by Tracy | 12 comments
My Favorite Homemade Stain Remover
I’m one of those homemakers who loves to do laundry. I know …crazy right? I’m constantly looking for new ways to make my families clothes last longer and I’m always up for a challenge to get a new laundry stain out. Over the years I’ve had fun learning how to make homemade stain remover. I’ve even replaced so many cleaning products with all-natural or homemade, that I never godown those aisles in the grocery store anymore. I don’t know about you, but those last few aisles are the ones that usually racked up my grocery bill and I am glad to walk right past them now.
My kitchen pantry has now become my go-to sourcefor almost any stain my family throws at me. With a little know-how and a cheat sheet that I keep taped to the back of my laundry room door, I can tackle anything stain my family throws at me.
Here is a list of my all-time favorite homemade laundry stain removers:
- Fresh Grease = Salt –Salts absorbent quality is the reason you can treat fresh grease. Sprinkle enough salt on the stain to cover the entire spot. When it dries, brush it off, and you will brush most of the stain with it. You can loosen an old stain by rubbing salt into the stain before washing as usual.
- Fruit Juice or Rust Stains = Lemon Juice –Diluted or straight, lemon juice is a safe treatment for juice or rust stains.
- Milk, Blood or Chocolate = Meat Tenderizer–To treat a fresh stain, sprinkle enough tenderizer on the stain to cover it and let it sit for an hour. Brush off the old tenderizer and wash as usual. For a set stain, make a paste of 2 to 3 drops of water and 1 teaspoon of tenderizer and work into the stain. Let it sit for an hour and then wash as usual.
- Wine = Club Soda or Seltzer Water –Pour club soda seltzer over the stain, then blot it with a clean paper towel. Wash as soon as possible.
- Soda = Rubbing Alcohol –Soak the affected area immediately in cold water, apply rubbing alcohol to the stain and launder as usual.
- Ink or Lipstick = Hair Spray –To get rid of the lipstick stain on the fabric, coat the area with hairspray. Let it sit for a couple of minutes, then carefully wipe off the excess spray and lipstick.
- Ring Around the Collar = Chalk –When you get those dark lines around the collar of white or light-colored cotton shirts just rub a piece of white chalk into the stain and let sit overnight. Wash as usual the next day. The chalk will absorb most of the stain.
What is your favorite? Do you have one you can share? I would love to add to my arsenal of homemade stain removers!
Want more? Read on.
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Caitlin | The Siren's Taleon May 19, 2014 at 2:28 pm
Thank you so much for this list! I seem to always be scrubbing at one stain or another, and can never figure out the right ingredients to really remove it. Very helpful!
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Tracy at Our Simple Lifeon May 20, 2014 at 10:26 am
Me too! I was always looking for the right remover so now I keep this list in my laundry room.
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Andrea at LittleBigHarveston May 22, 2014 at 6:12 pm
I’m so glad I found this post on the homeacre blog hop…I am printing it out. I’ve been trying to get rid of all my chemical products, and the laundry has been a challenge. I recently discovered that borax works just as well as color-safe-bleach (which I have used for YEARS to soak icky towels and washcloths). Now I have an arsenal of natural weapons for stains. THANKS!
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Chrystal @ YUM eatingon May 23, 2014 at 6:45 pm
I had no idea you could use meat tenderizer as a stain remover! Learn something new every day! Found you through the From the Farm blog hop! Pinned!
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Tracy at Our Simple Lifeon May 24, 2014 at 11:58 pm
I was surprised as well but it really works!
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Sandraon May 28, 2014 at 4:16 pm
Great tips, I will be pinning this post for future reference!
Thanks for sharing at the HomeAcre Hop!Reply
Rebeccaon June 27, 2014 at 9:49 am
Precious tips undoubtedly! This is going in a frame and on the wall forever 😀 I am incredibly inexperienced in cleaning and I am having very very hard time with the stains. Thank you for the wonderful post!
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Tracy at Our Simple Lifeon June 29, 2014 at 9:16 pm
It always amazes me that we have all the cleaners we nee most time is right in our kitchen and the need to buy all those expensive toxic filled cleaners really is not needed.
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Rebeccaon June 30, 2014 at 8:13 am
Yes, indeed! I am happy to learn this! I prefer to use natural products, than all those chemicals.
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Tracy at Our Simple Lifeon July 1, 2014 at 12:51 am
Me too! I am always excited when I can use something from my kitchen that does not contain harmful chemicals.
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Kristion September 3, 2014 at 7:03 pm
Thanks Tracy for this post! I’m so glad I ran into your blog page the other day. I’m in the suburbs and have been working on being more self-sufficient as well. I make all my household cleaners, homemade powder laundry soap, dishwasher soap with distilled vinegar as the rinse agent. I’ve also been doing a lot of reading on implementing essential oils into all my household cleaning. It’s so nice to have a naturally clean and good smelling house and chemical-free.
From one self-sufficient person to another!
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Tracy at Our Simple Lifeon September 4, 2014 at 8:03 pm
Kristi…thanks for stopping by! Making things for your home gets under your skin and once you make one thing you are always on the look at to learn to do more!
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