OK... I have tried a a few products to remove set in stains (i.e. chocolate ice cream and oil). Oxyclean is a joke on set in stains. Do any of you have suggestions on products that work for you?
Fels Naptha laundry bar. You can find it near the stain removers and dryer sheets in the aisle at Walmart.
Wet the fabric, rub the bar firmly into the stain to work the soap in, let set in for 10-20 minutes, wash as usual. The soap doesn't get sudsy, so it's safe for all machines.
I start with dish soap like Dawn to remove any grease, then I use a liquid laundry detergent (usually concentrated), just a drop on the stain. I find the only way to get set in stains out is to actually scrape the fabric with my fingernail after I have applied the liquid laundry detergent. Make sure the liquid laundry detergent is clear with no dyes. I have actually had the colored laundry detergent leave a stain!
Shout works for a lot of things, even some set in ones. Chocolate is a tough one, though.
I have gotten out ink with baking soda, peroxide and fels naptha/dawn dishwashing liquid. Apply, scrub, soak, scrub, rinse. Repeat if needed.
Good luck.
I found that stain removers (eg, Shout) can work well, but the trick is giving them enough time to work. Completely soak the stain through with the stain remover. Then let it sit for at least 24 hours (resoak if it starts to dry out). Then wash.
If you wash too quickly after applying the stain remover, it won't work at all.
Spray n' Wash stain stick... is what I use and with my son, who gets all sorts of stains on his good school clothes, and the stains has come out. And his clothes all good as new.
And you just rub it on, you can then do laundry later whenever.
My daughter spilled chocolate breakfast drink on her shirt in the am, wore it all day, then slipped it in the laundry that dad 'helped' with-I found it after the dryer. I read that you can put a bowl over the stain and pour hot water over the stain to get the remaining chocolate out then put Dawn dishsosp on and let it sit. I just got the stain wet and put the dish soap on because that is what I had on hand. I always mean to buys fels napa-but can never find it when I need it.
Dawn worked great, though.
If it is a grease based stain, I have found that a little Dawn dish wash helps a lot.
Of course it is best if you catch it and address it when it happens but that is not always possible. It's also not always possible to run it in the washer right away.
I will spray a stain with Spray and Wash and that usually takes care of it. however, for some bad stains, I have put some laundry detergent on the stain straight with the Spray and Wash and even if it dries, most of the time it comes out with no problem.
My daughter is the spray tan queen and wears a lot of white. I Spray with Spray and Wash, then soak in a large bowl or tub of water with laundry detergent. I have had good success with getting out stains with these methods.
I think I tried OxiClean once and I thought it was a joke myself.
Good luck
I am a firm believer in Dawn dishsoap, and I also use Shout with Resolve. With these two, I can usually get out most anything. I hope this helps. Good luck!
I watched a show on which the presented said that water will get out almost every stain over time. Since then, if I have a fresh stain I usually treat with Dawn, wait an hour, and rinse. If the stain does not seem to be removed I then hold the stain under a stream of water and its unbelievable how many stains disappear after a short while. The tv presenter likened the effect of water on stains to the erosion of rock by water. I just try not to waste too much water in the process!
I'm not sure what kind of OxyClean you tried, but I always got good results with OxyClean Baby Stain Remover. It took out old set in stains.
With two small boys and a dog, I always keep a bottle of Dawn blue dishwashing soap, vinegar and water (3 equal parts of each) handy in my cleaning supplies. I spray this on the stain, let it sit about 5 minutes and use a wet wrag to get the stain up. This has even worked on red gatorade. To get that one up, I had to use white rags and a steam iron. I sprayed my solution on the stain, waited 5 minutes, put the white rag over the stain and steam ironed it. The stain went from the carpet to the white rag. Then I just put the rag in bleach to get the stain out and voilla, red gatorade was gone.
