How to Get Stains Out of Baby Clothes

With ten children, we have had boatloads of stained baby clothes over the years. I had to just throw them out until I discovered the following method for getting the stains out of our laundry. It's perfect for formula and baby food stains as well as classic yellow and brown stains of a more ominous nature.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pail or bucket large enough for stained items
• Hot tap water
• Clorox 2
• Cascade Automatic Dishwasher Detergent

1. Pour 1 cup of powdered Clorox 2 (I've never tried liquid) and 1 cup of Cascade dishwashing detergent into a pail, bucket or other container large enough for the stained item. Add the hottest tap water you can get. (I usually boil water in a teapot, pour that in, then finish filling with HOT tap water.) Stir until Clorox 2 and Cascade seem to be dissolved. (I never seem to get it all dissolved.)

2. 
    

   Add the item and soak anywhere from a couple of hours to overnight.

3. 
    

   Wring out the item and launder as usual.
   
   Although this method seems unorthodox, I've used this method many, many times on a variety of different fabrics and have never been disappointed. The stains have been removed more than 75% of the time. If you receive free items or are able to purchase baby clothes for ten cents a piece but they are stained, this could be your way to rescue them! I learned of this method from class book by the queen of frugal, Amy Dacyczyn's Tightwad Gazette.

4. 
    

   If the stain remains, try covering the stain. You could make coordinating iron-on patches for the stains. Add them other places as well so that it looks like a design element. Or you could apply appliqués. Another alternative is to tie-dye it. Cloth diapers are especially funky tie-dyed.

Tips & Warnings

• This method should be used as a last resort because there is a very slight risk of ruining the clothes due to the dishwashing detergent.

[Pixie1976]

on 7/13/2008 I'm sure this works for all sorts of stains. Also, murphy oil soap works wonders for scrubbing stains out.

[Desula]

on 6/28/2008 Clever ideas for removing stains.

[Elizabethknows]

on 6/3/2008 Who would of thought. My girls are older but this might come in handy later on down the road. thanks

[momandpopoften]

on 4/10/2008 Kaysa, you are right to be careful with colored clothes, especially if you are just pouring the liquid Cascade right on the stains. However, when you follow my method it rarely removes color. I've never had it happen to me. Nevertheless, my method should be a last resort after trying all other measures since there is a slight risk of ruining the clothes.

[kaysa]

on 4/10/2008 I started using liquid cascade on the formula stains 24 yrs ago and still use it today to get rid of stains.Be sure to not use colored liquid, I did this by trial and it stained.Be careful to not get it on colored clothes as the bleach in it will remove color.