I am sure you have all seen this floating around Pinterest. I know I have. I always see it and think, “ugh, who has time to mix this stuff up?!?” I mean, I am lucky If I get laundry done every two weeks (yes, i know it’s bad), I can’t be worrying about making a stain remover. I have always just used the shout spray and thought it was the best……. until this stuff!
I’ve been wanting to try out this DIY stain remover. My daughters laundry is THE. WORST! So I decided that I would do one load and use this stuff to see if it actually works. Let me tell you, it really does. I picked out the dirtiest pair of pajamas (complete with baby food stains, formula stains….) and took a before and after picture. This is what it looked like
I sprayed the “miracle stain remover’ onto the stains and gross parts, and because I know baby stains can be a pain to remove, I also sprinkled a little bit of baking soda onto the sprayed parts and then used an old toothbrush and scrubbed just for a few seconds. I kid you not, that shirt above there is after it was sprayed, scrubbed with baking soda, washed and dried. I was ready just to throw it away because in the past, not even the shout can remove those types of stain completely.
Here is how you do it:
– 2 parts hydrogen peroxide to 1 part blue dawn dish soap [ex: 1 cup hydrogen peroxide + 1/2 cup blue dawn]
– for tough stains, sprinkle a little bit of baking soda onto the sprayed stain and scrub for a few seconds with an old toothbrush
**** It has to be the original blue dawn dish soap, don’t ask me why, I have just read a lot of stuff about this stain remover and it has to be 🙂 ***
I bought a spray bottle from the $1 store and I just eyeballed it; poured in hydrogen peroxide to about half way, and then poured in the dawn dish soap until all the liquid inside the spray bottle got to about 3/4 of the way up the bottle.
I do know that hydrogen peroxide cannot be left out in sunlight or even by the light in the room. So, either mix up just what you need (which is what I do) or you can use the hydrogen peroxide bottle to mix it up in and store it in that. Hence why the hydrogen peroxide bottles are that dark brown color, so the light cannot penetrate in. I made a batch to take a picture of for the post, and I left it out. I thought I would have time to do a load of laundry, but I didn’t, so that poor spray bottle sat there overnight and in the morning it was clear, so I had to throw it out.
I have been using this stuff for several weeks now, and I love it. Try this out and let me know how it goes. I figured since this is a family blog, and most families have little kids who destroy and stain their clothes like it’s nobodies business 🙂 , that most people would benefit from knowing about this ‘miracle stain remover’.
Have a great day and I’ll see you again on Thursday! (no posts on Wednesdays)
Jessica
30 Comments
Pamela La Gioia
May 6, 2015 at 7:23 am Hi there, I've seen this stain remove recipe several times before, but I always like re-reading them. And it's always worth it! You are the first person to make mention of there being a reason for hydrogen peroxide being in a dark bottle. I never knew or even paid attention to that. Thank you! I'm glad I read this before I purchased more clear spray bottles! Best, Pamela La GioiaTogether As Family
May 6, 2015 at 8:06 am Hi Pamela! I am glad this helped you, that makes me happy to hear :) I have seen this stuff all over too and was always so skeptical. I always just mix up what I need. I only use this stuff on my daughters laundry, so I just mix up a spray bottle and I end up using it all. I think you could also mix it inside the dark hydrogen peroxide bottle, and that would help it keep longer. Thanks so much for the comment and stopping by :) Have a great day!Veronica Brandenburg
September 6, 2016 at 11:51 am Can't wait to see how it does! I do know peroxide works on shower floors not sure about tubs but I bet it'd work there also! Thank you for sharing this!Together As Family
September 6, 2016 at 2:20 pm Hey Veronica! I've used a similar recipe to scrub my tub/shower. I just mix equal parts white vinegar and blue dawn dish soap in a squirt bottle, spray it on, and then scrub with a scrub pad or brush and the tub looks brand new. I use it all the time now and don't even buy cleaner anymore. You could try that for the tub :)Carlee
May 6, 2015 at 11:36 am That seems easy enough. It is nice to have something that works in your arsenal!Together As Family
May 6, 2015 at 7:25 pm Super easy, right?! I think I make it everyday.....Thanks for the visit and comment :)Betty Spell
May 15, 2015 at 8:56 am i would like to use this formula on my carpet for coffee stains, but I am worried about it taking out the color of the carpet. Has anyone tried it on carpet?Together As Family
May 15, 2015 at 9:45 am Hi Betty! I have never tried this formula on carpet stains, I know it works wonders on clothing and I have never had it remove color or fade color on any clothes. I found some links that you could try: this one is the same formula but with directions for how to use on carpet: http://www.stain-removal-101.com/homemade-carpet-stain-remover-recipe-simple-no-scrub.html These two use vinegar (no hydrogen peroxide) so maybe try that first if you're worried about the color coming out: http://www.diyncrafts.com/1905/home/fantastic-homemade-recipe-for-carpet-stain-remover https://www.pinterest.com/pin/235664992976004000/ [this one does not go to a web page, it is just the descriptive pin on Pinterest] I hope this helps you :) Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks for stopping by.Pat
November 12, 2016 at 1:27 pm I used it on rust colored carpet Inadvertently, and it cleaned the stains without fading the carpet. This was a few months ago, and the stains have not reappeared!Together As Family
November 12, 2016 at 9:42 pm Thank you for letting us know! I use this stuff at least twice a week to wash my kids' clothes and it works wonders. Nice to know it works on carpet too.Lydia
March 15, 2016 at 11:21 am Hi Jessica, I'd bought a pair of beige pants, and going out with my grandkids I had an accident and spelled red Mexican sauce in my brand new pants, it this work for this stain, I had washed with vinegar, but the stain still there, what do you think it work for this? ThankTogether As Family
March 15, 2016 at 8:09 pm Oh shoot! That's the worst. Red stains are not easy to get out. I still use this stain remover and I am always amazed at what it can get out. I think you should try this stain remover and see what it can do. Lots of times if I have a clothing item that has a really bad stain, I will have to run it through two or three washes (with this stain remover) and it usually works. This stain remover is easiest to mix up in a spray bottle. 2 parts hydrogen peroxide + 1 part blue dawn dish soap. Shake it up and use (I never measure out exactly, just eyeball). Try rubbing the stain with some baking soda after you spray it and scrub it good (I use an old toothbrush). I hope it works! Good luck.Gina
April 14, 2016 at 9:40 pm My grandson had thrown up purple grape juice all over his bright yellow birthday shirt. My daughter washed the shirt and thought it was forever ruined. The purple stain was awful. I brought the shirt home and tried this recipe on it. When finished, there was no trace of the purple and the yellow shirt was not faded. This is great stuff. Thank you for posting!Together As Family
April 14, 2016 at 10:17 pm Hi Gina. Reading your comment made me so happy. I swear by this stuff. It takes a little extra time & effort but it has always worked for me. And grape juice?!? That's a notorious stain for not coming out. So glad it worked. I just used it on my daughters shirt that had popsicle stains all over it and it came out of the wash brand new! Thanks for leaving your comment :) And like you mentioned, I have never had a problem with it fading the clothing color either.Kristina
April 25, 2016 at 9:30 pm I am trying to get baby food stains out. How long did you let the solution sit before washing?Together As Family
April 26, 2016 at 9:52 am Hi Kristina! I mix up the hydrogen peroxide + dawn dish soap and spray it generously all over the stained area, I then sprinkle baking soda on top of it and then immediately start scrubbing it with a toothbrush. I don't let it sit. I just let it sit long enough to do the steps above. Then I throw it in the washer. It's worked like a charm for me so I hope you have the same results. Let me know :)Awesome Baby Hacks - Happy-Go-Lucky
July 26, 2016 at 11:48 am […] Miracle stain remover that really works – apparently this will work on most stains especially baby food stains which is exactly what I need right now. I will be making this today. […]Na
August 16, 2016 at 4:56 am Great post! Since you've been using it, have you had any incidents with discoloration? I ask since I use peroxide to bleach my hair.Together As Family
August 16, 2016 at 8:59 am I have used this probably hundreds of times, I use it every week when I wash my kids clothes, and I've never had a discoloration problem. If you're worried just use a small amount on the inside corner of the clothing pieces to test it out.Shelley
October 15, 2016 at 10:29 am What do you mean by two parts and one part? Can u do a recipe in cups so I don't mess up the recipe? Thanks looking forward to trying g this on a kool-aid stain lolTogether As Family
October 16, 2016 at 8:30 pm Oh, man Kool-aid stain. Those are bad. I hope this works! I still use it all the time. There is no recipe, it's just however much you need. Like 2 parts to 1 part is 2 tablespoons to 1 tablespoon. Or 1 cup to 1/2 cup. If I were just doing it on one stain, I would probably to 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 tablespoon dawn soap. I also scrub it with baking soda and a toothbrush after I spray the stain remover and that seems to help for the tough stains.Mee
May 14, 2017 at 9:04 pm How long ideally to spray before wash?Together As Family
May 16, 2017 at 9:42 am I spray the stain and then scrub with some baking soda (with a toothbrush or small brush) right before putting it into the wash. I don't let it sit out or anything.Nellie
September 11, 2017 at 4:52 pm So the peroxide doesn't take the color out?Together As Family
September 13, 2017 at 10:37 pm I still use this weekly and have never had it take out the color. But, as always use at your own risk. Maybe test a small corner if you're worried.Lisa B.
May 2, 2018 at 3:07 pm I use this formula all the time. I don't bother to use the baking soda unless it is a set in stain. I just apply it and rub the stain a bit, then I launder in the warmest water the fabric can handle. Rarely does it ever need re-treating. Just check to see if the stain is gone before putting the garment in the dryer. I have used it on carpet also with no issues, but I was careful to rinse thoroughly after treating the stain.Together As Family
May 6, 2018 at 7:59 pm Good to hear this! I still use this and you're right, the baking soda works well for stains that are really bad or set in. I especially like the baking soda for all those baby food stains that get on the baby clothes.Joanne
May 8, 2018 at 6:16 am Hi Jessica, I have two teenage boys who play baseball. Oh you should see there white uniform pants. I thought about trying your homemade stain remover. I will try this on the white pants. It might take a few washings... they say dawn soap works in most if not all stains. Yup, dawn works wonders along with peroxide! Have a great day....😊Gay Lewter
August 12, 2019 at 2:34 pm the blue dawn is what has stained my white tops. i put it on them to try to remove grease spots and didn't wash them until a couple days later. now after washing and drying i see the spots are there.Together As Family
August 15, 2019 at 10:38 am Oh darn. So sorry to hear this! I would honestly say that leaving the dawn mixture on the clothing for a couple days is probably not the best thing to do. Just scrub it on, use a cheap toothbrush or something like that, and let it sit for just a couple minutes. Or just throw it right into the washer which is what I usually do.