Stain help needed

[hopeful_mama]

I hope this is the right forum - mods feel free to move. I'm no good with stains that need extra treatment. Currently I have the following:

1) DH spilled coffee all over me yesterday (not hot at least!). I rinsed my shirt out right away, and washed it at night. I hadn't thought coffee would be a tough one if I rinsed it right away - but it came out of the dryer with stains still :( I'm assuming it's a lost cause but DH thinks otherwise - thoughts?

2) I have what looks like grease stains on another shirt, I'm guessing butter or olive oil. I haven't touched it yet as I've never gotten grease stains out.

I'm not opposed to buying something if there's good odds it'll work, though I'd feel wasteful buying a big box of something I'd never use again. This is what I have on hand: my detergent is the Arm & Hammer powder w/o fragrance - I try to avoid fragrance whenever possible. I usually use Shout spray. After seeing everyone mention OxiClean here, I asked DH to pick some up once, he got a spray bottle called OxiClean Max Force. Only used it a couple times, it made everything else in the wash scented. Oh and I have Borax (that makes everything smell funny too).

I really don't have a lot of shirts that fit and I feel ok in now. Frankly they're all the same Lands End shirt just different colors - and they don't have many colors left online, none of the ones that are stained (my favorites of course) - so I'd really, really love to salvage one or two. Would love to hear from anyone more knowledgeable about stains!

[bubbaray]

I don't like Shout as a stain remover. I have better luck with Spray N Wash/Resolve.

You can try Dawn dishwashing liquid, left on the stain overnight. I have also combined Dawn with Spray N Wash overnight.

You could try OxyClean with HOT water. This is harder to control, and can bleach out colored items. I would start by leaving it on the shirt for 5min and then washing. If the stain is still there, leave it on for 15 min, then wash right away.

Having said that, if the items have gone through the dryer, you might be OOL.

FYI, I never rinse stains out of clothes I apply stain remover right away (and often leave in the dirty laundry. But never rinse. IME, it sets the stains.

[RunnerDuck]

Oxyclean will remove damn near anything that's not grease based or ink.

(Ink will come out with cheap hair spray... I keep hair spray in my laundry room!)

Grease will come out with dawn even if it has gone through the drier. I got butter on a shirt once and it came out with a soak in dawn, even after going through the drier. Make a nice strong solution and soak a long time. Then wash.

[BabbyO]

I don't have much experience with coffee, but I'd start with oxyclean (I use the powdered stuff) and soak in hot water. I've been able to get old, laundered and dried poly-vi-sol stains out with that.

As for the grease-type stains, I'd start with Dawn dish soap. If that doesn't get it out get a bottle of goo gone. I've never had it not work on goopy greasey stains. Including grease from a bike chain all over light khaki shorts. Plus goo gone is great for getting the left over stickum from price tags off of anything.

I just did this ( goo gone) with olive oil/hamburger grease that splattered all over DH's new, expensive sweater. You can't see it at all.

[hopeful_mama]

Thanks ladies! I will add Dawn to the grocery list for the grease stain - I never heard of it being good for laundry! I guess I will try the Oxiclean spray I have for the already washed coffee stain. I don't drink the stuff and somehow just assumed it was an easy stain, especially if fresh... I also have Goo Gone and never thought of that for laundry, either! Feeling more hopeful already, thanks!

[bubbaray]

OxyClean spray is a horrible stain remover IMO. I prefer the powder and dissolve it in hot water.

[zag95]

add to your list a bar of Fels-Naptha..... it gets out a lot- dirt stains, grass, blood, grease, etc. I got a bar at our fred meyer (krogers) store- they run about 1.10 each- I have been using mine since summer.

It's worth a try if the other options don't work- I usually do Oxyclean powder and also the fels......

GL!

[cono0507]

My go to is Spray and Wash stain stick. MIL had it at her house and I tried it a few years ago and it gets every grease stain out that i've ever tried. Love it.

[swrc00]

I use Shout Advanced (blue bottle) and powder Oxi Clean. I don't like regular Shout.

[hopeful_mama]

OxyClean spray is a horrible stain remover IMO. I prefer the powder and dissolve it in hot water.

Thanks! It's always hard to know which are good or not. I think DH figured the spray would be just as good & save me effort.

I will keep the other recommendations in mind too! We rarely get problem stains, but that probably will increase as DD gets older! Good time to start getting a handle on it. Thanks so much!

[RunnerDuck]

Just this afternoon OxyClean took a 7 year old breast milk stain out of my glider cushion. :D I couldn't stand it any more, I had to see if I could get it to come clean. Cleaning upholstry is intimidating but the older I get the less afraid I am of sticking things in the washer just to see what happens. (I soaked it in the sink for a while, then did a rinse and spin in the washer - looks brand new!)

[strawberryswing]

I love Oxi Clean powder (fragrance free) for most stains (that is what I would try for the coffee stain), but for grease/oil based stains ZOUT is the BEST! I often don't find the stain until the item comes out of the dryer, and it still gets it out. I prefer the liquid version that comes with a spout top (over the spray bottle). It does have a slight fragrance to it, but it is not nearly as strong as the liquid Oxi Clean.

[Tondi G]

It's all about the powder Oxi Clean and HOT HOT water.... my neighbors DS had a shirt that she just loved. Her Dh let him eat blueberries while wearing the shirt. Shirt went through the wash and dryer and came out with blueberry stains. As a last resort she mixed oxiclean with boiling water poured it over the stain and then soaked overnight... she dumped the whole bucket with the shirt and oxiclean in the machine with her regular detergent... then dried and the shirt looked brand new. She loved me for suggesting the Oxiclean!

I've heard Dawn for grease stains and I think I might need to get some myself cause my boys are grease magnets... and I just realized that one of my shirts got some grease spots on it and it went through the wash without being treated... hope it can get washed and dried grease stains out! Is there something that can be used in the wash on a regular basis for grease (or do spots have to be specifically treated)?

Good Luck!

[RunnerDuck]

It's all about the powder Oxi Clean and HOT HOT water.... my neighbors DS had a shirt that she just loved. Her Dh let him eat blueberries while wearing the shirt. Shirt went through the wash and dryer and came out with blueberry stains. As a last resort she mixed oxiclean with boiling water poured it over the stain and then soaked overnight... she dumped the whole bucket with the shirt and oxiclean in the machine with her regular detergent... then dried and the shirt looked brand new. She loved me for suggesting the Oxiclean!

I've heard Dawn for grease stains and I think I might need to get some myself cause my boys are grease magnets... and I just realized that one of my shirts got some grease spots on it and it went through the wash without being treated... hope it can get washed and dried grease stains out! Is there something that can be used in the wash on a regular basis for grease (or do spots have to be specifically treated)?

Good Luck!

Like I said mine got washed and dried butter out. What I had done was melted butter in a coffee and I poked it to see if it was soft - well it was hard and top and melted underneath and it shot out like a fountain and soaked the front of my shirt. A yellow shirt - you'd think it wouldn't show - but it came through the wash with a weird dark spot. I soaked in Dawn, washed, and it was fine.

My old GS leader told me once lestoil is great for greasy laundry stains. Murphy's will also get out greasy things (and I think both will take out crayon, too - I know Murphy's will, I have used it). I don't know if you want to use either of those regularly, though, more like a spot thing...

And yes oxyclean is the bomb. I have never had a problem with over soaking or having it remove what's supposed to be there.

[lizzywednesday]

...
My old GS leader told me once lestoil is great for greasy laundry stains. Murphy's will also get out greasy things (and I think both will take out crayon, too - I know Murphy's will, I have used it). I don't know if you want to use either of those regularly, though, more like a spot thing... ...

It definitely works, but I just want to jump in and say Murphy's in the laundry can be really stinky.

I don't mind the scent on my hardwood, but I do mind it if it gets everywhere else!

[RunnerDuck]

Yeah it can be a little heavy on clothes... but it's better than crayon stains LOL

[hopeful_mama]

It's been awhile but I just wanted to thank everyone for their help. It took awhile before I could find some new products and the time to work on everything. I managed to save both shirts, which I was very happy about! Oxiclean got out the already washed coffee stain; Dawn plus oxiclean got out a grease stain, though I had to try it again after finding it still there after washing. Wouldn't have thought it would work to keep trying if not for the posts here.

Also tried to stock up on the Spray & Wash Stain Stick and Zout with the spout, but couldn't find them. But I am a new Oxiclean convert! Thanks again!

[elephantmeg]

I use stain stick. It's the only thing that seems to work without bleaching out our clothes. I think it does pretty well on grease too.