Stains on Clothes from Breastmilk and Baby Food

Updated on February 19, 2008
V.H. asks from Saint Louis, MO
29 answers

How on earth do you get breastmilk spit-up and baby food (specifically carrots) stains out of clothing? Some have been through the dryer (ha) and some have not. Also, most are on cotton, but the carrots are on a white dress shirt that's a cotton/polyester blend (has NOT been through the dryer.) Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

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C.A.

answers from St. Louis on

I use a stain remover by Fuller Brush. There is a store at St. Louis Mills. I love this stuff. My 2 month old twin son pooped all over my pants and I put this on it and all is gone. I also have used it on onsies that have formula stains that have Kayro syrup mixed with it and they have sat in the laundry basket for a few days and this product got it all out. Hope this helps

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J.C.

answers from Kansas City on

When I got out some baby clothes that had been in storage for 4 years, there were some things with yellow stains from spitup on them, even though I'd washed them before I stored them. Soaking in Oxyclean got the stains right out. I soak anything with a stain in oxyclean, and the only thing I've found that it won't get out is ink (though it did get some of it out). And sometimes if you put something in the dryer first, it won't get the stain out (though sometimes it does).

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J.P.

answers from St. Louis on

BIZ bleach always works the best for me! I will usually soak the clothes in a tub overnight if the stain is really bad. I love that the stains come out and the colors stay bright and do not fade. 15 years later and it's still my favorite!!
Good luck-J.

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M.L.

answers from Tulsa on

The only thing that worked for me was Era because it got out protein stains and Oxi clean. M

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M.S.

answers from Wichita on

I use PreSpot from Melaleuca. It works great.

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J.J.

answers from Rockford on

I've always used Spray N Wash...just spray it really good, rub it in and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then wash it in cold water. It's always worked pretty good for me!

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C.C.

answers from Springfield on

Well it is not very green and I do try to be environmentally friendly. You may have to rinse thoroughly to avoid any rash, if your baby has sensitive skin, but I have found this Spray n Wash dual power stain release has gotten every stain our baby has gotten into out of her clothing. I spray it on and let it soak in for a few minutes before washing. Then wash. And the clothes come out stain free. I have been amazed. You do have to be careful with some colored clothes or it lightens the colors if you leave it on for too long. I never run out of this product so I hope it helps you too.

C. C.

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K.C.

answers from Kansas City on

OXYCLEAN! It does wonders, I think. Also, the off-brand seems to work as well for me..

K.

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E.S.

answers from Springfield on

We used Totally Toddler when DD was an infant, but now I use Shout Advanced and it works wonders! I actually went back through some of her infant clothes that I was sharing with a friend and treated found stains, so I treated them with Shout Advanced and left them for a couple days and some of the stains came right out! It does work best if you treat it immediately, and I use a toothbrush to work it into the fabric if the substance has soaked in. Good luck!

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J.C.

answers from Kansas City on

OK, I can't stand the guy that pitches these products, but the Baby Oxy Power in a spray bottle does wonderful things to all things going in and coming out of babies!

I first bought it online, then found it at BabiesRUs and in the Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory, if you have one of those stores nearby.

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E.Y.

answers from Topeka on

I swear by Oxi-Clean. I've gotten everything out with that stuff. Even some blood that had beed set in for a long time.

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T.B.

answers from St. Louis on

Well I did not breastfeed my babie's but I have a very messy 7 year old girl.She wears whatever she eat's(despite trying everything to get her to eat neater).Anyway.I use a lot of shout advance.I treat the item's of clothing and let them sit and soak up the stain remover...Do not put clothing in the dryer until you have checked the clothing.Another thing is(I can not spell this correctly)phelsnaptha soap.It is a yellowis/orangeish color.You can wet the clothing and the soap and scrub the item with the soap.let soak.etc...I hope this helps...

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R.Q.

answers from Springfield on

First of all, congrats for deciding to breastfeed your baby. I breastfed both my boys til they were two.I've found one of the best stain removers is regular dish liquid. Even after something has been laundered, I find this works very well. I will put the dish liquid on the stain and let it stay on at least overnight. Then just wash as usual. It's alot cheaper than expensive prespotters and works, in my opinion, even better. Hope this helps!-R.

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R.H.

answers from Kansas City on

I use a plastic dishpan that I can leave sitting on the washer or dryer overnight. Fill it with hot water. Add some of your regular laundry detergent and some Biz (great for removing stains!) to the water. Pretreat your stain with anything and everything you've got (Zout and Shout are my two favorite spot treaters) and soak your garment overnight. Wash the next day and hang up to dry. If stain is not completely gone (but it usually is), repeat the process. I do this all the time and have never had a problem with bright colors (bleeding, discoloring, etc.) and it almost always works...sometimes even after stained clothes have been dried in the dryer.

Good luck!

A.S.

answers from Kansas City on

Spray & Wash Stain Stick! It really works wonders. I usually treat the stain then let it set for a few hours to a day, depending on how bad the stain is. It's even worked on things I've washed & dried before. The carrots, might be tougher, it might take a few treatments.

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D.C.

answers from Kansas City on

I always use soft scrub with bleach on my whites with stains. All I do is put a little on the stain let it sit for a few minutes depending on what the stain is and then I rinse it off and toss it in the wash. I have yet to come across a stain that it cannot remove. Good Luck!

D.

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R.

answers from Kansas City on

I second the Dreft stain remover. It is great!

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C.G.

answers from St. Louis on

I have always loved Dreft spray stain remover. Other ideas to keep in mind for the future--hydrogen peroxide for blood stains, and dish soap for grease stains. Good luck!

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

Clorox Bleach Pen! It has two tips-one is a fine point and the other is larger with a scrubber built in so you can get the belach just where you need it. If my daughter gets food (prunes are the worst) on her colored clothes, I've found that a soak in warm soapy water with some color safe bleach, then a pre-wash works very well.

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E.P.

answers from St. Louis on

ZOUT is a spray that sometimes removes stains that have already been through the dryer. If that does not work put a small amount of DAWN and scrub with a scrub brush, followed by hydrogen peroxide, let it soak, then launder on HOT. GOOD LUCK!

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A.H.

answers from Topeka on

A lot of times Oxyclean worked for me. I just mixed the powder like it said and let it sit for a few hours. Didn't work EVERY time, but most of the time. I did work wonders on poop stains on onsies, though! Good luck!

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J.P.

answers from Tulsa on

Spray and Wash liquid before the laundry works on mine.

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K.S.

answers from Lawrence on

I had pretty good luck soaking stained clothes in a bucket with OxyClean. It might take a few days of soaking, but it usually got the stains out, even it it had gone through the dryer.

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S.M.

answers from Tulsa on

I use Pre-Spot on all my clothes from nursing my 10 month old. Works every time to get those "organic" type stains out - because it has an enzyme that attacks the stain. Totally safe and gentle, too. :)

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K.S.

answers from St. Louis on

My son isn't eating foods yet just breastmilk, so I don't have experience with those types of stains. However, I found that OxyClean Baby is excellent at getting out stains! I got it for poopy diaper leak stains and it gets them out. It even removed stains from clothes I had already washed!
What I do is soak the clothes in the washer with the OxyClean Baby for a couple of hours, then I add Dreft and finish washing them.
Oh, you can find OxyClean Baby at Target next to the Dreft.

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J.S.

answers from Tulsa on

It's called totally toddler. It's in the baby isle at walmart. It's wonderful!

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G.N.

answers from St. Louis on

You can try taking some baking soda and water mix it together to make a paste and rub it on the stains, and rewash them. If that dont work, try getting a spray n wash stain stick.

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L.P.

answers from St. Louis on

I have found that if I soak the outfits in the sink with cold water and palmolive the stains will come out. Good Luck!

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W.B.

answers from Kansas City on

Hi V.,

I use oxi clean powder in all of our clothes and I also use the oxi clean spray. It works awesome.

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