It’s another backwards Works for Me Wednesday! Instead of giving a tip, we are asking for one, and I need some hlep with my laundry situation. As you all know, my daughter Sophia is a super-crazy baby. Well, she’s also a super-dirty one. She gets her clothes sooooo much dirtier than her older brother did. The two main stains I have trouble getting out of her clothes are poop and floor dirt. Now don’t judge me YET! Our house was built in 1917 and we have hardwood floors. I swear to you I vacuum, sweep, and/or swiffer several times a week, yet Sophie manages to “clean” the floor with her pants much more thoroughly that I can with all my cleaning devices. Since she’s not walking yet, all her light-colored pants are always pretty dirty by the end of the day. I end up using stain remover and detergent, but still washing most of her pants at least twice to get the stains out. Does anyone know of a detergent/stain remover combo that works great on ground-in dirt and won’t break my bank account? I’m willing to pay a little bit more if it will save me time, energy, and water usage. Thanks!
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SPray and wash ~ the dual power. It comes in a bottle ~ Works everytime for me. Also, make sure you wash in cold water. Hot sets the stain in.
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For poop, wash off as much as you can and then hang outside. The sun is great at removing poop stains! I’ve even gotten ketchup stains out by putting things in the sun.
Have you mopped with Murphy’s oil soap? That’s the only thing that would clean the hardwood floors I had in my old apartment. If I didn’t do it weekly, my feet would turn black (I lived on a busy street, so I’m guessing a lot of it was traffic ickyness). Or maybe a area rug where she plays the most?
Umm…..dress her in dark colors?
I am not a good stain remover. It doesn’t help that many times things go through the dryer before anyone tells me they got something on it! My mom swears by soaking in Oxyclean. She says she’s soaked some things for 2 weeks and gotten stains out (things that have been through the dryer even!) I know Oxyclean is working WONDERS on KT’s Lunapads!
I use Spray n Wash and Biz. My daughter also seems to find more dirt than my sons ever did, and this combination works pretty well for us. Good luck!
Try Dawn dish soap on it.
I have heard that a product called Soilov works wonders on every kind of stain, even set-in ones. Some stores carry it, but I know for sure you can get it online. I think the website is soapsgoneby.com, or something like that.
I’ve never actually tried it (or even looked for it), but it has come highly recommended. It’s also not that expensive.
For recent stains, I use Zout. I have found it works way better than Spray and Wash, but I have extremely hard water. Spray and Wash worked well for me when I had soft water.
I’m trying to figure this out too. My most recent venture was OxyClean Baby. For about $3, it looks like it’ll last me through two, possibly three laundry days. The Dreft, Shout, and OxyClean sprays lasted at most through 1.5 laundrys. OC-Baby worked pretty well. I soaked the stained stuff overnight, then also added a scoop to the wash as a “booster.” Some of the things probably could have still used a second washing, but I didn’t bother this time.
I have not tried the Spray ‘n Wash or Biz. Dawn didn’t work so well for me (although others swear by it, so it can’t hurt to try).
Next I’m gonna try OC-Versatile. If I were able to soak for longer than overnight, I think OC would end up being my final choice. Since I don’t really have any space for soaking, I may need it in combo with Shout Advanced Gel (which worked wonders, but also cost an arm and a leg).
I’d not heard the tip about cold water. I’ve always heard the opposite. Could explain why my stains are so stubborn.
I wouldn’t want that to get around town that you have a dirty baby. Growing up there was a crazy lady that lived at the end of our street. She had a baby…a really dirty baby. Neighbors started sneaking over at night and leaving bars of soap on her doorstep. I remember that summer like it was yesterday. Our street smelled of Irish Spring. Anyway, it damn near ruined that crazy ladies life. I can’t help but think, maybe she wasn’t crazy at all. Maybe she just had a dirty baby. Maybe we were the crazy one.
When my daughter (she is almost 9 now) was little she was really tough on her clothes. I wanted to dress her in girly, light colors, but she spilled everything on them (and she has reflux so she spit up all the time). I used to buy a product at Walmart, in the baby department, that was inexpensive and worked great. I do not remember the exact name of it, though. It was made for baby type stains, and came in a spray bottle. I know they still sell it and it is the best. (I wish I could remember the name, but is has been years. Look for it in the baby department at your local Walmart.) Another cheap alternative to try is the whipped shaving cream…. it is a fabulous stain remover and very affordable.
Zout is my go to. I’ve gotten stuff out with that that had been dried several times and nothing else had worked. Works great on baby poo (which is what got me started on it).
Soak, soak and soak! Works almost every time for me. I have a bucket in the sink next to the washer that I soak things in with a little detergent. But a lot of times, I just soak things right in the washer. I treat all the stains with Shout, put them in the washer with the soap and fill it with water, then push the knob back in so it doesn’t run yet. I usually do this before bed so they can soak all night and I can just start the washer right up in the am! Also I find that if I wash it within 24 hours as well it helps for those more stubborn offenders. (chocolate, ketchup and others)
Another thing I do is, I put my girls in a lot of white shirts. If they get dirty, I can just take my bleach pen directly to the problem zone and Zap! The stains are gone!
I find that Oxyclean works well for just about every stain that I’ve tried – sometimes you have to soak things for a say or two, but everything comes out! 🙂
I’m tagging you!
I hate stains. But I just wear the clothes anyway and hope no one notices. LOL But my hubby likes throw everything in the bathroom sink with bleach and hope it works. Which is why he doesn’t touch my clothes.
Spray and Wash STAIN STICK. You can apply it and let it sit on the clothing for up to 7 days. I like it better than Spray and Wash. I swear by it. It gets out blood and ink – unfortunately I know this for a fact. I leave a stick in each my daughter’s hampers and stain stick the clothing as it comes off of their bodies. I haven’t found anything it won’t get out.
I agree with everyone else – Oxyclean is great! I always soak and then put a scoop in the washer too. Wash on cold, if you have time (ha!) check the clothes before you dry them…the heat of the dryer helps set the stain so if you notice it didn’t come out the first time, you’ll have better luck if you wash it again before it goes into the dryer. Good luck! 🙂
I have found the absolute best thing for getting out stains. I no longer even spot treat Mitchell’s clothes. Just throw them in with Tide detergent and Color safe bleach. Its seriously the best. Plus, Meijer has store brand color safe bleach so its much cheeper then Clorox 2. I also had a hard time paying so much for Tide but I have found that Meijer has it on sale quite often at 2/$10 which is a great deal. So I stock up and sometimes even have a coupon to go with the sale.
Wow, I might DIE of happiness if I no longer had to treat So’s clothes! Thanks for everyone’s suggestions! It’s great to have some things to try!
i use spray and wash dual power for everything but if it wont come out with that i use proxide. it bubbles all the stains out. i would soak it in it. i dont know what would happen but i pour it on the stain and let the wash fill up then throw it in. qworks great and who doesnt already have a bottle laying around?
hair spray for some stupid reson gets stuff out too.
I wash off poop/other stains, then soak with hottest water fabric can take w/ detergent.
Let soak overnight. Seriously. Then drain, gently squeeze excess out, apply shout stain stick, work it in with the applicator, and wash.
There’s a Parent Hack about using water pressure, too.
Good luck! Oh, and BabySoy makes some really cute BROWN pants. LOL. Pair with a girly top, viola!
You remember the old commercial “protien takes out protien”? Try more poop….
I’ve been able to get all of my Sophia’s stains out just by washing with Charlie’s Soap. It’s not a soap it’s actually a detergent – that’s just the name of the stuff. Shipping is free from that website, and yes the tiny amount they tell you to use for the wash really is enough. I wash using cold water and I sometimes add Washing Soda to help with stains, which can be purchased at practically any grocery store. It’s usually on the top shelf in the cleaning supply section.
Just because it wasn’t already mentioned. I’ve used dishwasher detergent on my 6 month olds poop stained clothes, even the olds that had gone through the wash and dryer already. It was like magic watching the stain disappear. Just don’t let it soak because it bleaches if left too long.
Try Dawn dish soap and Arm and Hammer baking soda. Works on everything, even crayons that have been through the dryer!
Erica was talking about a stain remover in the baby aisle at Walmart…I wonder if that is Totally toddler? I used it on my oldest (7 years ago) but can’t find it anywhere anymore. Since then, the ONLY thing I use on all 3 kids (and hubby’s, lol) stuff that works on EVERYTHING is ZOUT. $3 a bottle at Target.
Also, have you tried Method’s wood cleaner on your floors?