Stains on laundry

[akichan]

I'm not sure where to post this - I have a number of clothes that are stained with fruit juices - canteloupe, peach, and orange drippings all over them. I've tried Shout with OxiClean, sunning them, nothing works. (we don't have a dryer here, so these have never been dried)

What's your best stain-removing trick/tip? I really don't want to throw all the clothing away.

[childsplay]

Hmmm.....I've never had any luck with Shout, and have never tried Oxy-Clean. I usually use Spray-n-Wash, let them sit then wash them in hot water, sometimes a few times, then lay them in the sun to dry, and bleach out.
Hope that helps a bit : )

[Emmeline II]

To get crayon out of dryer-dried clothes I used a version of this recepie:

double dose concentrated liquid detergent
1/2 cup shout
1 cup Borax
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup oxy clean
HOT water

Also, Carbona stain remover may have a formula for your problem.

[es1967]

Have you tried soaking in oxyclean powder and water for a full day or longer. I've had lots of stains like this and if I soak it long enough it will come out. The spray did not seem to work for me but the powder does. I know you said you tried oxyclean but both my friends and I get most everything out w this long soak method.

[Purple*Lotus]

Wash on hot water and double the amount of oxy clean. Someone suggested that to me once and it really helped.

[Red Pajama]

I have great results with Dawn dish detergent, applied directly to the stain. It works for butter/other fats really well, although I can't be certain it'd work for fruit juice.
Good luck

[mum4boys]

I have posted this recipe several times:

Stain recipe:
Add one cup of each (no substitutions) powered Cascade and Clorox II to five gallons of the hottest water to come out of your tap.

I mix mine up now in the wash machine on the lowest load setting (when I first started using it I used a mop bucket) then I let the machine swirl it around for a few minutes then I soak overnight. You can do more then one garment (about 10 at a time).

If the stain does not come out then scrub the garment with what I call an old fashion bar of soap. It is sold in the laundry section for about $1.00 and I do believe its called fels-naptha in huge block letters (it looks like a giant bar of soap). It reminds me of the lye soap from way back.

I have 4 boys and this stain remover has only not removed the stain one time and that is when my son's white, black and red shirt, the red bled into the white when I washed it.

The bar of soap last forever. I bought one when I first married in NC and we had to throw it away when we moved back to Washington because the movers would not move it (I think got my monies worth. I paid 39 cents for it). I bought my last bar in 1995 and we have not even made a dent in it. I keep it in a zip lock bag along with a tooth brush to really scrub at the garment.

Okay...I bought a new bar of fels-naptha a couple of years ago but other than that this takes out stains no problem. I rarely use this recipe as I use the fels-naptha soap first now as it is cheaper. I often get name brand clothes stained for free. This recipe always does the trick.

[jrpbrown1]

Yup, an overnight Oxiclean soak. Or Shout Advanced (blue bottle). It really is the best stain remover. I have gotten things out that have even been through the dryer.

[Ola_]

I use the spot-treat OxyClean instructions (you basically apply it to the stained areas only, and rub in with a brush if the fabric can take it or use a cloth or your fingers to rub it in). Then let it sit for an hour or two and launder as usual. I've done this on everything from doggie-caused carpet stains, fabric slipcovers, and tablecloths with year-old red wine stains. I think the reason it works so well is that the solution is so concentrated (just adding OxyClean to the washer didn't seem to do anything for me, even if I let the items soak in there first).

[Smocked]

I actually do a couple day soak in oxiclean. When I fill it up I use the hottest water that I can get out of the faucet.

[loon13]

Ditto to the longer Oxiclean soaks. But also I found Zout to be better than Shout. I'll do Oxiclean soaks and then treat with Zout before washing as usual.

[ssantos]

Originally Posted by es1967

Have you tried soaking in oxyclean powder and water for a full day or longer. I've had lots of stains like this and if I soak it long enough it will come out. The spray did not seem to work for me but the powder does. I know you said you tried oxyclean but both my friends and I get most everything out w this long soak method.

This totally works for me. I had a white hankerchief covered with pear juice that dried and sat for about a week before I found it. I used about a half scoop of Sun Oxygen Cleaner (generic version of OxyClean - bought at Family Dollar Store) in maybe a gallon of hot water and let it sit for three days - all pear juice stains gone.

Recently my daughter spilled a glob of chocolate ice cream on a first time worn white t-shirt. I tried my homemade stain remover (amonia, vinegar, detergent, hydrogen peroxide, Bac-Out mixed), let it sit for a few hours then put it in the wash - still a big brown spot when it came out. I then used a half scoop Sun Oxygen Cleaner in a gallon of hot water, put the shirt in and left it over night. I could still see the spot in the morning, but it was much lighter. By that evening I could barely see the spot at all. I waited until the next day and put the shirt in the wash. The stain is completely gone.

[Fuamami]

What's your water like?

We have very hard water and if a stain doesn't come out the first time, it won't ever come out. I've tried everything, including the Oxy-Clean soak.

Spray-n-Wash is the only product I've had luck with, as long as it hasn't already been washed and dried once.