How to Get Stains Out of White Clothes
Wondering how to get stains out of white clothes to look brand new? We can help, so start taking notes to bring your clothes back to life.
Picture this: you’re wearing your favourite white piece of clothing and enjoying your grandmother’s bolognese recipe when the worst thing imaginable happens. Your hand slips, and that delicious sauce is now all over your outfit. Ruined. Or, is it? You need to know how to get stains out of white clothes.
At Love2Laundry, we believe in doing everything we can to salvage what we love, and white clothes are too often a discarded victim after one accident. While you might not be able to save every stained white garment you have, there are things you can try before you throw in the towel – which is what we are going to explore today.
Find out about laundry hacks for small flat living, busy mothers, pet owners (and how to get hair out of clothes), and anyone who doesn’t have time for laundry. We also talk about protecting clothes from colour bleeding, dealing with static cling, and explore the best ways to wash and care for your workout clothes – there’s plenty to learn.
Determine the Fabric and Type of Stain
The first thing you need to do when you get a stain on your clothing is figure out what the stain is, and what kind of fabric it is. Different fabrics will require different treatments, and the same goes for stains.
As an obvious example, you will not treat a blood stain on a cotton shirt the same way you would treat an oil stain on a silk dress. Failing to learn these details can easily result in your clothes being in an even worse condition, so take the time to do this, but do it quickly because you will need to act fast.
How to Get Stains Out of White Clothes
Below, we will go through how to remove specific stains from white clothing, so hopefully you can get your garments looking like the day you bought them.
Below, we will be focusing on how to get these stains out or white clothing that can go in the washing machine. If you stain a white garment that cannot go in the laundry machine, other steps will need to be followed.
Stains You Treat With Cold Water
- Juice – soak the fabric in cold water for half an hour before carefully applying white vinegar to the affected area. Allow it to sit for another half hour, then launder with colour-safe bleach.
- Red Wine Stains – immediately blot with a clean, dry cloth, then stretch over a coil and cover with salt. Pour boiling water over the affected area, then wash as usual. Apply diluted white vinegar if stain remains.
- Blood Stains – sponge the stain immediately, then allow fresh stains to soak in cold water before laundering. Older stains should be soaked in warm water with an enzyme product before laundering.
- Sauce Stains – immediately sponge with cold water then apply diluted vinegar to the affected area before rinsing with cool water, using a prewash stain remover to pretreat it, and wash it.
- Tea or Coffee – immediately sponge with cold water and soak in cool water. Use a prewash stain remover or a detergent and water paste before laundering with bleach that is safe for the fabric.
- Turmeric Stains – immediately rinse with cold water and soak in cool water and detergent for 20 minutes before washing it in a cold-water cycle. Allow to dry in the sun, then re-wash.
Stains You Treat With Warm Water
- Water-Based Paints – immediately rinse with warm water and wash while still wet.
- Chocolate – immediately soak in warm water along with an enzyme product, then launder. If the stain remains, use a bleach that is safe for the fabric, and re-wash.
Stains You Treat With Hot Water
- Grass Stains – immediately pretreat the garment with a liquid laundry detergent or stain remover before laundering with the hottest water that is safe for the garment.
- Sweat Stains – immediately apply white vinegar to old stains and ammonia to new ones, and wash using the hottest water the fabric can handle. Alternatively, wash using colour-safe bleach and an enzyme product. DO NOT mix bleach and ammonia.
- Oil and Grease – immediately use liquid dish soap to work into the stain using a clean cloth and pretreat with a stain remover before washing with the hottest water the fabric can handle.
- Powdered Cosmetics – carefully brush off excess product, then use a liquid laundry detergent or stain remover to pretreat before washing with the hottest water that the fabric can handle.
Stains You Treat With Something Else
- Oil-Based Cosmetics and Lipstick – do not use water. Apple numeral oil by blotting it onto the affected area and let it sit for 15 minutes before blotting the excess oil. Use ammonia and water in a 1:2 ratio to sponge the area, then rinse.
- Oil-Based Paint – for paints that recommend a thinner, use it for removing the stain or use turpentine. Rinse and wash.
- Nail Polish – immediately remove excess product by scraping it off with a blunt item, being careful not to smear it. Place the stain facing down on paper towels before applying nail polish remover to the back. Replace the towels as necessary and repeat until the stain is gone, then rinse and wash.
- Ink Stains – pretreat with a stain remover immediately and wash as usual. For remaining stains, place the garment on clean paper towels before using denatured alcohol to sponge the stained area. Replace the paper towels as needed, then launder again.
Are There Any Stains That Cannot be Removed?
Unfortunately, permanent markers are, as the name suggests, permanent. If you have had the misfortune of dropping one of these markers on any item of clothing, don’t hold onto hope that it will go away.
While these stains will fade as the fabric gets washed, they are very unlikely to fully go away. If you are able to, you can salvage the garment or fabric by using that market to create a pattern or image that somehow works. It’s a difficult task, but there is little else that can be done.
It’s also worth mentioning that any kind of stain that has sat in the fabric for some time might not be able to be removed. This is particularly true with oil or grease-based stains (such as a variety of cosmetic products, salad dressings, motor oil, or oil paints). If any of these substances get on your clothing, they should always be treated immediately.
Book a Service With Us
At Love2Laundry, we offer easy online services to help you take a load off in your busy life. Our app is perfect for anyone who wants to get their laundry back within 24 hours. From personal to commercial, our pricing can’t be beaten – especially with our membership discounts!
Love2Laundry’s signature laundry service is a lifesaver for our users, whether it is for personal or commercial use. All you need to do is call – no dropping off and no added headaches.
Struggling with how to get stains out of white clothes? Our laundry service might just be able to help you. So, if you’re having no luck, why not give us a try?
Make Your Laundry Life Easier With Love2Laundry
Stains are a problem that we will all face at some point, and it can be expensive. In some cases, there is little that can be done except to replace the garment, but in other cases, you might just be able to save your clothes. With the various options available, make sure to determine the fabric and stain type you’re dealing with before jumping in.
Here, we have a range of articles and quick fixes to help you with your laundry, from dealing with laundry while on holiday and the pros and cons of air drying vs machine drying to dealing with mould or other tough odours in your washing.
Knowing how to get stains out of white clothes is a must, and luckily there are several ways for you to do it. Hopefully this article has helped you, and you can now go and tackle those stains – good luck!
If you think pick-up laundry services would be a good fit for you, why not give us a call to learn more through the phone number or email address below?
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0203 600 0296
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