Homemade Stain Remover for Laundry...Ideas?

[blondiegreen]

I hate using commercial stain removers, though I still would like to use something for all those stains on DD's clothes. Can i just put H2O2 in a spray bottle? What else works?
Thanks 

[mamaofangels]

This may not be helpful but I use my all natural Basic H (shaklee cleaner) for stain remover.  I only use hydrogen peroxide on blood and to brighten whites.  Probably what ever all porpose (natural) cleaner you use now would help stains.
Jenny

[lovingmomof2]

Dish soap is great for fighting stains.  I have gotten just about everyting out with it.  As soon as my kids are done with dinner, if there are any stains the clothes come off and I treat with dish soap, water, and a good scrub.  I then just put it in the laundry with the rest of the clothes.   This works great for food grease.

[andeebeth]

My biggest stain problem is from blow outs from our baby girl. I've been trying different stuff from the store..Oxyclean spray (doesn't work), Shout, Zout..and Spray n Wash. The Spray n Wash works the best out of all three..but I'm not impressed with any of them I'd still have to treat the item twice and wash twice before I'd get the (usually fresh) baby poo stain out. I used to use Fels Naptha (sp?) soap bar to scrub the stains out..and it worked really well. I think I'm going to go back to that. I haven't tried just plain hydrogen peroxide on the stains.  I didn't even think about it!

[moepigtails]

I think I read somewhere that oxyclean is just a powdered version of peroxide.  Not sure where I saw that though.  I have had success with Sun's version of oxyclean.  They sell it in a bucket at Dollar General (not sure where else, sorry) fo 5.00. It is pretty good sized and much less expensive than the other brand. I saved the buckets and use them for soaking blow out and stains. 2 scoops and fill with warm water to dissolve then soak til I am ready wash them.
Dollar General also sells their brand of a spray oxy cleaner that works great on clothes and carpet. I got chocolate out of my tan carpet with it. HTH

[marksgirl]

My favorite stain remover is fels naptha soap.  It's cheap, and it works on just about everything except the greasy/oily stains.  I'll have to remember to try dish soap next time!  You could try melting down the FN in some water and putting it in a spray bottle.  I did this once, but decided that for me, it was easier to simply wet the spot and then apply the soap.

I once saved a stain removal chart that I got from the newspaper and had it laminated so I could hang it in my laundry room.  It was handy to have the information right where I needed it!  You could try googling for your own.  This one is from the Queen of Clean and looks like it's mostly natural "remedies".

[blondiegreen]

My favorite stain remover is fels naptha soap.  It's cheap, and it works on just about everything except the greasy/oily stains.  I'll have to remember to try dish soap next time!  You could try melting down the FN in some water and putting it in a spray bottle.  I did this once, but decided that for me, it was easier to simply wet the spot and then apply the soap.

I once saved a stain removal chart that I got from the newspaper and had it laminated so I could hang it in my laundry room.  It was handy to have the information right where I needed it!  You could try googling for your own.  This one is from the Queen of Clean and looks like it's mostly natural "remedies".

That Queen of Clean chart from Oprah looks pretty handy. I might just have to print it out and laminate it for my laundry room!

[4myhoonie]

after reading all these ideas, i was thinking about putting some dish soap and water in a spray bottle to keep in the laundry room for the grease stains.  anyone tried it?

[moepigtails]

I have on several occassions laundered & dried chapstick (nice mess), Dawn dishsoap (original) worked great to get the greasy stains out. I would think putting some in a spray bottle would work great, I think I will try this too! Thanks for the idea!

[SarahV]

I haven't had a stain that couldn't be worked out with dish soap and/or baking soda (which needs to be wet down to work in).  I really like the spinbrush (from tide) to work in the soap and baking soda, although a friend said she uses a toothbrush - probably does about the same.  I need to try this again, but I remember using dial soap (on my mom's recommendation) when I was growing up to take care of lots of different types of stains - blood, grass, kool aid...

[medontdo]

-Baking soda: great for removing odors

-Dishwashing liquid: a wonderful spotter, used undiluted on tough stains

-Lemon juice: nature's bleach and disinfectant

-Hydrogen peroxide: three-percent hydrogen peroxide is great for removing blood stains

-Shampoo: great for treating ring-around-the-collar, mud, and cosmetic stains

-WD-40 Lubricant: This is your answer to nasty grease stains and oil stains on clothes

-White vinegar: a great spotter for suede

Plus, the following natural cleaning remedies can be made for pennies - and in many instances work better than their store bought counterparts. Always begin with a clean spray and/or squeeze bottle and make sure to label all products you make, what they contain, and their purpose:

To Remove Beverage, Fruit and Grass: Combine equal portions of: White vinegar liquid dishwashing soap Water Shake well and work the solution into the spot. Let stand a few minutes and then launder as usual.

A General All-Purpose Laundry Spotter: Combine the following to make this generic spotter that works on a wide array of stains: 1 part rubbing alcohol 2 parts water If you use a large spray bottle you can add 1 bottle of alcohol and 2 of the alcohol bottles filled with water. Spray this on spots and spills, wait a few minutes, and then launder as usual.

Non-oily Stain Remover Combine equal portions of the following ingredients: Ammonia Liquid dishwashing soap Water Shake well, and work the solution into the spot. Let stand a few minutes and flush with water. The solution works well on stains such as, milk, blood, perspiration, and urine. Do not use on washable wool, silk, spandex, acrylic and acetate.

Oily Stain Remover Combine the following: 1 tablespoon glycerin 1 tablespoon liquid dishwashing soap 8 tablespoons of water Work the solution into grease and oil stains. Let sit a few minutes, flush with water and launder as usual. These spotters are for washable fabric only. When in doubt, test first!

Taken from Talking Dirty Laundry With The Queen of Clean

i love all of her recipes!! i like using them :'}} hope they work well for you AND she's frugal!!! LOL

[montanamama]

Any ideas for old set-in stains?? 

[ladyhen]

Any ideas for old set-in stains?? 

If you know what the stain is from, most of the above methods will also work on old stains with some extra treatment and elbow grease. 

When I started making my own laundry soap;  washing soda, borax, soap;  I did notice that a lot of the old stains and gray came out of our clothes. 

There's a thread on here about homemade laundry soap. 

[montanamama]

Thanks!

[Farm Wife]

Any ideas for old set-in stains?? 

I accidently discovered that the carpet stain cleaners with "enzymes" works well on set stains especially oil even after going throught the dryer! There is a Woolite and Spot Shot (dark blue bottles) that work equally as well. I thought I bought regular stain treatment and was amazed at how many set stains it got out better than laundry Zout, spray & wash etc. I use the regular stuff for most stains and use the $4.00 carpet stuff for bad ones (it has not damaged anything yet).

[GibsonTown]

A friend I used to swap baby clothes with (we have 11 children between our families, all within about 15 yrs) taught me this method, which has worked very well.

Soak clothes overnight in the washer with warm or hot water, detergent & dishwasher detergent.  Spin a bit, then let sit over night.  In the morning, run through with an extra rinse.

I believe the d.w. detergent seems to work especially well on food/baby type stains.