How do you get rid of all those nasty stains?
< 1 min read
Kids will be kids, and so stains on clothes are inevitable. In a home with active teens and adults our laundry often has stains of various kinds – from grass and mud stains after sports, to greasy smears from a rushed meal, and even residue from various deodorants. While I have been using a stain removal solution which seems relatively effective, I am trying to incorporate more environmentally friendly cleaning practices in my home. Do you have any chemical-free stain removal tricks that work for your laundry? ![]() |
♥ 0 |
Answers (4)

I like using essential oils (Doterra brand) for natural cleaning and stain removal products. For stain removal, a good one is to use- About 1 ½ cups filtered water
¼ cup vegetable glycerine
¼ cup plain liquid soap (Castille)
1 tbsp baking soda
20 drops lemon essential oil
16 oz. glass spray bottle
Spray the clothes as soon as possible after the stain is made before putting them into the washing machine then wash as normal.


I agree with using lemon juice and then hanging on the line to let the sun help you out. I used to do this with my kids cloth nappies and it was great at removing stains. I also keep a bucket of whites soaking before I was them but have been using Napisan in the bucket. I am definitely keen to read what other parents do without using the chemicals


This is one of my favorite types of questions! Not only do we get to share tips and tricks to make our lives easier, but we can help to be kind to our environments!
Here are my best tips for stain removal.
Lemon juice is the best stain remover when it comes to white clothes and that really gross underarm stain. It also works really well to remove rust stains, so if you have excess iron in your water, put a cup of lemon juice in with your whites, or shower curtain liners.
Borax, the natural kind you get at a local health food store, not the brand in a box at the grocery, is another great stain remover and brightener. It works really well on cloth diapers, and has the added benefit of softening hard water, so your clothes are softer.
And cornstarch! This is one of my favorites, because it is a natural oil absorber. If you pan fry foods, and don't wear an apron like grandma did, rubbing cornstarch on an oil splatter, and letting it set for about 10 minutes, will remove it.
Hope these give new some new methods to try.


Keeping whites and sports clothing clean has been a problem in our family for years.
We did try peroxide and whatever soap we had around, and that did help a lot.
I found a peroxide/soap natural mixture that seems to be getting rave reviews.
Here it is:
1 part Liquid Castile Soap (I use any kind of castile soap that I can find).
2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide
Some add a drop or 2 of essential oil (tea tree or lemon), but I am not sure why.
You mix this concoction together and spray or pour on the soiled area. I let it sit for 5 minutes.
Soaking just about anything in white vinegar helps to clean stains. I have not tried clothing, but some have successfully used white vinegar soaks for clothing stains.
I hope that it works for you.
