How to Remove Stains From Clothes: Coffee, Wine, Grease, Blood and More

The rules that save most stains

1. Act fast. Fresh stains are far easier to remove than dried ones.
2. Blot, do not rub. Rubbing spreads the stain and pushes it deeper into the fibres. Use a clean white cloth or paper towel.
3. Work from the back. Turn the fabric inside out and rinse from behind, so you push the stain out the way it came in.
4. Start with cold water. Hot water sets protein stains such as blood, milk and sweat.
5. Test first. Try any treatment on a hidden seam to check the colour does not run.
6. Check the care label. Dry-clean-only items, silk and wool need gentle handling or a professional.
7. Do not tumble dry until the stain is gone. Heat sets most stains permanently. Air-dry and check.

Stain by stain

Coffee and tea

1. Rinse from the back with cold water.
2. Rub in a little liquid laundry detergent or dish soap and leave for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Wash as normal at the warmest temperature the label allows.
4. For milky coffee, treat as a protein stain too: keep to cold water until the stain is gone.

Red wine

1. Blot up as much as you can.
2. Rinse with cold water from the back.
3. Apply a stain remover, or a mix of dish soap and a little hydrogen peroxide (on white or colourfast fabric only; test first).
4. Leave for 10 to 15 minutes, rinse and wash.

Grease and oil (food, cooking oil, butter)

1. Blot off excess. Do not use water first, which spreads oil.
2. Sprinkle with cornflour, baking soda or talc to absorb oil. Leave 15 minutes, then brush off.
3. Work in washing-up liquid, which is designed to break down grease.
4. Wash in the warmest water the fabric allows.

Blood

1. Rinse immediately in cold water from the back. Never use hot water.
2. Rub gently with soap, or soak in cold water with an enzyme ("biological") detergent.
3. For stubborn stains on white fabric, dab with hydrogen peroxide, which bubbles as it lifts the stain. Test first; it can lighten colours.
4. Wash in cold or cool water.

Ink (ballpoint)

1. Place the stain face down on a paper towel.
2. Dab the back with rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) or hand sanitiser, which dissolves ink. Replace the paper towel as ink transfers.
3. Rinse, apply detergent and wash.

Permanent marker is much harder to remove; rubbing alcohol may lighten it.

Grass and mud

• Grass: rub in an enzyme detergent or a paste of detergent and water, leave for 15 minutes, then wash. A little white vinegar can help on tough grass stains.
• Mud: let it dry completely, brush off as much as possible, then treat with detergent and wash. Treating wet mud spreads it.

Sweat and yellow underarm marks

1. Soak in cool water with an oxygen-based stain remover or enzyme detergent for an hour or more.
2. A paste of baking soda and water rubbed in can help.
3. Wash as normal. Switching to an aluminium-free deodorant can reduce future yellowing on white shirts.

Makeup

• Foundation: treat like grease, with washing-up liquid or micellar water.
• Lipstick: dab with rubbing alcohol or a stain remover, then washing-up liquid.
• Mascara: use makeup remover or washing-up liquid.

Tomato sauce and curry

1. Scrape off excess and rinse with cold water from the back.
2. Work in washing-up liquid, then a stain remover.
3. Curry and turmeric stains are stubborn: after washing, dry the item in sunlight, which helps fade turmeric's yellow.

Chocolate

Scrape off excess, rinse in cold water, rub in detergent and wash. Chocolate combines fat and protein, so avoid hot water at first.

A basic stain kit

• Liquid laundry detergent, ideally enzyme-based (biological).
• Washing-up liquid, for grease.
• Oxygen-based stain remover (sodium percarbonate), safe on most colours.
• Rubbing alcohol, for ink and makeup.
• Baking soda or cornflour, to absorb oil.
• White vinegar.
• Hydrogen peroxide (3%), for whites and colourfast fabrics only.

Chemicals never to mix

Mixing some cleaners produces toxic gases:

• Bleach and ammonia (found in some glass cleaners): toxic chloramine gas.
• Bleach and vinegar or other acids: chlorine gas.
• Bleach and rubbing alcohol: harmful compounds.
• Hydrogen peroxide and vinegar in the same container: a corrosive acid.

Use one product at a time, rinse well between treatments, and work in a ventilated space.

When to call a professional

Take an item to a dry cleaner if it is dry-clean only, silk, wool, leather or suede, very valuable, or if the stain has survived two attempts. Tell them what the stain is and what you have tried.

For more around-the-house fixes, see our guides to home organisation and unclogging a drain.

Key takeaways

• Act fast, blot, work from the back and start with cold water.
• Washing-up liquid for grease, cold water and enzymes for protein, rubbing alcohol for ink.
• Never dry a stained item until the stain is gone.
• Never mix bleach with ammonia, vinegar or alcohol.