Smelly Formula Stains!

Updated on September 05, 2008
M.S. asks from South Weymouth, MA
14 answers

Hi Moms! I'm having a big problem cleaning my daughter's clothes after she drools her formula all over them. They just don't seem to get clean, and they still smell faintly like spoiled milk even after going through the laundry. Any advice? Thanks!!

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C.N.

answers from Boston on

Hey M. try spray N wash it cleans all protien stains wonderfully. Isold all my baby clothes they stayed so nice looking!!

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E.T.

answers from Boston on

Hi M., Yes, I have helped several Moms just this past month with this issue. I am a Shaklee distributor and tried this myself in June while caring for my newest grandchild who was 3 months old then. Shaklee's nontoxic detergent is gentle but extremely efficient and is know for its amazing stain removal qualities. Also, Shaklee's Nature Bright is their answer to bleach. Since bleach is so toxic ie dangerous for us and our families, most Moms want no part of it. Here is the formula I have been recommending: Take a small hand-soap or hand-cream bottle with a pump top and fill it with Shaklee's detergent -- keep this near the changing table, so that when you removed any stained clothing - you can quickly squeeze a little detergent right on the stain - rub it a little and drop the clothing into the laundry basket. This will begin working on the stain immediately. Then when you are ready to wash, simply put the clothes into the washing machine, pour the specified amount of detergent into the appropriate receptacle on your machine, then take the Nature Bright and dissolve one scoop into a cup of warm water and pour it into the same receptacle right on top of the detergent. Your clothes should come out spotless and with no odor. For clothing that is now stained and with some odor, mix a scoop of Nature Bright and one very small squirt of Shaklee's detergent in your laundry sink/bucket with warm/hot water. Once dissolved, add the stained clothing and allow to soak for 1-2 days. Then wring out and throw in washer and continue as usual for wash. I use a scoop of Nature Bright in every wash as it brightens colors as well as whitening whites. About once a month, I soak all our whites in the laundry sink with the above formula to keep them nice & white. Please contact me if you wish to order some or ask any questions. You can do it yourself from my website if you prefer - www.emilytaft.com click into "home car" on left - my contact info - ###-###-#### ____@____.com Hope this helps. E. Taft

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M.G.

answers from Boston on

Hi M.,

I haven't tried it yet, but my sister-in-law swears by OxyClean. She soaks clothes in it (mixed with water of course) overnight and old set-in stains come out!!! I have given her hand-me-down clothes (stained) and her daughter comes ver to visit wearing them good as new! I need to get myself some!!! Good luck.

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M.L.

answers from Boston on

Hi, Babies R US sells a spray version of Oxy Baby that is very good. Be careful not to let it soak for more than a day b/c it is very strong.

Good Luck!

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S.P.

answers from Portland on

try 1/2 cup of baking soda in with your laundry detergent to get rid of nasty smells. I bought some clothes on e-bay but the clothes came from a smoky home. I tried the baking soda and it worked like a charm.

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A.O.

answers from Hartford on

Have you tried borax in the wash with the clothes? I had some extra stinky blankets that I washed over and over again and couldn't get the smell out until I used some borax. It really took out the smell and they are so fresh now!

If you don't like borax, then perhaps some baking soda would help.

Hope this helps.
A.
www.PreciousBeginningsLLC.com

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A.M.

answers from Hartford on

Oh M.,

Boy do I feel what you are going through. My first DD had horrible reflux. I mean HORRIBLE!! The doctors who scanned her digestive tract were amazed by how bad it was. So, you can imagine that I had a bit of a laundry issue myself. Honestly, I had 30 burp clothes that she would thoroughly and completely "destroy" within 2 days. I would change her clothes 4 times per day--and then I refused to put anything but a diaper on her. 4 sets of clothes plus all of those burp clothes was my limit. I must say that I was able to get all of it out! Here is what I did:

1. Pre-treat stains with OxiClean spray. Yes, they sell it pre-made in a spray bottle.
2. After about 5 minutes or so, I would soak it in cold water until I ran the wash (which back then was every day anyway, but can wait for 1-2 more days. Just make sure the water is still covering the clothes in the soak.)
3. Wash: 1 scoop of OxiClean powder in the wash water (let it dissolve)/gentle detergent (I use Woolite)/fabric softener (I use Downy) in dispenser. Wash normally.

This worked for me. Since then, I have also found the wonders of white vinegar. The white vinegar also gets out lots of other difficult (plus old) stains in everyone's laundry. I simply put 1/2 cup in the fabric softener dispenser with the softener, and 1 cup in the wash water. No, the laundry does not end up smelling like vinegar, and it is all extremely clean. I no longer bleach any of our clothes.

Good luck with this. Just remember, this stage really doesn't last that long--even thought it doesn't feel like it now!

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C.E.

answers from Boston on

Hi M. S.
Have you tried adding baking soda to your laundry? Or
just treating the spill right away with your detergent?

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K.N.

answers from Boston on

have you tried oxyclean in your load of laundry? they make it for baby clothes too.. also shoutor spray andwash work really well as long asyou spray the clothes soon after it happens. good luck

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B.T.

answers from Boston on

hi michell. what i did was i uset wisk you poor the soap on the sssssspots and then let them soak over night. just leave the wisk on the spots and then wasch the next day .
B.

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A.F.

answers from Burlington on

I went through the same thing with my daughter. Through trial and error I found that using some sort of stain remover (Spray n Wash) immediately and rinsing/soaking and then washing helped alot. We lost a lot of clothes to formula stains until I finally figured out a system. When she got a little bigger I had to do the same thing if she got veggies on her clothes/bibs as they would stain even worse than the formula!!
Good luck and I hope that you find something that works and just remember...this too shall pass!!
~A.

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L.S.

answers from New London on

totally toddler at babies r us will do the trick and so will adding some vinegar to your wash.

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D.M.

answers from Boston on

For my 4 year old daughter and my now 4 month old son, I wash there clothes the same way. To get rid of her dirtiest clothes and his formula stained ones, I spray shout before i prewash/soak them in my washer. That means almost every article of clothing gets sprayed w/ shout. I then fill up the washer and use the soaking cycle on my washer ( runs about 20 minutes). Then I wash the clothes on a 10 minutes cycle. I know it sounds redundant and I should really but stock in Shout, but it has worked for years. There is rarley a stain my kids get on their clothes that this method doesn't fix for me. Good luck.

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D.B.

answers from Hartford on

If they're white, put Clorox bleach directly on the stain and then wash (with other whites, or you'll bleach everything). Wash the load again with Dreft or a baby detergent. I did this when my son was younger, and he never had stains on any of his clothes. The Spray and Wash Stain Stick is amazing on colors as well. (Didn't try this then, but it works on all my stains now. I'd imagine it'd work just as well with formula stains too.)

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