Stain Removal on Baby Clothes

I had this problem and have found that Lestoil (in the laundry aisle) is the best stuff out there. I get a bottle and mix 1/2 lestoil and 1/2 dawn dish detergent and then shake it really well. I then put it on the stain and rub the fabric really well and let it sit overnight. I wash it with the regular wash and see if it's come out. Usually takes two treatments but it gets it out. The only thing it hasn't worked on is chocolate milk. Warning, the stuff stinks to high heaven...

Just an FYI I made a paste of Oxyiclean and Kroger baby detergent and left it on the stay for several days until I had a load to wash. After I had washed and allowed to air dry I noticed that the outfit had several wholes in it. Now to be fair this was an outfit my 6yr old had also worn,but the wholes were not there before.

I love Spray Power. Found in the cleaning aisle at Wal-Mart. I just spray on and put clothes straight in washer. I do wash all baby clothes in warm water. I will say though carrots are almost impossible. I buy Spray Power by the gallon. Have used for years.

If you find that the detergent (or whatever) you need to get the food stains out causes irritation with your baby, perhaps you can wash it twice -- the first time to get the stain out, and the second time in your "baby detergent" so that it won't irritate her skin. (My kids didn't have sensitive skin, so I didn't need to do this, but it seems like it would work.) You can try "laundry boosters" like borax or washing soda, which might help, but I don't know about the skin irritability.

An "out of the box" idea is to have a few stained garments which you put on her when she eats and take them off when she's done eating and spitting up/out; or get a toddler T-shirt and slip it over her clothes when she's eating, if a bib isn't covering enough; or just feed her naked -- baby skin washes up *really* easy! :-)

My kids wear all yard-sale and hand-me-down stuff, and I just try to keep their good clothes good. It's working so far.

OxiClean
In my opinion everything else is a waste of time and money!
I make a paste with the powder, scrub it into the stain, and then let it soak in hot water for a couple hours (in a bucket) and repeat if necessary.
It doesn't seem to irritate the kids skin, although it's hard on my hands. I also haven't had any problems with colors fading etc.
Good luck

I used SA8 Prewash with mine, and there wasn't much that didn't come out. Easy to use, just squirt it on before you throw it in the wash. No scrubbing. You can only get it from a Amway/Quixtar rep. But that's no problem, I can get it for you. Let me know if you'd like me to get some for you.
____@____.com
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And I'm not just trying to get you to buy it. If you aren't satisfied, I'll give you your $$ back.

I swear by OxiClean but if you know it's going to stain, spray as soon as it gets soiled. I also use Kirkland's brand (Costco) of Tide and that seems to work. I wash all clothes except towels and sheets on cold, cold. Sheets and towels are done on warm, warm. warm water helps set stains and if it comes out stained, then DON"T throw it in the dryer, just re-spray and re-wash. The heat in the dryer also helps the stains stay permanent. Good luck!
A.

Hi S.,
I use OxiClean to soak the stained clothing, then I rinse and wash with detergent with a little Borax added to the water. I've found that this gets the majority of stains out and my 2 year old is REALLY good at staining things.
Good luck!

I can't remember if it's Shout or Spray n Wash, but one of them makes something called a stain stick. It's a gooey paste (like a glue stick) that you put on the stain and then you can let it sit until you do the wash. We've had luck with it getting almost everything out and I like that you can target the stains with it. Good luck.

As soon as your child gets food on her clothing change her clothes. Put the dirty clothes in your bathroom sink with water on it so that it does not dry into the clothes. Then use any kind of cleaner to get the stain out. The key is not to let the food dry into the clothes and get the food completely out of the clothes BEFORE you put it in the washing machine.

hey, a lady at my church told me to soak the clothes in cascade(dishwashing detergent)maybe a day or so. works for me. good luck.

I bought the little bottle of tide that came with a battery
operated brush that goes in circular motion. Instructions,
put the tide on the spot, turn the battery operated brush on and brush it with the brush. Then (this is the secret) put it in the clothes hamper for at least 24 hours. I've never seen a stain it hasn't taken out.

Hope this will help you.
B.

Go to Toys R Us and go to the baby isle. They have some stain stuff in a spray pump bottle and the name on it has the word stain in it. The bottle is white and has alot of pink on it. It says on there that it takes out baby poop. Sorry that I don't know the name of it but it is GREAT stuff. You won't be disappointed.

Hey S.,

The best stuff that I found is from Melaleuca. They have detergent and stain remover that is safe for everyone, as it contains no harsh chemicals, but it works better than anything I've tried from WalMart... They actually have any cleaner you'd need for anything and everything is natural. I'm very pleased with my results... messege me if you want more info...

I use a stain treater (i.e. Shout) immediately when I take his clothes off my son. Then they can sit until laundry day. I run the baby's clothes through a soak cycle with detergent and Clorox 2, then run them through a regular wash cycle (refilling both the detergent and Clorox 2). Works great but you have to do the pre-treat step...when I get lazy and skip it the stains appear.

Hi S.!!
I just used Shout on my baby clothes. I sprayed on to the stain (formula, babyffood) rubbed it in a bit, let it sit a few mins and washed like I normally did. I haddent had a problem with stains. I did this for both of my children. I Still use it the same way for grass and red mud stains now that my kids are both grown (10 & 19Yrs old). If there was an advertising campaingn for Shout, asking for volunteers, Id be first in line. I truely stand by it.
Good Luck!

the best thing i have found is i use spray and wash, then i use tide and sometimes even oxyclean (both in the wash) you would think this would not be as good as dreft on sensitive skin but i always do an extra rinse cycle which works great for my girls! (which both take after me and have sensitive skin) hope this is helpful!

Dreft stain removal spray -can buy it at Target for 2 to 3 dollars works well. I also use Oxiclean stain removal spray which works well also. Once in a while, I need to wash something twice with treatment...but it is rare. These products work well. I haven't lost any clothes to stains yet - I hope I don't jinx myself by saying this...and my daughter is 8 months old and messy!

Hi S.,
I use zout and it gets most stains out (some stains are just about impossible to get out). Be sure to let it sit on the garment for about 10 minutes before you wash it. Also, just wanted to say that this stage you are going through of feeling like you spend your whole day doing stain removal (I remember that well) will pass!! Good luck!
Cyndi

There is also something called M-57 or something like that it is available at the dollar tree,store or big lots, wal-mart too. It is in a tub like a paste but it has gotten blood out w/o discoloration, it is worth a try, I use it on my tuff stains, and it normally handles the problem. Hope this helps.

About me I am mother of two bueatiful girls one that is 16yo and the other that is 20 months, talk about starting over. lol I also work full time and am pursuing my Master's in Public Health. Life is busy to say the least.

In the future, when your children get old enough to mark on their clothing w/ ink pens, hairspray takes that out perfectly. I have a spritz bottle, that doesn't spritz anymore, that I take off and just pour a little over the ink and I don't even have to scrub.

Hi S.

When mine were little I would get my stain removal at Babies R Us. I don't remember the name, but it was formulated for formula stains, but worked pretty good on most everything.
Now that mine are toddlers I use Shout Advanced in the blue bottle for Set-In Stains, it works WONDERS! I haven't found a stain it can't get out (if caught before it goes in the dryer). If I missed the stain and dried the clothes then it works most of the time, but not everytime.
Also have you tried lemon juice and putting the clothes out in the sun for several days? I know that works on cloth diapers....
Good Luck to you.
J.

I like Spray & Wash STICK.

Really get it on there. Both sides. Let it sit on there for a full day or two. Wash, check it before it goes in the dryer, repeat if needed.

I have found that gets really bad stains out, even ones that went through the dryer (thanks hubby) It may need to be repeated.

I agree with the other mom who said Tide is the best. It is really good! I was using Era & stayed with a friend. She did a load of my clothes & I could not believe how *clean* they were! She used Tide.

Good luck.

Ok first I have never spent the extra money on the baby soap. I always used what I was using on everybody elses clothes. Babies have the worst stains and need a tuff soap to get them out. I use All detergant. Walmart sells a 90 use container of it for $10.97. For anything that has gotten on the clothes I put Dawn dish liquid on them before washing. I have found very few things get past Dawn. I always make sure when getting them out of the washer that I examin them well before tossing them in the dryer. If you put them in the dryer the stain gets baked in. We go through 2 big bottles of Dawn a month. That is of course doing dishes with it also. No dish washer in my house but me and my 2 oldest girls. We are a family of 6 and even my husbands grease stains from working on cars or whatever come out. Check it out. It may work for you.

try using oxyclean powder in your wash along with your regular soap, one to two scoops hope it works for ya

First of all, ditch the baby detergent. It doesn't do anything. Tide is the best detergent. It breaks me out though, so I have to use the Tide Sensitive powder. For things we are pretty sure are going to stain, we use Shout Advanced Gel as we put the clothing in the wash. It works GREAT! Gets everything out.

Hi S., I shop from an on-line environmentally green health and wellness company. My kids have sensitive skin and their laundry products are excellent for that. Also, they work very well at getting stains and dirt out ... my son has to where white shirts to his private school and I was able to get some red stain out that he came home with and have had other great experiences too. Their products are even cheaper than most store brands!

If you are interested, feel free to get in touch with me. You can also check out my switching stores website below.

Take care, D..
http://www.switchingstores.com/danipen
www.BizForMomsOnline.com

S., I have two suggestions for you. Both work great but I will have to admit the first is far easier.

As Teresa P. mentioned, Spray 'n' Wash makes a stain stick that is the bomb on getting out stains. The caveat here is that you really need to get it onto the stain as quickly as possible. If you don't get it washed for a couple of days that's okay but, keep the stain stick handy to rub on as soon as you strip the clothes off of baby. This stuff works so well my 19 yr old grandson called to tell ME about it! Trust me. If this kid is calling me to tell me about a stain relief product ... it works.

The other alternative, and what you might want to try on the old stains is called Spray Power. It is a liquid, almost watery consistency. The company is based in Lexington, KY and it is distributed through Wal-Mart Stores. It is pretty inexpensive compared to name brand products and if eco-green to boot! I have used it on all kinds of organic (regurgitated food and other bodily fluids), grease and oil (both cooking and petroleum), and even 2 week old blood stains. If it has already gone through the washer and dryer you may have to scrub a little on a stain to get it out. I would recommend using a brush for this and not doing it with your bare hands. (It tends to dry my hands out.) It is also perfect to use as a window/mirror cleaner, concrete wash, and a friend of mine called the company and asked if it was safe to use with rug shampoo and was told is a perfect (and extremely cost effective) substitute for carpet shampoo and safe to use in any brand rug shampooer.

So ...
Spray Power for the old stains
Spray 'n' Wash stick for the fresh ones.

If you can't find Spray Power in a Wal-Mart near you, let me know.

I use melaleuca, and it works amazingly well. For the bad stains I use some of the stain remover plus the all-purpose cleaner. It's a membership deal, but you can buy it at the more expensive non-membership price if you don't think you want to commit to a minimum monthly purchase and just want to get a few cleaners every once in a while. (Looking at the other posts, it sounds like this is what Mimi is talking about.)

Anyways, I love all the melaleuca products for the most part. www.melaleuca.com And also, unless your baby has sensitive skin, allergies, asthma, or other skin issues, Dreft isn't really necessary. Other detergents will work much better, especially if you get unscented (that is mainly what you are getting by using Dreft). You can always do a second rinse if your baby is still really small. I also had good luck with Oxyclean before the melaleuca.

Use regular stain removers like oxyclean, spray-n-wash etc.
Then rewash the clothes in Dreft after the stain is removed.

Stain removal is more 'hit-and-miss' than 'exact science'! LOL Different products work on different stains (and some stains won't come out ever). Once a stain is 'set' (usually from using the WRONG product) it's too late. Some helpful hints:
Spit on blood stains (then peroxide for any remaining residue)
Cheap 'AWESOME' all purpose cleaner from a dollar stpre worls well on food grease & evev Kool-Aid.
Something 'acidic' (vinegar or lemon juice) on rust (not that babies encounter rust much! Ha) Bleach will SET rust stains permanently!
D-solv-it takes out some food stains & works WONDERFULLY on solid surfaces for adhesive residue (stickers, labels, etc), crayon marks, candle wax, tar, etc (and is gentle on skin).
Some hand soaps (solid) will remove grass stains.

(Sorry I haven't been much help about veggie stains!)

I use Oxi Clean! If I didn't my toddler would have no clothes left=) My kids have pretty sensitive skin and it hasn't bothered them at all. Just spray it on and the stains are gone...no scrubbing!!!

I have always used Tide and Shout- the name brand one not generic- and put the clothes through an extra rinse cycle. A friend of mine keeps a Tide pen all the time and uses it as soon as possible and has good luck with that.

Stains should be soaked in COLD water, and may require some OxiClean. That's how I get most of ours out.

Also, I use the Amway stain remover and it works wonderfully!

Hi S.,

I use a natural line of products that work EVERY TIME. There are several different ones that all have a high grade tea tree oil in them so it breaks the stain down naturally. I've used the spot remover to get blood out of fabric. Believe it or not the "bathroom" cleaner got an entire gallon of paint out of our carpet at church. I was there, I watched my husband do it! Everyday things like food and drink come out with a little pretreat and a wash. These products are so safe they don't even have child proof caps.

The reason I started using these products was for the safety issue and the really cheap price. I was astonished when I realized how well they worked. The products are sold over the internet through a membership club much like an online healthy Sam's. Let me know if you want more information and I'll be glad to help.

Regards,

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

Hi S.. Usually, I wash "dirty" clothes in regular detergent first. If it is something prone to stain, i put liquid detergent right on the spot and let it sit a min before washing. Ususlly everything comes out, then i rewash in Dreft.
good luck.
D.

For tomato and other like stains, I swear by Shout spray and a Crest Spinbrush. Of course you do this on a fresh stain, or as quickly as you can after the spot happens. Spray on the Shout and work it in with the Spinbrush. If it's a greasy thing, use Dawn dishwashing detergent and the Spinbrush. Good luck!

dont use dreft it isnt strong enough. use tide free it cleans better and its alot cheaper! as soon as you see she has messed her clothes take them off and put spray and wash on them you can let it sit until you do your next load of laundry... dont use powder it has a tendency to stay on the clothes more than the liquid which can cause irritation good luck ps somethings just dont come out of clothes..

Hi, i am R.. Mom of seven. What i do is. I use all free detergant. A little more then the usual cap full. I always do an extra large load. Then i use clorox color bleach. Cap full plus some extra. Then i don't know if you have seen it but spray n wash comes in a refill size bottle, i take that and go in a circle pouring around the tub 4 times. Then i put in snuggles fabric softener. This is for colored clothes.if this works for you then you could run the clothes through with your regular detergant. For white and light colors i do the same thing except i use clorox bleach instead of color beach. I just dump it in, a good bit. You would be surprised at what you can bleach. I believe in name brand when it cames to laundry stuff. After all it is to expensive to have to replace stuff all the time. My kids wear a lot of yard sale clothes and they look good. Good luck. R.

You need to use either Borax or Tide with Bleach; for babies skin though you need to use 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar in the second rinse cycle to remove the detergent residue so as not to irritate your baby's skin. This should take of most if not all of your stains.

I use powdered Oxiclean. I make a paste with the powder and water and rub it into the stains. Let it sit for alittle while and then through it into the washer as usual with an extra rinse cycle. Works just about everytime! I have a soon to be 4 year old that likes to use her sleeve as a napkin and this has saved all of her clothes.
I know this may sound yucky, but using Oxiclean like this on underarm stains and deoderant stains works wonders and saves your own clothes too!

My child was always a very messy eater. I bought a massive bib first of all. I had two things of spray in wash one on my kitchen table and one in my laundry room. I used tide becasue it removed the stains the best. My child never had sensitive skin so I didn't have to worry about that. I always find that the faster you get the stuff on the stain the easier it will be to remove it. Watch out when you are in my house because I will spray the stain while you are still eating. Our clothes are stain free. My husband has even commented on how good I am at getting the stains out of my daughters clothes. You have to pre-treat ASAP!!!

I've found that oxiclean gets most of the stains on my 2 yr old's clothing. When I take the shirt of whatever it is off, I spray it on there and let it soak. Than about an hour later spray again, put a little dreft ontop of that and put it in the washer. That usually works for me. Good luck!