Anyone know of a good stain remover to remove old stains from clothing?
Borax (as another mom suggested) is great and so is regular old Dawn dish soap - especially when dealing with oil based stains on colored clothing. Apply directly to the stain (even after clothing has already been in the dryer) and either rub in with fingers or scrub a little with an old toothbush.
I have had a ton of luck with the Oxyclean Stain Remover Laundry Spray. Just spray it on and let it sit for a while then wash. For recent stains you can actually see the stain lift, its pretty cool. I have used it on hand me down childrens clothes and it surprised me!
Good luck!
Bleach. Mix 1/4 cup bleach with about a gallon of hot water. Soak the stain for about 5 seconds, then run under cold water, rubbing gently until the stain is removed. If it doesn't come out all the way, repeat. This works even on colored clothing. Good luck!
Greased Lightening. It's actually an all purpose cleaner, but does wonders on set in stains. I got a ton of baby clothes from my sister that were all stained up. A few treatments with the Greased Lightening and they came out. I spray it on and let it sit for a day.
I use Restoration by Engleside. I alter the directions slightly and use much less than they suggest and unless it's silk or another delicate fabric, I use boiling water. It's taken out all the old spit-up stains from my son's baby clothes from storage (that weren't there when I put them away two years ago!), never failed on a food stain, vomit, poop, etc. It's formulated for organic stains, so it didn't do too well with black oil, but dish soap ended up getting that out. Best part: no scrubbing at all! Soak and the stains disappear!
My sitter turned me on to Melaluca PreSpot. Works great, comes in a concentrate w a spray bottle... and its natural. Works on old stains too! Have to buy it through a distributor tho.
Well what kind of stain is it that you're trying to remove? I love using Oxiclean. I've soaked my son's clothes in it and stains come out. I hope that helps.
You can also try Borax. Mix equal parts borax and white vinegar together. It will form kind of a paste. Apply it to the stain and rub it in a bit. Let it stand for a little while then wash it. Borax is also an excellent detergent booster and very cheap.. about 3 bucks for a box of it.
I use Zout, and I have gotten old stains out, but sometimes I have to use it more than once, like with grease.
I use Oxyclean. If it is something that is trashed anyway, you can use WAY more Oxyclean than they say and let it soak all night. If that doesn't fix it, I would pitch it-- your time is likey worth more than the clothes.
