Good Pretreater on Infant/toddler Clothes

Updated on June 09, 2008
S.K. asks from Cleveland, OH
44 answers

Do any of you know of a good pretreater for infant and toddler clothes? I soak my son's clothes in cold water and it does nothing. I've washed the clothes right away and it does nothing. I need some helpful advise that would be safe on his clothes since he has very sensitive skin. I cannot use bleach or regular detergant. Any other helpful suggestions would be greatly apprecitated:)

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K.B.

answers from Columbus on

Baby oxiclean is the best! I have been using it since Keira was born with no reaction. It takes anything organic out! don;t know about markers etc.

K.

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V.P.

answers from Canton on

I love Stain Stick- get it on the stain right away and let it sit a while. The only time it hasn't worked is if the stain sits on there overnight. It works wonders.

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J.J.

answers from Evansville on

My daughters have sensitive skin. I have always used shout to pre-treat. It should be fine as long as you use Dreft or Tide, Cheer , All ect. Free. It's free of dyes and fragrances. Good luck! J. (Mom of 3)

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T.S.

answers from Cincinnati on

TOTALLY TODDLER...IS AWESOME..We won't even buy stain remover for our clothing anymore we use my sons. My son has more allergies than could ever list, and this is great for him. He has alot of health issues and has since was born been a very heavy vomiter(not a word..lol)..but this has always been great at getting things clean..It smells just like baby powder, so doesn't have that chemical smell like alot of stain removers. Around here is sold at Meijer and Babies r' Us. Also, if need a fabric softener for sensitive skin, they make one as well. The stain remover is pretty cheap, but the other products are kinda high. But, PUREX actually put out a free n clear, sensitive skin fabric softener. Comes in pretty big bottle too. We've done well with that too. Well, good luck!

http://www.totallytoddler.com/

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R.G.

answers from Cleveland on

Baby oxi or reg oxi the longer it soaks the better it comes out. Love it

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M.V.

answers from Cleveland on

We have had great luck with OxyClean spray laundry stain remover, we used the regular that you can get almost anywhere, but at babies r us they sell a baby version for sensitive skin. It really worked great for us.

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B.L.

answers from Lima on

All of my family is very allergic to most soaps. I could not use dreft or ivory on either of my sons. I put the clothes and diapers to soak in warm Biz water. Different buckets of course. I would put them in the washer(water and all) and spin them out then wash and double rinse. My eldest is 37 and still has to double rinse or he reacts to his clothes.

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J.V.

answers from Kokomo on

I LOVE Totally Toddler. You can find it at Walmart or Meijer in the baby section. It is wonderful. It gets stuff out I think could never come out. Good luck.

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S.S.

answers from Toledo on

I absolutely swear by dreft stain remover. I cannot find it everywhere, but Krogers always seems to carry it. In fact, I now use it on all stains, mine, my husbands, my kids, etc.

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S.S.

answers from Cleveland on

I"m not sure if you can use this, but we use the Spray N Wash hand scrubber. Also, for some reason, wet wipes get almost any stain off of anything. We use them quite frequently for things other than diaper changes.

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A.M.

answers from Cincinnati on

I use Zout and it works really well on all kinds of stains, things like red icing which it hard to get out.

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T.M.

answers from Terre Haute on

I use the spray and wash with resolve cleaner. It works great and even cleans my husbands work clothes really well. Good luck, Shannon G.
PS. I have heard that dropping an asprin into the wash will help to remove stains. Worth a try, huh?

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P.A.

answers from Youngstown on

S., Borax is wonderful for laundry, and it gets out any odors as well. If he's super sensitive, like mine, you can also use it for cleaning the tub out. I also make carpet freshener with it by adding essential oils. It's safe for the pets to walk on as well while it's on the ground.

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A.F.

answers from Elkhart on

Hi! Bleach and other detergents are so bad for infants and toddlers especially. They are full of toxic checmicals that effect the brain as well as contain pesticides and other harmful products. Many of our cleaning products have carcinogens in them as well and our littlest children are the ones most effected by these products. I would use Shaklee's Get Clean Products!! They are non-toxic and very cost effective as well. Go to www.shaklee.net/amy_healthyconcepts and you can check them out! Their nature bright out performs other products and are 100% safe for your children. I know of a number of families who have switched their cleaning products and the excema and other rashes are gone!

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C.P.

answers from Cincinnati on

My two favorite pretreaters are OxyClean -the spray- and Dreft spray stain remover. I use either of these - I usually spray the clothes with either of these, soak in the tub with a little cold water and dreft detergent overnight. Then can throw in the wash after. Another thing I like is OxyClean makes a stain remover that you add in with your detergent in the wash machine during the cycle. Anyhow, all products are bleach free and have never bothered either of my girls (5 & 22 mos). Hope this helps!

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C.T.

answers from Columbus on

I always used dish detergent on stains. I tried to get to them ASAP or I kept a small trial size bottle by the laundry hamper to get them as they went in. It worked great for me. Good luck.

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J.C.

answers from Indianapolis on

not sure if yall could use it or not, but I use shout spray & love it

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E.B.

answers from Cleveland on

Dawn dishwashing liquid

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C.C.

answers from Columbus on

I soak all my stianed items in OxiClean, it works wonders. It even got out old formula stains as I took clothes from my first daughter for my second daughter. It also works for stains on the carpet. I have not had a problem with irratating my infants skin as long as I wash it as usual before she wears it.

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A.S.

answers from Indianapolis on

Hi S.,
I use spray and wash now, but even better than that, arm & hammer baking soda (maybe powder I always get them confused. The one in the orange box/package) and a little bit of water. It took everything from the sweat smell out of clothes to blood, dirt, whatever.

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C.B.

answers from Columbus on

Shout worked pretty well for me. I just sprayed it on the stain, let it sit for a minute or two and then rubbed it into the fabric. Good luck - stains are a pain!

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S.W.

answers from Toledo on

S.
There is a GREAT eco-friendly laundry product without phosphates, nitrates or borates as a matter of fact you can use them all for every load because there aren't any chemicals in them to hurt your new born or your family or the earth. Very concentrated so you use less and save $$$. If you would like to hear more let me know. Good Luck S.

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K.D.

answers from Toledo on

I use Shout. I love it and it has always gotten out my daughter's stains. She tends to have sensitive skin also and it hasn't seemed to bother her. I have also just used full-strength detergent on the stain and soaked it before I washed it. Good luck!

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C.

answers from Cleveland on

We recently bought a new front load washer and dryer. They have a wash cycle specifically for baby clothes. It is a 2 hour cycle and uses extra hot water. I don't even prespot my stains now and they come right out. We only do laundry on the weekend so some stains are 5 days old. Now I know it isn't practical to just go buy a new washer but try using the presoak cycle on your washer for the longest time allowed with hot water and then wash as normal.

C.

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S.A.

answers from Kokomo on

I soak my son's clothes in warm water with Clorox Oxygen Action, usually an hour but the worse it is, overnight. It is very similar to oxy clean (but seems to work a little better) and contains no chlorine bleach. I have even used this on stains that have been washed a dried a few times and it worked great. For small stuff I use the Dreft Stain remover and it works wonders. Another thing oyu might try if you can stand the smell is toothpaste and vineger, my mom used this all the time and if you let it sit a minute or two it seems to work well.

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N.C.

answers from Columbus on

I use Totally Toddler. I've found it at Babies R Us and at Meijer. It works great! One of my girls spent a long time in the NICU and her clothes came home from the hospital with all kinds of fun stains on them...but I used Totally Toddler on her clothes and the stains are gone! The only thing I've noticed about it is that I have to wash the clothes in warm to get the stains out, but other than that, it works GREAT!! Good luck!!

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S.D.

answers from Indianapolis on

We use BIZ. My husband did research on how to get stains out of his 26-year-old baby clothes and everything pointed to BIZ. So, we tried it and it took those OLD stains out! Now we use it for everything. You put a cup of it in a bucket, add hot water and soak the clothes until you're ready to wash them. I just pour the whole bucket in to the machine instead of using extra detergent. It even works on the nasty yellow breast milk poo as long as I get the clothes in there before it dries!

K.K.

answers from Cleveland on

My son also had really sensitive skin, and so I tried the dreft stain spray - THE BEST STAIN PRODUCT ON THE MARKET!!! I have started using it on our adult stains too! I try to catch the stain asap, but it will work on dried stuff too. I spray the stain, then brush with a fingernail brush and toss into the washer! Every now and again, if the stain is resilient, I will repeat and wash again before it goes into the drier. Good luck, and I hope this helps!!

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D.B.

answers from Cleveland on

I too have found that OxyClean is the best treatment for stains and they have just come out with a baby OxyClean formula. Good luck!

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A.B.

answers from Cleveland on

Shout. It works on everything from mud to formula to make-up to just about anything you can imagine. I am a stay at home mom with 3 girls ages 16 months, 3 and 1/2, and 7. I have used it for 7 years and it is still working. It is cheaper than Oxy Clean and Spray and wash doesn't work. For stubborn stains such as grass or say fingernail polish just result to the internet everyone has a miracle stain remover. But for everyday uses Shout is #1.

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A.V.

answers from Cincinnati on

I LOVE Shout's Ultra Gel with the scrubber brush on the end! It gets out almost everything!! It has gotten out chocolate milk that has been on a shirt all day, spaghetti sauce, bbq sauce, pretty much everything. The only stains it hasn't gotten out are ones I didn't know were there. I just pretreat the clothes when we change to pj's and then whenever I do laundry they usually come out!
Hope this helps!!!

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N.R.

answers from Elkhart on

ZOUT!! I got grass stains out of my sons pants by using Zout. I sprayed it one afternoon and then washed it the next. I have never got out grass stains so easily before.

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S.B.

answers from Elkhart on

What I did when my kids were little and still do now, is I take a spray bottle and put about a half cup of my laundry detergent in a bottle (great if you use dreft!) and then just fill the rest of the bottle up with water. I then just give it a slight shake more like slowly turn it side to side...then when there is a stain i just spray it with that mixture, it's always worked on fresh stains or ones that I might have missed when they first occured. Plus it's cheap because you already have the soap!
Hope that helps.
S.

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J.H.

answers from Columbus on

Dreft makes a stain spray. It is wonderful! I use it on the whole family because I think it is just that good! Good luck!

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J.L.

answers from Cleveland on

OXY CLEAN0-I spray a lot on the stain and then put a scoop in each load of wash. There has been nothing that I have not gotten out. They also make baby if your son has sensitive skin.

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T.G.

answers from Evansville on

I always use OxyClean, it gets out just about everything.. you just spray it on the spots. they do also have an infant version that works well. good luck!

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J.W.

answers from Evansville on

dreft has a spray that we used for our little girl, but not everywhere sells it.

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D.T.

answers from Indianapolis on

I'd be rich if I had stock in Shout! :-) I buy the big refill bottles and then just refill the trigger spray bottles to keep it pretty inexpensive. There's always coupons every month in the paper, too. I keep a sprap bottle next to the washer to get things downstairs in the laundry room but I also keep a spray bottle near the changing area in the baby's room. That way I can spray clothes right away if I see them when changing clothes upstairs. I wash everything in cold, use Arm & Hammer sensitive laundry detergent, and squirt Shout on stains. In 6 years I've never had a stain that didn't come out the first time... and that's saying alot with 3 young children running around!

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S.L.

answers from Columbus on

Melaleuca products are wonderful! They are "green" and non-toxic, so they're great for people with allergies or sensitivities. You can look for them on line at http://www.melaleuca.com, or you can find a distributor near you.

I am a new Melaleuca distributor, living in the NW Columbus area. I'd be glad to help you find the products you need. I noticed the other day that there are several Melaleuca distributors here on Mamasource, so you might be able to find one close to home.

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G.D.

answers from Cincinnati on

I will agree with the others who recommended Totally Toddler. However, I will add, I wash the stained clothes with HOT water, and NO fabric softener liquid. (The fabric softener and the dryer will set the stains in for good.) I would spray the clothes and let that stand for a while, and even pre-soak the clothes in hot water before washing. It works on most anything. A few things that had spaghetti sauce on I had to wash a second time.

Also plain old hydrogen peroxide will get blood stains out, and sometimes works on other stains without the harsh smell or chemical problem. You will have to let it set a few minutes to get it completely out.

I will also agree with the dishwashing liquid, especially Dawn on greasy stains. Done that many times. Good Luck! :)

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B.M.

answers from Dayton on

My husbands grandmother who is 86 years old and knows all kinds of old remedies told me about Fels Naptha when my daughter was young and I complained of stains. It is a miracle product!!!! I have been able to save so many clothes with it! It is a old laundry soap (bar soap)that comes in a paper like wrapper. I have had some trouble finding it. Our Wal-mart used to carry it before it became a Super store. My husband's grandmother always picks me up several bars at a local hardware store. It lasts a long time because I just put a small amount on an old toothbrush and scrub the stain. Hope this helps!!! Take care!

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L.G.

answers from Cleveland on

I have always used baby wipes right after the mess occurs. It has prevented stains almost every time. I think it leaves the "soap" on the area which helps prevent the stain from setting.

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L.H.

answers from Indianapolis on

Totally Toddler!!! It's the best stuff ever invented and it is milder than regular stain removers that can be too harsh for baby. Also, try to pre-treat with your detergent let it sit, then soak. That might help, too! Good luck!

Also, a tip from my sister. She swears that dish soap can take out anything! :)

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L.W.

answers from Bloomington on

I always rinse the spot out with cold water or hot if there are "chunks" and pretreat the spot with concentrated Dreft detergent. I rub it in. It works for me, even if I don't get to the stain right away. Good luck!

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