Natural Stain Remover

We have all stained a piece of clothing at one point or another, and it is somehow always our favorite piece. 

While you can get stain-removing products, sometimes you don’t want the harsh chemicals on your delicate clothes. Natural stain removers are non-toxic and are usually better for the environment.

Most of them you may already have around the house which is good because the faster you act on a stain, the easier it is to get off.

So we have compiled a list of 5 natural stain removers that you can use to save your favorite items of clothing.

Baking Soda And Lemon Juice

Knowing how to remove lipstick stains from clothes is a lesson we all must learn at some point in our lives. One way that you can remove lipstick, and a plethora of other stains, is with baking soda and lemon juice.

The baking soda and lemon juice react with each other to create a fizzing reaction, this helps to break down the stain which makes it easier to remove.

Lemon juice has an almost bleaching effect, so if you are using it on colored clothes don’t leave it on for too long and wash it off completely. This bleaching effect makes lemon juice perfect to use on white clothing.

Salt

Salt is great for immediately absorbing especially on thick and greasy foods like gravy. It is also good for removing the notoriously tough stain of red wine.

Since salt is solid, it is mildly abrasive so it is good at removing stains from tough fabrics.

If using on a thin fabric, make sure you don’t scrub the salt too hard as it could damage the clothes.

White Vinegar 

Make sure you use white vinegar as colored vinegar could leave your clothes with a larger stain.

White vinegar is good at breaking down most stains including fruits and sauces. The vinegar should be distilled with water and then sprayed onto the stain. The clothes can be soaked in white vinegar and water if the stain is large.

This soaking method also works with older stains that weren’t treated immediately. Ideally, these stains should be left to soak overnight.

This method also works to get rid of yellow sweat stains on white clothing.

Try to avoid using white vinegar on protein stains such as vomit or blood. The white vinegar can change the chemical compound of the stain and make it set in faster.

Dish Soap

Dish soap is engineered to cut through the grease in food, so it makes sense that it can do the same to your clothes.

Since it combats grease directly, it is good at removing oil stains. Fortunately, the dish soap is kept in the place you are most likely to get oil stains, the kitchen.

Dish soap doesn’t have any harsh chemicals in it because it is supposed to be in prolonged contact with your hands.

Simply rub some dish soap into your stain and then stick the piece of clothing in the washing machine. Try to avoid putting too much dish soap as it will really foam up in the washing machine.

Rubbing Alcohol

For those tougher stains, you may need to use rubbing alcohol.

Rubbing alcohol can help to break down the stains that set in almost immediately like ink and nail polish.

The best method is to put some rubbing alcohol on a cotton ball before gently dabbing the stain.

Rubbing alcohol has a mild bleaching agent so it is not suited for soaking or leaving on darker clothes for too long.

If you don’t have rubbing alcohol, you may already have a suitable replacement, hand sanitizer. Most hand sanitizers are mainly alcohol so they can also be used to remove stains. Just make sure you are using a clear hand sanitizer with no additives like glitter.

Final Thoughts

The best tool for removing a stain is an old toothbrush, you get to have more precise scrubbing and a new job for an item you were otherwise going to throw away.

After removing the stain with any of these methods, ensure that you get your clothing into the washing machine as soon as possible.

If you have tried every method to get out a stain and it is still there, it might be time to take it to the dry cleaners. They will know exactly how to remove a stain (and if it is impossible and you just need to buy a new one).