![Coffee stains can ruin your best shirt unless you know this trick. - via Shutterstock.com](https://bargainbabe.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Stain-207x300.jpg)
Coffee stains can ruin your best shirt unless you know this trick. – via Shutterstock.com
I feel like I just discovered the magic formula to turn straw into gold.
I’ve found a natural stain remover that actually works!
And it’s a lot cheaper than buying specialty cleaning products from the store! My hubby is a fix-it guy. He lives in grease and grime. I’ve got every kind of laundry stain remover that is out there. I’ve tried so many of them. Some are natural. Some are toxic. But ALL of them say that they will remove grease and hard to remove stains. HA!! Most don’t. I have an extensive collection of stain removers in my laundry room to attest to the fact that they don’t work. I’m always looking for a cleaner that really cleans! Prior to my experience today, the best stain remover that I had found was a bar of Fels Naptha soap. Yep, the same yellow bar of soap that my mother always kept on the side of her laundry tub
. You take the bar of soap and dip it in water. Then you rub the bar of soap on the area that is stained. Then rub the stain. Let sit for 10 minutes or a hour. Then wash. Check it out. Has the stain gotten fully removed? If not, repeat the process. DO NOT dry the item in the dryer until you know the stain is gone. However, sometimes the Fels-Naptha doesn’t work or the fabric wouldn’t hold up to the rubbing process. Now I’ve got a new secret strain remover weapon. This amazing stain fighter is made up of three of my favorite items:
- Baking soda
- Blue Dawn dish washing detergent
- Hydrogen Peroxide
I’ve found all sorts of recipes for mixing these three items, but I don’t know how much the actual ratios matter. You do want to make up a small batch. I used a 2:1:1 ratio, but I could have used a 1:1:1 ratio or a 1:1:2 ratio. (For a 2:1:1 ratio, mix 1 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup Blue Dawn and 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide.) Remember that Hydrogen Peroxide can act like bleach, so test your garment in an inconspicuous spot first. I put the mixture on the stains and let it sit for an hour. Because the Blue Dawn is so concentrated, I rinse the garment out in the sink before putting it in the washing machine. All that concentrated soap could give me a laundry room full of suds. No, thank you. My magic cleaning formula is also cheap. Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide only cost a few bucks, and Blue Dawn dish washing detergent often goes on sale and has coupons for it. Deal! So, what have I cleaned with this magic formula? My son’s favorite t-shirt that he decided to wear while he was working on a car engine. Duh! The stains came right out. I almost fell over. Let’s face it, it’s a very sad day when you have to throw out your favorite shirt because it has a stain that you just can’t get out. Now, you have a money saving magic stain remover.
If it can be purchased on sale and refilled it is great. But the above listed products are more economical. I worked in a laundromat and one common product was the use of handy 409 on stains and grease before laundering. It worked. It had also worked when one of the listed above did not or in addition too.
@Linn Thanks for the pro tip, Linn!