Laundry expert moms - please help! My son has eaten a couple of Chef Boy-R-Dee products lately and I cannot seem to get out those greasy/tomato-y stains out of his clothes. Short of stripping him down to his diaper next time I let him near one of those, does anyone have advice for the best stain fighters around?
I use many of the tricks mentioned. I have also used Borax to soak clothes and it is a little cheaper and gentler than Oxi-clean. For blood, use hydrogen peroxide until it stops bubbling upon application. It will get the blood out every time.
L., Dishwasher soap like cascade is great for those hard kinds of food stains. I used it a lot for my kids clothing when they were little. wet the area and then rub in a little of the cascade then put in a bucket of water with a little of the cascade swished in let it soak an hour or so (( have been known to leave it all night lol) adn then throw it in the wash bucket of water and all and it will come out nice and clean. you may want to test the area first to make sure for color fastness.
I use spray and wash stain stick on most of our stubborn stains. the main thing is, if you do wash something and the stain doesn't come all the way out, DO NOT PUT THE ITEM IN THE DRYER! If the stain isn't gone, I also use some oxyclean directly on the area. if it is a white shirt, I use a clorox bleach pen.
The most important thing is to get it before it sets in. So if he's eating at home, take off his clothes after he's finished eating.
Use COLD water. I know it seems kind of weird, but it will get it out without setting it in. If the stain is still wet, just put a little laundry detergent on it and rub it back and forth and rinse. Keep repeating until it's gone and then wash immediately.
If it's a set stain, that's another story. You will need to soak it. I just use a bucket. Put some detergent in a bucket and soak it and check it the next day. I've tried several things - laundry detergent, and/or oxyclean or Shaklee detergent or Shaklee Basic H2. They all seem to work about the same. Once you've soaked it for a day, scrub it out.
When you put it in the washer, do NOT let it go in the dryer unless the stain is gone. Once it goes in the dryer and dries, it will be set and there's no hope of getting it out.
On the bright side, tomato-based stains are one of the trickiest ones to get out, so if you master this one, you are doing great! You still have awhile before you get the grass and blood stains.
I use OxyClean for EVERYTHING - but with tomato based ones I use a couple of sprays of Spray & Wash and then soak in Oxy for an hour or two. Wash and check stain. If still there try Oxy for another 2-3 hours and wash again. I've soaked repeatedly with increasing amounts of oxy and it always comes clean.
But occasionally I just strip him down to a diaper too :)
Try waterless hand cleaner. Rub in and rinse with cold water. Repeat as necessary. Works on alot of tomato based things.
IN my laundry room I keep a 'biz' bucket. I throw stained stuff in there and the night before laundry day I presoak everything in biz. It's in the laundry section and seems to work most of the time. My MIL swears by it.
A plain old bar of Ivory Soap and elbow grease will get it out. I have gotten old, dried-in blood out of clothes, grease off carpeting & clothing, and all kinds of strange stains off textiles using a bar of plain Ivory Soap.
Also, I ALWAYS add Borox in my wash, it gets stinks & tough stuff out of the wash on the first time around. Well not necessarily a greasy mess, but it really helps, especially for grease. It works like a boost to your soap.
And yes, I do strip my little guy when he eats messy stuff. Sometimes it's the only way. :)
Good luck!
D.
