Laundry detergent stains commonly occur due to various factors such as improperly dispensed detergent or undissolved detergent.
However, you don’t need expensive chemical stain removers to get rid of detergent stains. You can employ several inexpensive remedies at home to remove these stains effectively.
This handy guide explains how.
1) How to Remove Powdered Detergent in Hard Water Stains from Clothes
If you live in a hard water area and use powdered detergent, you may see white residue on your clothes, especially on black or dark clothes. Streaks may not be as noticeable on white or light-coloured garments.
To avoid this:
- If using a top-loader, ensure that your powdered detergent and water softener are completely dissolved before adding your clothes to the cycle
- If using a front-loader, consider using a liquid detergent. We highly recommend Swash™ Laundry Detergent, which fights stains and keeps colours fresh
2) How to Get Liquid Laundry Detergent Stains Out of Clothes
Liquid laundry detergent stains could occur on freshly laundered clothes if your laundry detergent was not completely rinsed.
You can remove these stains easily by following these steps:
- Mix 1 cup (237 ml) of white vinegar with 1 quart (946 ml) of water and place into a sink, bucket, or tub
- Place the stained garment into this mixture
- Rub the stained garment against itself to remove the stain
- Soak for 1 hour
- Run the garment in the washing machine on its own or with a light load
- If the detergent stain is still there, repeat the steps above
Handy Tip: Ensure you don’t overload the washer. Your soiled clothing needs room to agitate and tumble for the detergent to loosen from the fabric. Also, don’t dry the garment until all the detergent is gone, as heat can set the stain.
3) How to Remove Laundry Detergent Residue
Powdered laundry detergents typically do not leave glaring stains on lighter-coloured garments, but they sometimes leave a light streak, which stiffens the garment.
To tackle this problem, we recommend that you use a liquid detergent, such as Swash™ Laundry Detergent. Swash™ comes in pre-measured doses that clean clothes while helping to limit residue buildup.
To help reduce buildup over time, you can switch between using powdered and liquid detergents.
Handy Tip: If you don’t want to use liquid detergents, you can add laundry water softeners to help the powdered detergent dissolve better and rinse easily.
4) How to Remove Fabric Softener Stains
Fabric softeners help keep clothes’ fibres soft and reduce wear and tear from washing. However, they can also leave a waxy residue on freshly laundered clothes.
To remove fabric softener stains:
- Scrub the stained area using laundry soap and brush to work the stain loose
- Wash your garment in the washer
- Repeat this process until the fabric softener stain is eliminated
