The Removing Stains is important, because it only takes a split second for accidents to happen: red wine on a white shirt, coffee on a fresh blouse, or grass Stains on the kids' pants after playing soccer. You cannot always remove the Stains during Laundry, especially when washing at lower temperatures with eco-friendly detergent – a stain remover is needed, but does it absolutely have to be a chemical product? Or will common, everyday household remedies work just as well?
Stains are definitely not all the same, you can learn how to successfully tackle the most common Stains with simple household remedies and no harsh chemicals at all in this post.
When dealing with Stains: react quickly!
For all types of Stains, the general rule applies: Who reacts quickly and correctly wins! Because the faster a stain with the right products is treated, the less the dirt can set in and dry. However, it’s equally important right from the first step, the right product to use.
Because careless rubbing or incorrect water use can potentially push the Stain deeper into the fabric fibers.
These most common types of stains can be removed with common household products:
- Coffee stains
- Red wine stains
- Fat- and Oil stains
- Blood-, egg, urine stains
- Deodorant and sweat stains
- Chocolate stains
- Baby stool and vomit
As a general rule, you should always follow the care instructions on clothing items, as special caution is required for delicate materials, colored and dark fabrics in particular. Stain treatment can also cause new Stains to form from discoloration and residue left in the fibers. For silk clothing specifically, you should always opt for professional cleaning to avoid permanent damage.
But how do you actually remove each type of stain?
Dark coffee stains on clothing or textiles
With coffee applies - as it does for most other Stains - to act as quickly as possible. First, the moisture should be removed from the coffee stain—best to dab the stain with some kitchen paper. Then wash the coffee stain by hand with warm water; if there was milk in the coffee, you should use an eco-friendly detergent, for example ¼ Laundry Detergent Sheets from bluu.
If you’re out and about and don’t have kitchen paper handy, or you only notice the stain the next day: best to put some baking soda on the spot and let it sit overnight, then rinse with cold water and wash it in the next laundry cycle in the washing machine with your eco-friendly detergent.
Red wine stains on clothing or tablecloth
Who doesn’t know the hot tip for red wine stains? Sprinkle salt on it! Indeed, salt generally draws out liquid, so the stain can’t spread further, but there’s also a downside: on non-white fabric this method can easily leave discoloration and new Stains behind. Especially on dark or colored textiles, it’s best to use sparkling mineral water (as highly carbonated as possible) on the fresh red wine stain, let it sit for about 10 minutes, then wash in the washing machine.
If you’re at home and have white wine vinegar handy: soak a non-dyed cloth in white wine vinegar and gently dab the stain with it. Then wash the garment in the washing machine.
Fat and oil stains
As with red wine, sparkling mineral water also helps with fat or oil stains sparkling mineral water.
The mineral water drizzle onto the fat or oil stains and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Then wash in the washing machine.
Older, dried-in Stains are best treated with our stain remover soap: Dampen Stains with water, gently rub the area with stain remover soap and let it sit for a few minutes. Wash according to the fabric care instructions using bluu Laundry Detergent Sheets in the washing machine or by hand.
Blood, egg, urine stains
The most important thing with blood, egg, and urine stains: only cold water and do not use warm or hot water. Because at 40°C and above, the protein in blood, eggs, or urine coagulates and penetrates deeper into the fabric fibers.
Stains can usually be washed out relatively easily by hand using cold water.
If this doesn’t work, it’s worth turning to the miracle product baking soda: gently rub the stain, let it sit overnight, and rinse with cold water. Then wash in the washing machine.
Brown chocolate stains
Chocolate stains can be removed with various household products. As with red wine or fat stains, sparkling mineral water works for fresh chocolate stains too. Drizzle mineral water on the chocolate stain, let it soak for about 10 minutes, then wash in the washing machine as usual.
If the stain is older and more stubborn, it can first be treated with our stain remover soap, also let it soak for about 10 minutes, rinse by hand, then wash the garment in the washing machine.
Deodorant and sweat stains on T-shirts
Annoying deodorant and sweat stains on T-shirts—we all know these. They can usually be easily washed out with lukewarm water, for yellowish Stains we can also use reach for common household products, depending on how stubborn they are, there are different options.
Citric Acid works very well for white clothing. You can soak the garments in a Citric Acid-water mixture (3 tablespoons of Citric Acid is sufficient) for a long period, ideally overnight. Afterwards, wash the clothing items in the washing machine. Caution: For colored or dark fabrics, Citric Acid may cause bleaching.
For colored or dark laundry combined with deodorant or sweat stains, something else is recommended: Vinegar or vinegar essence. For this, soak the garments in a vinegar-water mixture (at a ratio of 1:4) for a long time, best to soak overnight. Then rinse and wash in the washing machine as usual.
Particularly stubborn sweat or deodorant stains can also be removed with baking soda. However, special care is needed for colored and dark laundry here. Here’s how: first, mix a package of baking soda with water to make a paste. Apply this paste specifically to the deodorant stains on the clothing, let it sit for about 15 minutes, then wash the clothes in the washing machine using your regular wash cycle.
Baby stool or vomit
For Stains from baby stool or vomit, it helps to treat the Stains to rinse thoroughly with cold water, rub any remaining residues with a bar of soap (or alternatively a water-vinegar mixture), then wash and, if possible, let dry in the sun. Then wash the garments in the washing machine.
Important: to avoid allergic reactions on delicate baby skin, it is best to use as little as possible chemicals and use mild, eco-friendly detergents like the Unscented Laundry Detergent Sheets from bluu ones.
Stubborn wax stains and wax residues
Here’s something else everyone knows that’s not easy to remove: wax stains or wax residues. For wax stains cold works best—for that, you can put the fabric in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. After that, the frozen wax should peel off the surface. What usually remains is a visible stain. Then an iron and some blotting paper come into play. Simply place the blotting paper on the wax stain and iron over it (low to medium heat). This melts the wax in the fabric fibers, and the blotting paper absorbs the wax. When no more wax is visible, finally wash the garment in the washing machine.
Our conclusion
Stubborn Stains can be quite frustrating, but they don't have to make you despair right away. Common Household products are more than sufficient in most cases, to target and remove all kinds of Stains effectively. It is important to act as quickly as possible and avoid common mistakes. Chemical stain removers should only be used in exceptional cases, as they are usually not biodegradable and place a heavy burden on wastewater systems.
