How to Make Homemade Laundry Stain Pretreater

For best results, pretreat laundry stains.

If you have laundry stains to deal with, there are dozens of brands that promise to do the trick. But if you don't want to spend the money on a commercial preparation, you can make your own version. It works well on most stains and it's really economical.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• 1 teaspoon liquid laundry detergent
• 2 tablespoons ammonia
• 1 pint warm water
• Spray bottle

1. Pour the detergent, ammonia and water into a spray bottle. You can use a lightly scented ammonia if you prefer. Shake it up well to combine.

2. Check your laundry for stains. Spray any spots, soaking well. Let each garment stand about 20 minutes before washing.

3. Wash as usual. Check the stains before moving the garment to the dryer. You can try reapply the treatment and wash a second time if needed, letting it stand a little longer before washing it again. Don't put the item in the dryer if the stain remains since the heat will set it and make it much more difficult to remove.

Tips & Warnings

• Never mix bleach and ammonia in the same wash load. When the two combine they create toxic fumes.

References

• Iowa State University Extension: Quick 'N Easy Stain Removal