Lamenting Laundry - Oil-based Stains from Dryer & Chocolate Milk Stains

Oil based stains like chocolate milk and even gross deodorant stains will come out if you mix a solution of 1/2 white amonia (sometimes more than half is necessary, but at least it's cheap!)and 1/2 hot water. Let the clothing soak for 1/2 hr. Then rinse and rub detergent or other stain remover into stain and wash normally. This solution is really stinky, so do it in a bucket outside preferably. Good luck!

Hi M.,
I recently found out Spray and Wash works wonders even for those stains that have been set for long periods of time.There is the spray that foams up or the spray that does'nt,I found the foaming one last longer. The only thing about spray and wash is that you only spray the stains before wash.Let sit for 2 min or less,don't let the spray dry or it'll leave oil like stains.I'm a cook,I had some shirts that had grease stains from years ago found out about the spray,used it and out came the old stains.Is even great in removing chocolate. As far as cleaning your dryer im not sure but this spray made me excited to know it took old stains out and many more to come.Hope it helps.
I use to use Shout After trying Spray and Wash Never will i try another brand and it's under 4 bucks.

Can't help with the oil based stains, but chocolate I have had some success with. My best results have been when I catch immediately and rinse well then dump in small tub with 1/4 scoop of oxy clean in HOT water and leave for several days. When dried I have sometimes had luck with the stain stick that has the nylon brush for scrubbing. I pop on a nice sized glob and scrub w/brush, and then I do the oxy clean bit I described above. The key is usually having left it for several days. Works even better when left on the top of the washer (mine shakes ALOT).

I know you said the oxy clean had not worked well in the past. The store brand of oxy clean doesn't seem to work as well for me. Also being sure to use the proper amount AND the HOT water ensures best results. Once it has been dried it is usually set in for life, but every once in a while I will get lucky. I hope this helps.

Goo Gone works great on oil based stains! Sorry,have no tips on chocolate.

I have found that Shout Gel with the scrub brush works wonders. I try to catch the clothing item as it is taken off and put it on there then. Then I toss it in the laundry until I'm ready to wash. If it is a "heavy-duty" stain I'll scrub more in just before I put it in the washer. Usually, if I don't catch it I can put it on just before washing and the stain still comes out.

I used to use Spray and Wash (what my mom had always used). But you can't spray it on and leave it until washing day. I ruined some of my husband's clothes (of course not mine) doing this. The Spray and Wash on dark clothes would leave lighter (like bleaching out) spots where I had applied it.

I also use Oxy Clean on my whites and sometimes the darks too.

I have noticed the oily spots on clothing too. I have become really concious of whether I flick salad dressing on my shirt while eating. I have found that even a pen-sized dot of dressing will leave a quarter size oil stain when washed in cold water.

Hope this helps!

Hi M., doing laundry is already a challenge I can't stand the delays and more importnat ly clothers that are ruined by stains. I understand how you feel I have four very active kids... One fo the Things that I STONGLY suggest is that you stay away from the harsh chemical cleaners like clorox and oxyclean. Many of which cause a lot of skin problems and exposure to toxic chemicals when your kids sweat. I started using natural based products about two years ago and they really work WELL. I have certainly run into a miracle working products for stains.
You are welcome to check out the line of prodcuts that I use they are safe and healhtier for your entire family and won't ruine the colors and materials of your clothes.

A. Bartholomew J.D.
http://www.healthy-us.com
http://healthyus.wordpress.com
Life is Meant to be GOOD, Live Well

M.,
Maybe this will help. Get your hairdryer and turn it to high heat. heat the inside of your dryer and dry it quickly with a towel. My daugher-in-law accidently spilled a jar of candle wax on my drain board, it was a mess all over the place. I used the hair dryer and viola , it all melted and I just wiped it away, H. this helps.

H.

I do not know what to tell you reguarding the oil spots, but as fot the chocolate milk, i got this! When i worked at walmart i had a customer that had a little boy. His clothes were whiter and better looking that any other kids brought in here. He had an adorable little white sailor's suit. I had to ask her, i figured he had more than one. There is no way this little 10 month old boy could keep this one same white outfit so clean. She introduced me to scotchguard. You spray it on your kids clothes before they wear them, give it enough time to dry. Then throughout the day as stuff gets spilled on it, it just beads up and slides right off there. The scotchguard repels it and it doesn't sink into the clothes. So i tried it with my 2 yr. Old at the time. Wow- that stuff is amazing. It will absolutely take care of t he chocolate milk thing. And i hope you have luck on the degreasing the dryer. Personally i think you may have no other choice but go buy another one. Look in the thrifty nickel.
ON A TOTALLY DIFFERENT NOTE. I LEARNED FROM NURSING SCHOOL(MY STEP-MOM ATTENDED NOT I) THAT IF YOU POUR HYDROGEN PEROXIDE ON FRESH BLOOD, IT COMES RIGHT OUT. I WAS AMAZED, I HAVE HAD TO THROW AWAY TO MANY CUTE PANTIES AND SUCH. THEN ONE DAY, I GOT DEER BLOOD ON MY DAUGHTERS FAVORITE PANTS, AND SHE WAS THERE.WOW TALK ABOUT FAST. AND IT IS NEAT TO WATCH IT BUBBLE. BUBBLES AMAZE KIDS YOU KNOW. NOW I ALWAYS BUY PEROXIDE AT THE SAME TIME I BUY TAMPAX PRODUCTS.

Everybody here has given you some great ideas. Using vinegar has worked wonders for me.

If you go to Martha Stewart's website she has some pretty good suggestions for getting stains out. Type "Stain FirstAid Chart" in the search box and it should pop up. Most (if not all) are natural and eco-friendly.

I found crayon melted all of my clothes out of the dryer. I used a product purchased Home Depot or Lowe's called Greased Lightning. This did pull out the crayon from my clothes. It is a degreaser so this should work. I don't remember the price.

Oh yes, I think we have every stain you can think of. When my kids were smaller the only thing that saved many of their clothes was Biz Bleach.

I remember one time I purchased several items of clothing from a garage sale that I just loved, but they had pretty bad set in stains. I soaked them in a 5 gallon bucket with Biz for a couple days and all stains came out. It didn't effect the color or wear down the fabric. I have even used Biz on cloth diapers, chocolate milk, and ketchup.

WD-40 gets out crayon (that's how I found out about it) and other grease based stuff in the dryer, just be sure to get an old towel, wet it and dry it in your dryer as hot as you can- it'll pull out the excess wd-40...
Best of luck

If you use your dish washing soap (like dawn or joy etc) on the spots, it will remove them even after drying them. Yes, you have to wash again, but it sure beats throwing them out! As for the actual dryer, I am stumped on that one.

i would also try the colorsafe bleach, like tara suggested

my initial thought was that i have been able to get lots of stains out (juice, blood, mud) using plain old white vinegar and hot hot water in the wash. don't put anything in the dryer until you have checked it over and made sure that the stain is gone.

have you tried spray n wash or shout for your oil stains? you might just have to bite the bullet and get a new dryer.

What is the brand, make, model of your dryers that are giving the oil-based stains. It's happening in mine too. I have the Kenmore Elite Smart Wash Quite pak 9. I to have washed and dried the occasional chapstick but the cap has always stayed tightly on. Maybe it is something with the dryers?

I would suggest using an engine degreaser. They work well and you don't have to worry about flamibility like some other household cleaners. The other thing that I have found that works well in removing stains is HEB's Bravo stain remover, I soak stains overnight in hot water and most everything comes out. I love it. Good Luck!

Hi! This sounds all to familiar to me. Actually, the stains aren't coming from your dryer. They are coming from your washer. It's called, softner stains. For some reason, many of the softners now are leaving stains on the laundry. I get them out by using Spray N Wash Max w/Resolve in it. I spray the stains, let the article soak for 3 mins, then wash as normal. This should also work for you chocolate milk stains! Good luck!

If you use dryer sheets, suspect them. I heard once, long ago, somewhere, that they can melt if the dryer is too hot. Maybe the batch of sheets has clumps of softner on it, it melts, and goes on to the clothes. On to idea two: The best oil based remover I've found is an Orange based cleaner I find in the automotive department. It's fragrant when washing but the smell does not linger in the clothes. Good Luck

At the Dollar Tree there is something called Awesomely Orange. I have gotten everything out from blood to kool-aid to oil from the lawn mower. We you notice the stain treat it. Remember once you dry something the stain is set.

I don't know if this will work or not on your oily issues but I found at Berings(the one on Wesalyn(sp?)they used to carry it in the one on Westheimer but not lately) a gold mine that has worked on many stains that my children have encountered and they have found some stubborn stains but it is called Whink Wash Away Laundry Stain Remover. The bottle did say it takes away grease. You might want to give it a try. It has gotten rid of many a stain after I took them out of the dryer. I won't use anything else.

I shop at Melaleuca.com. They have great, natural products that would do the job. I am thinking of Sol-U-Mel or Tough and Tender. My son put some dishes in the dishwasher with that FrankoAmerican ravioli stuff on them. The inside of my dishwasher turned orange with that greasy stuff and no amount of running it through the cycles worked. The Tough and Tender however got it all off. All I had to do was spray some in and take a light sponge to it. Completely gone.

These products are staples in my house. I couldn't live without them. And, they contain no dangerous chemicals to harm my family either, so I have my kids cleaning all the time! They have even sprayed each other with the cleaners and, guess what, no adverse affects. I like that piece of mind.

J.
____@____.com
www.livetotalwellness.com/janislanz

Hi M.,
You might try Spray-n-Wash Dual Power. I tried it when Whoopi Goldberg talked about it on The View. I've used it on everything from pasta sauce to grease spots to white socks with black bottoms. I usually buy it at Wal-Mart. Hope this helps.

I use a bathtub cleaner (cheapest brand but like scrubbing bubbles). Spray it on and let it sit for a little while and they spray again and wash. It has gotten just about anything out and I've even used it on washable silk. I've never had trouble with it fading but I'd use it on a spot that is unnoticeable first just to be on the safe side. Hope it works.

I used meleleuca laundry detergent and spot remover. They are totally amazing. It has taken chocolate milk out of shirts for my 3 year old. They are also very affordable (much cheaper then tide) and eco-sensitive. I really, really like them!
HTH
T.
I work from home and You can too!
www.workathomeunited.com/tblake

I'm not sure how to get the oil based products out of your dryer, but I do know that using Shout Advanced had done wonders with my laundry (I have 2 boys 7 & 5 and a hubby)when they have oil based stains in their laundry. It even removes old stains I hadn't been able to get out after numerous attempts. I know it would work on Chocolate Milk stains as it does wonders on ketchup and tomato sauce stains! Hope this helps.

I too seem to find what looks like oil stains on some of my clothes. I talked with my sister (who can get any stain out of anything) and she was having the same problem. She thinks that it is the Downy Liquid Fabric Softener. I have switched fabric softener and have not noticed the oil stains recently.

the best stain remoer that I have ever used is plain Ivory soap. just use the original ivory soap in the bar form and work in to the stain, rinse with cold water. I don't have any suggestions about the dryer. sorry

I have a two year old that spills everything and anything on his cloths, I use Tide detergent and Oxyclean for the laundry. You put one cap full in with your detergent and even spgetti sauce and ketchup will come out after washing them. Be careful with dark cloths (Navy blue and black), it tends to fade then fast.
Good luck and hopes this help!
J.

For removing stains from clothes, all I use is vinegar. Mix one part vinegar with 3 parts water. I keep mine in a spray bottle in the laundry room and spray stains as I load the washing machine. It is all natural, won't fade colors, and doesn't leave an odor. It has gotten out ink, blood, and Hawiian Punch stains...all after they had already been washed and dried without stain treatment, so maybe it will work with chocolate milk.
I found a few things that might work for your dryer: wash the inside with Palmalive dish soap; wash it with Windex; wash it with acetone nail polish remover (this may discolor the inside of the dryer); soak a washcloth with vinegar, toss in dryer alone, set for 30 minutes. Be sure to rinse well of course before putting in clothes in there!

Good luck!
C.

Have you tried pine oil before washing and IN the wash load?
My husband used to work in a workshop and car oil IS hard to get out, specially if forgi¡otten and washed, but it will come out if you put some (couple of glugs) in the load. You an also try some of the new orange oil things in the market

Try Resolve or Shout with resolve.

Hello M.,

For the chocolate milk stain problem, try adding a half cup of dishwasher detergent powder (I use Cascade), along with your regular laundry detergent, to your wash water. It works really well.

Sorry that I can't help with your dryer problem.

S.

There is a product called Awesome I swear by. It is found at most dollar stores and comes in a spray bottle. It only costs a dollar and I have even shampooed my whole carpet with it. It removes pretty much anything.

My friend who told me about it is an artist and works with oil based paints. It removes the paint out of carpet with no damage to colors or fibers. The person who told her about it was a hair dresser and she uses it to remove hair dye out of her carpet.

I now use it for everything and at $1.00 for approximately a one liter bottle it's great.

I can't help with the oil based stains because I get those too.The choc. milk stains,here is what I did. I fiiled up a bathroom sink w/ liquid colorsafe bleach(just a capfull)and water(you want enough water to make bubbles.-you want more bleach than water). Just soak the item until the stain is gone.

Try shampoo for oily hair on the oil stains, if the stain is removable, this will probably work. And for other difficult stains, I use the laundry granules called Biz. I use an old tub of some kind (my favorite is the plastic buckets that ice cream comes in), and fill the tub with water and add a small amount of the biz granules, put the stained garment in. I leave it in the mixture for a day or 2 and give it a little shake every now and then. This always works for me, my husband calls me the Stain Master....I have to be with my daughter and him.

Who knows what's really up with your dryer, but here's my laundry advice...There is a cleaner called "Greased Lightening". Home Depot carries it for sure, but I've seen it in other stores. I haven't found a form of grease that can stand up to this cleaner. It made wiping 30 years of cooking splatters off kitchen cabinets a breeze. Maybe try cleaning out your dryer with that. Use a tooth brush to get in the nooks and crannies.

Or, it might be your fabric softener that is leaving spots on you clothes. I've had that happen before. Mainly when I was using the "Downey Ball" It didn't work well for me.

As for chocolate stains... I don't seem to have a hard time with this one even though we've had lots of spills. If I spray it good with "Shout" and scrub it with a toothbrush it almost always comes clean. Of course the earlier you catch it the better, but I truely believe that the toothbrush is the trick. I've also had good luck with "Tide with colorsafe bleach". Sometimes liquid dishsoap works well. It's formulated to clean off food particles.
Happy laundry

M. -

I have been using a product by Folex called Instant Carpet Spot Remover for about two years now and it works great for everything and the bottle says that it even gets out grease stains! I don't even use Spray N Wash any more. You can get it at Target on the isle with the carpet cleaners. The bottle is 32 oz and costs less than $5.00. My husband had a gel ink pen leak in his pocket. There was so much ink, we thought it was a lost cause. We held the shirt over the sink, sprayed it with the Folex and the ink was streaming into the sink. It got every drop out of the shirt! It's AMAZING!!

T.

Dawn dish soap degreases better than anything else. I used it to get washed-in cooking grease out of clothes. Maybe you could scrub your dryer down with a soapy sponge.

Try the grease remover mechanic shops use. It is real thick and is in a short can, and It believe it is used to wash the oil and grease off of their hands after working on a vehicle-washes off instantly.

I don't remember the name of it but if you go to Auto Zone or Advance Auto. They will know exactly what you are talking about. Anything that washes away car fuel and other greasey gunk should be able to get anything out along with any other of the suggestions made below. (Dawn dish detergent is great!)