Sprays and liquids are easiest and usually most convenient, but powders can be effective for big jobs or items that need to soak,” Cohoon says. Depending on the fabric, you can also try making a paste of baking soda and water and rubbing it into the stain, letting it sit for 30 minutes before washing,” says Flores. The hardest stains to remove are the ones that aren’t treated as soon as possible. “Lifting stains immediately will help reduce the likelihood of long-term damage and stains,” Cohoon says. To best remove tough stains, be sure to follow your garment’s specific laundering instructions and the instructions on the laundry stain remover. Blot wet stain of excess liquid or moisten dry/old stains with water, apply The Hate Stains Co. product and then launder as usual or rinse away soapy residue. I also suggest adding a half-cup of white vinegar or a quarter-cup of Downy Rinse & Refresh to the fabric-softener slot of your washing machine (make sure to press the fabric-softener button or the machine won’t add the product to the rinse cycle). Downy Rinse & Refresh is an acidic, super-low-pH formula that is designed to strip away gunk and minimize odor. It’s much more powerful than white vinegar and works really well on blitzing odors from synthetic fabrics. (Notably, it is not a fabric softener, even though it’s a Downy product that goes in the fabric softener slot.)

While many other products on our list are sprays or brushes that you can apply directly to the stain, note that this is a powder so you will need a container or basin to soak your garment in. To treat stains, the instructions recommend shaking the spray bottle and then spraying the affected area. For best results, allow the product to sit on the stain for 15 minutes, and then launder the fabric as usual. Brandi Fuller is a commerce editor for Better Homes & Gardens who writes about the best home and products. For this list, she researched important factors to look for in laundry stain removers and compared her findings with the insights provided by our testing lab in Des Moines, Iowa. She also received expert insight from Angela Brown, CEO of Savvy Cleaner, and Kathy Cohoon, operations manager at Two Maids and a Mop. What Is BHG Recommends? When testing this product, our testers noticed that this product completely removed both fresh grass stains and set-in grass stains. In addition to the grass stains, the stain remover also completely lifted the marker, chocolate syrup, and olive oil stains. However, the formula struggled to remove red wine and makeup stains. Testers also noted that the spray bottle was simple to point and spray, and no scent was detected. When it comes to choosing a laundry stain remover, Flores recommends staying away from products that contain ingredients such as ammonia, sulfates, and bleach (which can damage most colored fabrics). Certain chemical cleaners, however, are more likely to remove tough, set-in stains.

Blood stains can be tough to remove because they contain proteins that bind to fabric fibers. To treat a blood stain, soak the garment in cold water for 30 minutes before laundering it as usual,” Flores says. “Grass stains are difficult to remove because of their saturated green pigments, so it might require repeating the stain removal process a few times. Ink is also hard to remove from fabric because it’s water-resistant. To treat an ink stain, blot the area with a dry cloth to absorb as much of the ink as possible.” We love this laundry stain remover spray because of its naturally-derived ingredients, plant-based enzymes, and ability to effectively get rid of fresh stains. As a bonus, this stain remover contains no dyes or fragrances. For best results, simply spray directly onto the stain and let saturate for a few minutes, and then wash immediately or within 24 hours. For its value and effectiveness, one tester says this enzyme-based stain remover’s performance exceeds its affordable price point. Although one tester had an issue with the brush smearing certain fresh stains like chocolate, they recommended lightly dabbing any excess from the stain and wiping off the brush after each application. Despite this, our testers still recommend this product for its value and effectiveness on set-in stains. It’s also worth noting that Flores recommends pre-soaking items with set-in stains for best results. While it’s possible to fade some stains using common household ingredients, laundry stain removers are an easy and effective way to get rid of tough messes.

This product received perfect scores for ease of use and value and earned high marks across other tested categories. Because of its effectiveness and affordability, this is the best laundry stain remover for fresh food stains. Our testers loved how versatile and effective this product was at removing the toughest set-in stains, especially wine, makeup, and ink. While the powder formula can be a little messy to use, especially when mixing in a spray bottle, it’s definitely effective. The label recommends pre-soaking items in warm water before washing for best results, while our testers recommend a lengthy pre-treatment. “The longer you let the product set, the more it removes the stain,” says one tester. The OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover Powder is the best laundry stain remover to use when evidence of your wine night is visible on your clothes. While several of the other stain removers on our list significantly lightened red wine stains, this was the only product we tested that completely removed the stains. Another shopper wrote in her review, “This stain remover is the absolute best. I saw people post about it on the Internet and decided to try it since I have two young kids that make giant messes on their clothes. It literally removes the stain in front of your eyes. My kid got raspberries in my off-white cardigan and it came out within seconds of me spraying this on my cardigan. I’ve used it so many times after and it works every single time. I will definitely be purchasing more when I run out.” It didn’t completely remove most stains on the first treatment, but it reduced the appearance of stains significantly.

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Laundry stain removers use enzymes or oxidation to break down stains and not all are created equal,” says Kathy Cohoon. “Look for stain removers that are gentle yet effective and avoid harsh ingredients like acetone and strong alcohol as they can damage dyed fabrics.” During testing, our testers applied grass, olive oil, marker, chocolate syrup, red wine, and makeup stains to t-shirts and circled each stain with a permanent marker. After waiting at least one minute, they followed the manufacturer’s instructions to attempt to remove each stain. If you have a house full of budding athletes, you’ll want to keep the Defunkify Stain Remover Spray on hand at all times. This EPA Safer Choice Certified formula will help remove those stubborn grass stains from baseball practice and soccer games. It’s safe to use on all fabric types, and can even be used on couches and carpets, too.