Tough Stain--- Done All That I Can Think of to Get Rid of It!!

Updated on July 08, 2008
A.S. asks from Somerset, NJ
8 answers

My husband's white cotton shirt has a very old stain on it. I have tried all types of stain removers to get rid of it, but in vain. The problem is, the stain is very old. Its become inactive. Can anyone of you suggest ANY household means to clean it??

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B.K.

answers from Austin on

I have to second the OxyClean. I stained my favorite pair of light kahki shorts with a hot pink shirt that accidently mixed in the wash. That was over a year ago. I wore them only when I was doing something messy because they were stained pretty badly. Just a month ago, my mom soaked them in a strong solution of OxyClean and water. They are like new. I couldn't believe it!!!

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H.L.

answers from Austin on

I use OxyClean for almost everything. The only thing that didn't come out was heavy set in mud (my son loves to swim in mud after a good rain). Trick with OxyClean is that you have to use enough of it. I use the powder form and for a gallon of water, you have to use at least 3/4 scoop that comes with it. The water is cloudy white when I put enough of it. Then you have to let it soak for minimum 6 hours. I ususally do it over night or longer. I took out some of my son's baby clothes from 3 years ago for my daughter and some of them had old yellow stains on it and after soaking it over night, they all came out.

Good luck!

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C.G.

answers from Austin on

Hi A. -

Not sure what type of stain it is... however I have had amazing results with 20 Mule Team Borax. It is a detergent additive, so you use this and detergent, and you can also use bleach with it. You can find it at HEB, Target and probably Wal-Mart as well.

Soak the shirt in as hot of water as you can for at least 30 minutes. Work some of the Borax into a paste and work into the stain and gently scrub (old toothbrushes work great for this). Typically I leave it on for about 30 minutes and then wash in hot/hot water (letting it soak in the machine after the first agitation cycle for 30 more minutes). Check the stain to see if it removed it. If not try it again. Typically if it is going to work you will notice a difference. After the first attempt.

Borax was the only thing that I was able to get crayons off of all my son's new clothes... after they had been through the dryer!

Good luck!

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M.M.

answers from Austin on

If you will soak it with a scoop of the oxy clean for a day or two, it should come out. My mom spilled red wine on a shirt, and we didn't get to it right away...after two days it DID come out-good luck!

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E.S.

answers from Austin on

Have you tried OxyClean? =) Wet the stained area with cold water and then pour some of the oxyclean directly on the spot. Rub it around a little to let the oxyclean saturate the stain and let it sit for a while before you rinse it off. Good luck!

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S.Y.

answers from Austin on

If the shirt is white all over (no colored emblems, etc. to watch out for):

1. Soak the shirt in full strength Clorox in a little bucket or tub for a day or two.

2. I can't remember where I saw this next idea -- it may have been in this forum, but supposedly if you put an aspirin tablet in with your wash, it will remove set-in underarm sweat stains. I haven't tried it, and they said it has to be just regular aspirin.

Other than that, I don't know what to tell you. I did notice that someone recommended one of the Oxy Clean things. I've tried their products, and they've never seemed to work for me -- maybe I'm doing something wrong, though.

Good Luck.

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L.B.

answers from Austin on

I've never seen anything get stains out like liquid Cascade. I use a Q-tip to apply directly on the stain (I get stains out of my toddler's clothes this way even if there is a print or colors elsewhere on the outfit - don't apply to colors) and let it sit til it's gone. Sometimes it has to be scrubbed a bit, but it seems to get just about everything out! I also put a half cup in my white laundry sometimes when it's a really dirty load and soak the load for several hours or overnite. It works much better than bleach for some reason.

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C.B.

answers from Austin on

These are a couple of things you can try if you haven't already.

White vinegar - Soak the stain and leave it for a few hours, then rinse. Launder as normal unless stain is still there.

Biz - Had a mother-in-law that swore by it as a stain remover. Soak shirt until you see the stain gone.

Never hot water - that sets the stain. That's all I have in my arsenal. If it doesn't come out, let him keep it as a "working outside" shirt. I hope this helps. CB

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