Clothes get dirty – Fact!
My natural washing powder recipe does the job to clean dirty clothes (and well!) – Fact!
Sometimes stubborn stains still appear that need a bit of extra effort to remove – Fact!
It can be tempting to go out and buy a powerful commercial stain remover/bleaching agent.
Please don’t!
I have trialled several different
The orange/red top got discoloured in the days when I was recipe testing and perfecting my natural deodorant recipes. Check out the result after soaking for 24 hours. Not bad hey?! It also works well on stained tea-towels, oil spots (and I get a lot of those working with different kinds of butter and balms!), and discoloured pillow cases.
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.
Stain Solution
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% liquid) *see recipe notes
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
Recipe Notes
You can find liquid 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 (which is the powdered version).
It is a great 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.
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Krissy Ballinger
Author, Advocate & Founder
Krissy wants to see a world where people make conscious, educated decisions that honour both humans and habitat. With a background in education and health promotion, she devotes her time to passionately increase awareness on common and avoidable toxins, in everyday items like washing powder and deodorant, and to educate individuals on how they can easily reduce their daily exposure, through simple and realistic do-it-yourself ideas and recipes.
Krissy has sold over 40,000 copies of her natural DIY recipe books, including her award-winning book, Naturally Inspired - Simple DIY Recipes for Body Care and Cleaning, and her newly-released kids book, Make & Play - Natural DIY Recipes for Kids. She offers honest and gentle guidance, education and 100+ natural DIY recipes on her website The Inspired Little Pot.
Krissy I am definitely going to try this recipe, but id like to know if i can use a stronger peroxide and dilute it down to save money? Eg using a 35% peroxide and measure out 12 or 13mLs with a syringe??
Yes you can use a stronger peroxide and dilute it down to 3%. Although, I have compared prices and I’m not sure it’s cheaper..? Also keep in mind that HP will degrade fairly quickly (4hrs or so) once exposed to light.
I love this stain solution! I have removed many difficult stains (old and new) with this simple solution. Thank you so much for the recipe Krissy!
This is THE BEST soak ever. I’ve used it to get mould out of stinky wet soccer jerseys, hubbies collars and underarms are stain and smell free and the kids white (seriously who chooses white for kids!) school shirts go from grey back to white at the end of every term. Literally recommend this to anyone that mentions the word stain. Thanks Krissy!
This is one of my favourite recipes!! It gets used for lots of things but my favourite is the “end of term school shirt soak” which miraculously makes grubby grey shirts bright yellow again. I’ve used it for ages but still get excited with the results (maybe I’m just a cleaning nerd)
After trying many Supermarket options my husband’s white shirt was still yellow & destined for the bin; that was until I tried Krissy’s Stain Solution. It has now been transformed! Seeing is to be believed!
Love that I’ve found a more natural soaking solution that actually works! Thank you!!
I’ve used this recipe many times to remove stains and get whites white again. It’s so much cheaper, simpler and healthier than what is available in supermarkets. Why pay for fragrance, fillers and goodness knows what? Two simple ingredients – that’s all you need – and water.
Hi Kristy. Two questions.
If using sodium percarbonate can it be premixed with the washing soda in a jar for storage?
Also, can essential oils be added to the soaking mixture?
Thanks.
I’ve mixed the two before and haven’t had issues. Just keep it free from heat and moisture. Yes you can add oils to the soak – maybe tea tree or lemon?
Hi Kristy,
I’m wondering if i can use this in its powered form just as your would a store brought nappy whitener?
It’s not really a recipe that will ever be powdered form…? You can use sodium percarbonate as a nappy whitener replacement (to boost cleaning power), just make sure it is activated with warm/hot water.