Snaza
The Snaza Journal

Stain removal

The first thing to do about ink, blood, grease, wine, deodorant and mold, and how to keep a stain from setting for good.

17 guides

A faint coffee mark appears on a white shirt cuff beside a bowl of water and a folded cleaning cloth

The first minutes decide most stains. Blot instead of rubbing, keep heat away until the mark is gone, and test any remover on a hidden seam first.

Each guide explains how to identify the stain and the fabric, a safe step by step method, what to do if the stain has already set and when to take the garment to a professional cleaner.

Guides

  1. A faintly pink cotton T shirt lies beside a single red sock on natural off white linen

    Stain removal

    How to fix dye transfer: color run remover and other fixes

    Red sock turned the load pink? How to fix dye transfer on white and colored clothes: rewashing, oxygen bleach soaks, color run remover, and what to do after drying.

  2. Two hands rinse a faint rust colored mark from a pale blue shirt cuff under a cold tap.

    Stain removal

    How to get blood out of clothes

    Get blood out of clothes with cold water and an enzyme soak, rescue dried stains on sheets and jeans, and learn which mistakes set blood for good.

  3. Hands scrape melted chocolate from a pale blue shirt cuff with a butter knife beside a bowl of water

    Stain removal

    How to get chocolate out of clothes

    Remove chocolate stains from clothes in the right order: scrape, rinse cool, treat the fat, then the brown mark. Includes dried stains, whites, wool and silk.

  4. A coffee stained white cotton shirt lies beside a tipped paper cup and stainless kitchen sink

    Stain removal

    How to get coffee out of clothes

    How to get coffee out of clothes: rinse in cool water, pretreat with liquid detergent, then wash with bleach safe for the fabric. Covers cream, dried and old stains.

  5. Hands work detergent into a green grass stain on light blue jeans with a soft wooden toothbrush

    Stain removal

    How to get grass stains out of clothes

    How to get grass stains out of jeans, whites and sports kit: an enzyme soak, alcohol for stubborn green, safe bleach and what to do with dried stains.

  6. A hand brushes white cornstarch over an oil spot on a gray cotton T shirt on a pale wood table.

    Stain removal

    How to get grease out of clothes

    Get grease out of clothes with an absorbent powder and dish soap, tackle black car grease, and rescue oil stains that survived the washer and dryer.

  7. Folded dark blue jeans with pink gum on the back pocket sit beside a bag of ice and a butter knife

    Stain removal

    How to get gum off clothes

    How to get gum off clothes: freeze it hard, scrape it away, dissolve the sticky film that is left, then wash. Includes old gum and gum that went through the dryer.

  8. Hands press a cotton pad against blue ink inside a white shirt pocket over folded paper towels.

    Stain removal

    How to get ink out of clothes

    Remove pen ink from clothes with rubbing alcohol and blotting, rescue dried or washed stains, and know which inks and fabrics need a professional cleaner.

  9. A hand dabs a faint foundation mark on a white shirt collar with a cotton pad over paper towel

    Stain removal

    How to get makeup and lipstick out of clothes

    How to get makeup out of clothes: powder, liquid foundation, lipstick and mascara each need a different first step. Fresh, dried and on the go methods.

  10. A hand brushes cracked dried mud from light blue jeans draped across sunlit stone steps

    Stain removal

    How to get mud out of clothes

    How to get mud out of clothes: why you let it dry first, how to pretreat and wash, what to do about red clay, and how to rescue a mud stain that set.

  11. Hands rinse the reverse of a paint marked blue shirt sleeve under cool water in a white sink

    Stain removal

    How to get paint out of clothes

    How to get paint out of clothes, fresh or dried: what works for latex and acrylic, what oil paint needs, which solvents are safe on which fabrics, and when to stop.

  12. A man blots a fresh red wine stain on his pale linen sleeve beside a half full wine glass.

    Stain removal

    How to get red wine out of clothes

    Get red wine out of clothes by blotting and flushing with cool water, then treating what is left with detergent and oxygen bleach, even once it has dried.

  13. Coarse salt covers an orange rust mark on a white shirt cuff beside half a lemon on a sunny sill

    Stain removal

    How to get rust out of clothes

    Get rust out of clothes with lemon and salt, cream of tartar or a fabric rust remover, why chlorine bleach sets rust, and how to stop orange spots from water.

  14. A full white T shirt with a faint orange collar mark lies beside liquid soap and a soft brush

    Stain removal

    How to get sunscreen out of clothes, including orange stains

    How to get sunscreen out of clothes: lift the oil with dish soap, treat orange or yellow marks as rust, skip chlorine bleach and keep stains out of the dryer.

  15. A hand works clear detergent into the exposed underarm seam of an inside out white cotton shirt

    Stain removal

    How to remove deodorant and sweat stains

    Remove deodorant stains from black shirts, lift yellow sweat stains from white clothes, and prevent armpit stains from building up in the first place.

  16. A woman in gloves brushes mildew spots from a folded olive canvas jacket on brown paper outdoors

    Stain removal

    How to remove mold from clothes

    Remove mold and mildew from clothes safely: brush it off outdoors, wash hot with the right bleach, treat leftover stains, and keep it from coming back.

  17. A white shirt with a faint iron shaped scorch mark lies beside an upright iron on an ironing board

    Stain removal

    How to remove scorch marks from clothes

    How to remove scorch marks from clothes: which iron burns can be fixed, hydrogen peroxide and bleach methods for cotton, what to do about polyester, and prevention.