How To Get Stains Out – Clean It, Don't Toss It

Our cofounder Shayna and our designer Sheila are both expert stain removers. We’re excited to share some of their favorite tips and tricks to get the tough stains out –

Shayna’s Top Stain Removal Technique (For Almost Anything) – In a bathtub, add one scoop of your everyday laundry soap, 1/4 cup of borax, and 1/4 cup of washing soda. Make the water as hot as possible and add two kettles of boiling water. The water needs to cover the clothing. Then, use a wooden spoon and mix the water and soap until they are dissolved. Add all of your stained or dingy clothing, bedding, towels, pillows, stuffed animals, or anything fabric. Remember to do this with like colors, as it will make colors run. Let the items soak for at least an hour (4 hours is best). Then, drain and put the items in the washer and run as a load; you don’t need to add soap, because they have been soaking in it already. If the items are really dirty, repeat the bathtub process an additional time before putting them in the washer. As Shayna says, “This method gets almost any stain out. It is truly magical to see things come back to life.”  

For Oil Stains – The key to treat oil stains is baby powder. Sprinkle it on the dry garment and let it sit for 20-30 minutes. Then, shake the powder off and wash. Another option is to put a little Dawn Dish Soap on the oil spot, scrub it and let it sit for 20-30 minutes, and then wash.

1. For Food Stains – Use dish soap to pretreat stains from food. This can help remove the majority of the stain before tossing the item into your regular laundry routine.
   
   
2. Sheila’s Trick For Kids Sports Uniforms –This isn’t recommended as an eco-friendly or less toxic option, but for Sheila, it’s the only avenue she’s found that works to get the dirt and stains out of her kids sport uniforms. The product is Soilove – use rubber gloves and spray or pour on the dirty areas and give it a little scrub. Then, throw it in the wash right away (without letting it dry first).
   
   
3. When You Can’t Get It Out, Overdye It –If you have tried all of the above, or your own favorite techniques, and you still can’t get the stains out, remember that you can refresh items by overdyeing them! You can do it yourself with tie-dye (here’s our   blog post about it) or use Rit-Dye’s non-toxic option that makes DIY projects super simple. You can also search for a local natural dye vat – companies like Green Matters in Lancaster County, PA or Suay in Los Angeles, CA offer the chance to send items in to be dyed in their monthly community dye baths.