Monday, April 2, 2007

Stubborn Stains

Tyler was the spit-up king. A lot of his newborn and 0-3 month clothing were stained with yellow marks on the neck and collar.

Now that we know we are having another boy and we are starting to get ready for Bryce, I am trying to get out those stubborn stains. Some of Tylers clothes I have special attachment to, for example outfits we bought for him when we found out we were having a boy. So I started searching the internet for suggestions on home remedies and different products.

1. First I tried making a paste out of baking soda and water. Then you apply to the stain and scrub it in with a toothbrush. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then wash clothes as directed. Maybe this would work on new stains, but not with these nearly two year old stains.

2. Next I tried Zout. A lot of people on the internet sweared by Zout so we bought a bottle. Apply Zout to the stain, take a tooth brush and scrub it in. Allow to sit for a few minutes and wash. The clothes that weren't too bad and whites came out fantastic! But the really bad stains and stains on colored clothing merely faded a bit.

3. Next I tried white vinegar. Saturate the stain with the vinegar, rub it in and wash. Don't bother! It didn't do a thing!

4. Then I tried Cascade. Wet the stained area, sprinkle on the Cascade, scrub it in with a tooth brush and wash. Not only did this not work, it was very messy!

5. I decided to give Zout a second try. Again applying to the stained areas, scrubbing with a toothbrush, allowing to sit for 5 minutes and then washing. After the second attempt of Zout another handful of clothes came clean and the rest of the stains faded a bit more.

6. With the handful of clothes that remained, I tried Dawn dish detergent. Applied Dawn to the site, scrubbed it in and let sit for 5-10 mins before washing again. Dawn took the rest of the stains out!

So after all my hard work scrubbing baby clothes, trying different products and 6 washes Dawn has finished the job! Zout and Dawn seem to be the best products to use on stubborn old spit-up stains. Baking soda, Vinegar and Cascade may work on fresh stains but didn't do anything for me.

1 comment:

Beth Fish said...

Ok - my tip sounds ridiculous, but it has worked for me twice. I had a onesie with bad tomato sauce stains and a dress with grape juice stains (from actual grapes). I soaked/washed both with detergent and Oxy Clean and the stains were still there. So, I threw them on top of the dryer to worry about later. Went back after a few days/weeks, and the stains were totally gone.

Would love to know if anyone else has had this happen. :)