Stain Solution

Fact – clothes get dirty.
Fact – to clean dirty clothes, natural washing powder does the job well.
Fact – sometimes stubborn stains appear that need a bit of extra effort to remove.

It can be tempting to go out and buy a powerful commercial stain remover/bleaching agent.

Please don’t!

I have trialled several different stain removing methods, and while I have a few options for spot treating stains, I think I have hit the jackpot with this recipe for a natural pre-wash stain remover – mainly due to its simplicity and effectiveness, all with minimal effort!

This top got discoloured in the days when I was recipe testing and perfecting my natural deodorant recipes.

This was the result after soaking for 24 hours. Not bad hey?! It also works well on stained tea-towels, and oil spots (and I get a lot of those working with different kinds of butter and balms!)

Before           After

Before           After 

Before           After 

So, If you have whites that are greying, greasy/oily spots or discolouring around collars and armpits, then give this a go. I have trialled this on whites, darks and colours.

Now, while I have never had issues with colour leaching, as usual, I have to remind you to patch test and proceed with caution as all clothing, materials and dyes are unique. 

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Makes: enough for single use Prep time: < 5 min.

INGREDIENTS  

½ cup | 130 g | 4.6 oz sodium carbonate (washing soda)

½ cup | 125 ml | 4.2 fl oz hydrogen peroxide (3%)

5 lt | 1.3 gal (approx.) warm/hot water

METHOD

Add all ingredients directly to the laundry sink or a bucket and mix until combined.

TO USE

Add stained clothing to solution and use a wooden spoon to push down and agitate clothing. Allow to rest, agitating periodically, for a minimum of 4 hours. Remove from solution and wash clothes as usual. Discard solution.

RECIPE NOTES

• You can find hydrogen peroxide in the beauty aisle of most supermarkets. It is a natural alternative to bleach.
• You can substitute the hydrogen peroxide for ½ cup | 130 g | 4.6 oz sodium percarbonate.
• It is a good idea to take a ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos so you can see how well this solution works!
• Remember to patch test if you’re worried your fabric dye will run.
• Don’t make this solution in advance. Mix it up just prior to use.
• I strongly suggest you check out the blog posts under “Recommended Reading“.