Ditch the Tide to Go: 10 Weird Ways You Can Remove Stains from Clothes

The global stain removal market is estimated to grow by more than 2.5 percent worldwide. This includes all the liquids, bars, sticks, powders, sprays, and wipes.

We’ve all had it happen. We are out with friends and enjoying our dinner. You look down.

Disaster has struck, and you’ve just stained your favorite blouse. Before you run to the store to pick up Tide to Go or scrub it furiously with a napkin, check out this article. We’ve got 10 weird ways to remove stains from clothes.

1. Artificial Sweetener

Good news – if you’re in a restaurant, you can blot a stain with artificial sweetener. Luckily, you can do more than just sweeten your tea or coffee with these handy packets. These packets are easy to find at any restaurant.

The powder absorbs oil. Make sure you let the fine powder out to mop up all the oil on your fabric.

2. Milk

Not only is milk good for your body; it is also good to remove ink stains. You can soak your colored clothes in milk overnight to remove the ink. After it soaks overnight, just wash your clothes as normal in the regular wash cycle.

3. Lemon Juice

Lemons can do so much with all the acid. You can remove underarm sweat and berry juice stains. Rub lemon juice directly on the fabric to remove stains.

Mix the lemon juice with equal parts water. You can also use lemon juice with salt to remove rust and mildew. Another trick – clean your cutting board stains with lemon juice.

4. Hair Spray

You look down and see ink on your new, good work shirt. Get out the hairspray and apply directly to the ink stain. The pen marks will come right off.

Make sure you let the hairspray set on the stain for at least 30 seconds before rubbing or wiping it off. This trick even works on dry, old ink stains.

5. Toothpaste

Another trick to remove ink is toothpaste. Take the same toothpaste that makes your teeth pearly white and put directly on the stain. It needs to be non-gel toothpaste to work.

Rub the fabric together. Then rinse with water. You may need to repeat this step a few times to get it to work.

You can also use toothpaste to remove lipstick stains. It may also take a few times to rub the stain out.

6. Bread

Take the doughy center of white bread and roll it into a little ball. Use this ball to blot a smear until the stain comes off the fabric. You can then wash the clothes as normal.

If you have lipstick marks on dry clean only garments, you can still do the dough ball trick. Just don’t wash afterward. Take to the dry cleaners.

The dough ball acts as a sponge to remove the stain right off of your fabrics. It’s easy to get a piece of bread about anywhere, so roll up that little ball into a sponge and take a sigh of relief to get that lipstick off your favorite shirt.

7. Shaving Cream

You can use non-gel shaving cream to remove stains on clothes and even carpet. Spray the shaving cream directly on the stain and rub it gently. Let it dry before you wash it.

8. Sodas

You are riding your bike and fall after taking a turn too sharp or hitting a pothole. You scrape your arm and see that your clothes have blood on them. Blood is a tough stain to get out.

Cola can actually help remove blood stains. Soak your clothes in cola overnight. It may sound like a weird stain remover – but it does work!

You can also use seltzer soda for getting out stains like coffee, wine, tea, and more. The acidic nature is a good stain fighter. Those bubbles help remove stain from your favorite clothes.

9. Salt

Another good stain fighter is salt and cold water. Salt can help remove the most stubborn stains like blood, sweat, and red wine.

Soak your clothes in a mixture of cold water and salt for at least 1 to 2 hours before washing. You can even make a paste with the salt and water and put it on the stain directly before washing for a more stubborn stain.

10. White Vinegar

White vinegar is a popular product to have around your house that can clean a lot of tough stains. You can also use it to remove stains on your clothing. Mix 1/4 cup of white vinegar with cold water.

Soak your clothing in this mixture for at least a half hour before you rinse or even rub the spot. You can use white vinegar to remove stains from mattresses and carpet also. Just pour white vinegar on the stain and then sprinkle baking soda on top.

Let the mixture bubble up and dry for a bit. You can then vacuum up the powder.

Things to Remember to Remove Stains from Clothes

When you get a stain, make sure you start treating it immediately. Don’t let it sit overnight.

You should also read the care label on your clothing to see what stain removal method to use. If your garment says dry clean, you will need to take it to the dry cleaners because it is not washable.

Types of fabrics that typically are not washable include:

• Silk
• Wool
• Rayon
• Acetate
• Modacrylic

It’s best to let a professional handle these fabrics, so you don’t have any additional stains or damage. Some items can actually shrink with water, like wool.

You should also avoid hot water when you are washing stains. Hot water can help stains set in your clothing. Always wash on the cold cycle.

Want to Learn More Weird Things?

You’ve seen how easy it can be to remove stains from clothes with weird things. Take a look at some other weird facts you may not know like the history of the vacuum cleaner or getting rid of weird house bugs. You are sure to find some news, articles, or pictures that you find weird and entertaining!

Weirdomatic is the place where all weird things come to life through the amazing world of photographs – a corner of our wild imagination or the whimsical face of the reality?