccomendation here. We put it in almost every load and I seldom have a stain make it through the wash. Also- we do laundry about twice a week.

[veronica]

So-do you always wash in boiling and/or hot? I always do wash in cold and hang dry...is that my problem? I too have been adding a scoop of oxyclean to the cold wash but that hasn't helped. Is the hot the secret? What about the labels (most of the ones I've got) that say wash in warm only?

[MONICA MARTIN]

oxyclean IS THE BEST! soak clothes into a bucket with oxyclean, COLD water always for stains, hot water sets stains, so you never want to use cold water. Leave clothes in bucket of Oxyclean overnight (if stain is bad 2 nights) and like magic it will be gone. Oxyclean has never failed me, it has always worked on every stain.

[new_mommy25]

I swear by Zout with Oxy (red bottle), but regular Zout is pretty darn good too. I spray and leave it in the hamper. Sometimes I have to re spray. That usually solves the problem but if I can tell it's going to be a tough stain then I do the fill the sink with hot water and dump in a scoop of Oxy and soak method. :)

[squimp]

Shout spray. Zout is also good for small stains and Shout spray helps me get large stains covered. Get to the spots right away. Boiling hot oxyclean is my last resort treatment.

[linsei]

I don't think the Tide pens are fot pretreating stains. I remember getting one free and thinking it was the dumbest thing ever b/c it said something crazy like not for removing stains (or something to that effect) in the fine print. You might want to check.

I switched to oxyclean spray and the liquid stuff you add to the detergent. It works better than shout, I think.

[salsah]

tide pens are not for pretreating stains. it is designed to use while you are still wearing the clothes so that if you get something on you while you are out, you don't have to go the rest of the outing with a spot on your clothes. it works for most things but not everything. i keep one in my bag at all times. and of course since i get it out right away, there is no stain to treat later.

at home, i use zout, oxi clean, or a homemade treatment made of vinegar mixed w/ dish washing soap. on white clothes (or partially white with a stain on the white part) i use dishwasher detergent applied only on the stain / white part -- works like the bleach pen (so do not use it on colors).

[supercalifragilous]

I hated the Tide pen b/c the cap kept coming off in my purse and the tip kept drying out. I switched to the OxiClean spray but there isn't a lot in there.

The thing that's always worked best for me is Folex. It's nontoxic and biodegradable. They have it in the carpet cleaning section at Safeway, WalMart, Home Depot.... It proved its worth when it got out a 6-month old breastmilk vomit stain out of my favorite sweater. It took a lot of cycles in the wash (no drying in between, except for its initial dryer session thanks to DH, which "set" the stain) but it finally came out. I'm so glad I didn't give up on the sweater!

I keep a travel-sized refillable spray bottle with Folex solution in my car. It helps me to remember to spray it as soon as we get in the car and I don't have to weigh my purse down. That way I don't have to worry about remembering to spray it before it goes in the washer. Lord help me if DH decides to do laundry - NOTHING gets sprayed. He doesn't even look.

[salsah]

I hated the Tide pen b/c the cap kept coming off in my purse and the tip kept drying out. I switched to the OxiClean spray but there isn't a lot in there.

The thing that's always worked best for me is Folex. It's nontoxic and biodegradable. They have it in the carpet cleaning section at Safeway, WalMart, Home Depot.... It proved its worth when it got out a 6-month old breastmilk vomit stain out of my favorite sweater. It took a lot of cycles in the wash (no drying in between, except for its initial dryer session thanks to DH, which "set" the stain) but it finally came out. I'm so glad I didn't give up on the sweater!

I keep a travel-sized refillable spray bottle with Folex solution in my car. It helps me to remember to spray it as soon as we get in the car and I don't have to weigh my purse down. That way I don't have to worry about remembering to spray it before it goes in the washer. Lord help me if DH decides to do laundry - NOTHING gets sprayed. He doesn't even look.

a just picked up some folex today at target. a friend recommended it for carpets -- i didn't think to try it on laundry!

[Corie]

A Baby Bargains friend, Colleen (colleenfs) told me about
her stain removal method.

It is Fels Naptha soap. It is a miracle. Stains that I normally
could not get out, come out with this soap.

Just wet the area where the stain is located on the garment.
Rub the Fels Naptha soap on the wet stain. And watch it
vanish. Then send the garment through the washing machine.

Presto chango!

[mom2chloe]

BEST STUFF EVER. I washed my new red lipstick with my new very light khaki pants...and then dried them together too :duh: :duh:

Put some of this on and it came right out... I have been telling everyone about it for years... It gets EVERYTHING out... been through the dryer or not... LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!

[american_mama]

Any ideas for getting ground in dirt out of clothes, especially red dirt? This year has been awful on their clothes since the girls played archeologist almost every day on the school playground, which has many patches of exposed red dirt. Love the imaginative play, hate the effect on their clothes!

Soaking stuff in Baby Oxyclean and treating with Shout has done absolutely nothing. Is regular Oxyclean better?

[elaineandmichaelsmommy]

Ok, so here's our latest oxy story.

I recently ran across dd's old fav. dress up dress. Unfortunatly the cats had peed on it A LOT! It's a white satiny fabric flower girl dress a friend of mine made her daughter for an actual wedding and when she outgrew it they gave it to us. DD has always LOVED it. I know she can't wear it anymore but since this next could be a girl I wanted to try to save it.

So out came the rubbermaid roughtote,the cold water and the oxyclean. 2 scoops in the water and in went the dress and a good prayer.

2 days later and 3 changes of water the dress looks and smells brand new. It's the optic white that it started as and there was no damage to the satin or lace.

I have 2 cats right now and until they're both gone in many many years I will probobly never be without the oxyclean in the house.

[cbscherer]

Any ideas for getting ground in dirt out of clothes, especially red dirt? This year has been awful on their clothes since the girls played archeologist almost every day on the school playground, which has many patches of exposed red dirt. Love the imaginative play, hate the effect on their clothes!

Soaking stuff in Baby Oxyclean and treating with Shout has done absolutely nothing. Is regular Oxyclean better?

Try a vinegar and salt paste helps get the red clay out around here.

And i always use the sun to get out stains that make it through the regular wash. Works 9 out of 10 times.