Q&A for How to Remove Set in Stains

There are a couple of ways to get stains out naturally. One is to make a paste of baking soda and warm water. Apply this to the stain, scrub it with a toothbrush or your finger, then thoroughly rinse the garment and launder it as usual. Another natural method is to soak the clothing in a bowl of vinegar, then wash the item as normal. If the stain remains after the first soak, you can resoak until it fades.

The best method to start out with is to use oxygen bleach - there are many commercial products containing oxygen bleach that you can find in stores. Start out by mixing the recommended amount of oxygen bleach into a bowl of hot water, then soak the clothes for up to 6 hours, mixing occasionally. Finish up by laundering the clothing as normal.

To remove a tea stain, soak the stain in cold water and an oxygen bleach product (like OxiClean) and follow the directions on the bleach product.

For a polyester or cotton blouse, you can treat the stain with warm water and then add a grease-fighting liquid dish soap and scrub with your fingers or a brush. Rinse and repeat as needed, then wash and dry the blouse as you normally would.

Like all stains, the quicker you get to work the better. To remove a coffee stain from cotton, you can use a vinegar mix. First, try to rid the material of the excess coffee with a dry rag. Next mix a solution of 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, ½ teaspoon dishwashing detergent, and 1 quart of warm water, and let the clothing sit in this for 15 minutes. Following this, rinse the stain with warm water, and use rub rubbing alcohol on the stain with a sponge. Repeat a warm water rinse, let the clothing dry, and launder as you normally would.

If you cannot get the clothing wet, it may be best to take it to a dry cleaner for special washing and treatment.

If you have stained your clothing with hair dye, try to remove it as soon as you see it by rubbing heavy duty liquid clothing detergent into the stain and rinsing it thoroughly. Once the stain has set in, heavy chemicals may be needed. You can use an oxygen-based bleach in a basin of cool water, following the directions on the label. Let the clothing sit overnight, and clean normally afterward. If this still doesn’t work, soak the clothing in ¼ cup chlorine bleach and a gallon of water for 15 minutes.

Use Dawn dish soap. It must be original blue. Let set overnight if possible with a damp cloth on top, use hot water to remove the soap. It may take some time to remove by hand. If you have a carpet cleaning machine, use the hose to remove.