To not know how to get stains out

[Squiffy01]

AIBU at the age of 30 to have NO clue how to properly get stains out of clothes. Washing them straight away doesn’t work, soaking them then washing makes it lighter but doesn’t work. WHY do my clothes always stain.

In particular the yellow stain on white clothes that happen when they are stored away. HOW do they get stained in storage and why is it impossible to get rid of, just got a pile of things out a suitcase they were in and all ruined. Also going through old baby stuff, 2 years old and most white stuff all stained yellow. Please tell me why and if I can fix them.

Thanks

It depends in the stain. They all need to be treated differently. Some stains e.g. blood will set if washed in hot water so they need to be soaked in cold water first.
Tomatoes stains and poo (e.g on baby grows after an explosion) both disappear in bright sunlight so I just wash them as normal and hang on the washing line.
A lot of things you probably have in your kitchen are good stain removers:
Bicarbonate of soda will shift a lot of things if you make a paste with water, dab it on the stain (don't rub) and leave it for a while before washing.
Clear alcohol will remove ink even just vodka or gin out of the cupboard.
As for stained yellow I would try washing with that stuff for doing white (Glow white?) and then hang it out in the sun. Even if it is too cold for them to fry properly the sun will bleach the stains out.
Unless it is sun cream? That is the one stain I have never been able to shift so I just don't buy white for the summer any more!

Dry not fry!!

I find washing at 40 degrees and non bio detergent and 1 scoop of "oxiaction" or Tesco equivalent works often works. This is for baby oriented stains!

Elbow grease will solve all your problems. Not exaggerating. Works amazingly for stains on clothes. Only discovered it last year at 33.

Thanks @Snugglesnerd I will give all of hose a go.

@yoyo1234 thanks will get some oxiaction and see if that helps

@Witchtower thanks for posting I shall try.

It just annoys me so much on stains that I didn't do lol. They go into storage perfectly clean and then start going yellow, gives me rage.

Greasy stains:, rub in some washing up liquid, rinse out after a few mins with cold water. Repeat til stain is out. Blood: soak in cold water & lots of salt overnight then rinse & wash. V stubborn stains: do the washing up liquid one to get worst out then finish off with Pound Shop 1001 carpet shampoo. Whisk til enough foam, add to stain & then rub off with sponge after a few mins. Yellowing: leave some lemon juice on for a good hour or two then rinse in cold water then soak in washing powder & warm water for a few hours.

Ace is great

Clean items yellowing in storage could be fabric softener. Fabric softener coats clothes in a light perfumed oily film which then stains if the clothes are not soon worn and rewashed.

So prevention is key, don’t use fabric softener on clothes you plan to store. If you’ve used it regularly, you will need to pop cleaning tablets in your washing machine because the softener, again, is an oil, and will be a residue of it all in your washing machine.

Then take yellowed items and soak in a tub with some natural peroxide based whitener and lukewarm water at least overnight, stirring now and then. (I use the Ecover brand laundry bleach as it is environmentally friendly and gentle on antique clothes). Do not use chlorine based bleach as that will worsen the yellowing and it harms the fabric so would ruin any older clothes you are preserving like baby clothes)
After soaking, run on a regular wash in your freshly cleaned washing machine and hang dry. Sunlight will help as well.

@SnugglySnerd gave great advice for common stains.

Blimey, so many good tips on here! Making me excited to do my next load of washing

I find the pink vanish spray great. I just spray any stain, as soon as I see it. Spag Bol is a killer, and just bung it in machine. It doesn't seem to matter if I don't put the actual wash on for days, if I've spayed it immediately.

washing at 40 with bio powder on a long cotton cycle gets rid of most stains.
colour powder for coloured/dark items and normal powder for white/lights.
bad stains rubbed with washing up liquid before washing. or soaked in cold water with a little washing powder for a few hours before washing.

I finally discovered how to get grass stains out of white shirts. Soak overnight in bio washing powder then scrub the stains with a sponge scourer (seen a nail brush also recommended). It really does work

Oh wow I have learnt a lot from reading this thread. My daughter had some white lelli Kelly shoes for her birthday. I took her to the park for the first time in ages and despite being careful she fell in some mud and the shoes now have dry mud all over them. Bless her she’s so upset. Haven’t washed them yet as washing machine had broke and a new one only just arrived. Any tips on how to fix them for her? Do I brush off as much mud as possible and make a bicarbonate soda and water mix and leave on before washing or any other tips? Thanks x

I got tomato soup on a white top last week. I used this bar first, then washed using powder, rather than my usual liquid, at 40°C. Worked a treat.

Oxy or Astonish stain remover powder is pretty good, too, and Maid Simple laundry soap.

generation-zero.com/products/living-naturally-natural-stain-remover-bar-60g?variant=21094560628825&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=CedCommerceGoogleShopping&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvbiBBhD-ARIsAGM48byqkQ3Hbra5DVx1qa7rJn9WTVFFuPwPQ_mE_-K3SeY3ccpPNr7JdQIaApmCEALw_wcB

Any suggestions for cooking oil splatters please?

@Mandalayblonde

Any suggestions for cooking oil splatters please?

Washing up liquid as per a previous posters suggestion. I just rub a small amount into the stain well and wash as normal.

Also white wine is amazing to get red wine out!!!

I find Vanish White Gold works well to brighten whites.
I put washing up liquid on tomato stains/mud/chocolate and that generally lifts it, if a tough stain i leave it soaking overnight.
Sunlight, in winter i hang things in the window.
Suncream i can't ever get out

How are you storing clothes?
Iv had stuff in black bags under the bed for years and they are not discoloured.
If you are storing them in a suitcase, maybe put them in a bag first.

Napisan is brilliant for brightening whites: a teaspoon or two in the soap powder bit works a treat.

I also think that Sainsburys or Tesco own-brand equivalents are every bit as good as Vanish powder or spray. For really bad stains, I find powder AND spray on the stain works well, the spray seems to help the powder do its stuff.

@Mandalayblonde

Any suggestions for cooking oil splatters please?

Wear an apron!

@Mandalayblonde

Any suggestions for cooking oil splatters please?

I rub cornflour into my oil stains and then wash as normal.

When I have stuff that's yellow from storage I just wash it and it goes away again. It happens with baby clothes because it's milk stains.

Normal everyday stains I spray with a multi purpose stain remover, wash and dry in sunlight. Sometimes it doesn't work but most of the time it does.

Best way to get out stains from white clothes is leaving them outside. Our garden is north facing and for a couple of weeks every year is entirely in shade. DD spilt tomato soup down her new white sweater over Christmas, and just to add to problem, didn’t mention this to me - she just dumped said sweater in the wash basket. I hung the sweater on the line and 24 hours later it was stain free.

As many have said sunlight! On light colours with yellow or orange stains it dramatically reduces them or gets rid altogether.