Stained white shirt? If you have a white shirt that is stained with red wine, chocolate, mustard, coffee, lipstick, ink, grease, blood, or similar, we have the easiest ways to remove it below. Have you tried washing your white shirt multiple times and it still will not remove the stain? We have some unconventional ways to remove stains using lemon juice, baking soda, white vinegar, dish soap, peroxide and more. All the methods for stain removal on a white shirt below are categorized by what type of stain. At the bottom of the page we have other non-conventional methods if the first ones do not remove the stains.
White shirt stain removal
NOTE: If you have a heavy stain on your white shirt, it is recommended to wash the shirt 2 times BEFORE putting it in the dryer. A stain that is NOT removed after washing will set in even further once you put the shirt in the dryer.
Red Wine Stain Removal from white shirt:
1. Soak stain in cool water.
2. Pre-treat heavily with a pre-wash stain remover.
3. Wash white shirt using oxygen bleach.
(If your shirt has older set in red wine stains, use an enzyme pre-treating product before washing)
Chocolate Stain Removal from white shirt:
1. Once a chocolate stain gets on your shirt quickly remove any excess chocolate.
2. As soon as you are able to, soak the shirt in cool water.
3. Pre-treat with a heavy duty pre-wash stain remover and wash the shirt in the hottest water possible.
(If the chocolate stain is still there after washing, wash again using an oxygen bleach)
Mustard Stain Removal from white shirt:
1. Wash off stain in sink under cold water to loosen up the stain.
2. Add a pre-wash stain remover and let sit.
3. Wash the white shirt in the hottest water possible with chlorine bleach.
Coffee Stain Removal from white shirt:
1. Soak stain in cool to warm water.
2. Pre-treat the stain heavily with a heavy duty pre-wash stain remover.
3. Wash the white shirt using an oxygen bleach.
(Use an enzyme pre-treating product before washing if your shirt has older set in stains)
Lipstick Stain Removal from white shirt:
1. Apply a pre-wash spray onto both sides of the white shirt.
2. Let set for 20 minutes to let the pre-wash penetrate.
3. Scrub the lipstick stain with a small brush.
4. Rinse off the shirt and apply more pre-wash to the stain.
5. Wash the white shirt in bleach and air dry.
(If the lipstick is still visible repeat the steps to fully remove)
Ink Stain Removal from white shirt:
1. Wet the area around the stain with Denatured Alcohol.
2. Put the shirt ink stain facing downward on a paper towel.
3. Apply more Denatured Alcohol to the back of the ink stain.
4. Rinse out the Denatured Alcohol under the sink and immediately wash with bleach.
(Repeat the process as many times as needed to remove the ink stain)
Grease Stain Removal from white shirt:
1. Pre-treat grease stain with a heavy duty pre-wash stain remover.
2. Wash in the hottest water you possibly can.
(Repeat this process as many times as needed to remove the grease stain)
Blood Stain Removal from white shirt:
Fresh Blood Stain
1. Soak the shirt in cold water. (Using hot water will set the blood stain)
2. Wash shirt in bleach with cold water so the stain does not set.
(If you have a dry blood stain, soak in warm water with a product that has enzymes)
If none of the white shirt stain removal methods above have worked, try a few of the unconventional methods below.
1. Use 2 cups of white vinegar in the wash water. The white vinegar will not weaken fabric like bleach sometimes can. The white vinegar also does a great job of whitening.
2. Use a peroxide or baking soda – Do not dry the shirt in the dryer or the stain will set.
3. Soak the white shirt in cool water with 1/2 a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap and 1 tablespoon vinegar for 30 minutes. Rinse the shirt in the sink. Add a pre-wash stain remover then wash in warm water.
4. Use Zote soap with a soft brush to scrub the stain before washing.
5. Soak the stained white shirt in lemon juice and leave it to sit in the sun. Once the lemon juice has evaporated wash the shirt in warm water.
6. Apply dawn dish detergent directly on the stain. Rub it with a brush and let it sit for a few hours. Wash in hot water.
7. Mix up some oxyclean and water. Put the mixture on the stain and let it soak overnight. After sitting overnight wash the shirt and the stain should be removed.
8. Apply a stain removing product to the stain and hang the shirt in the sun. The sunlight will naturally help fade the stain.
Do you know of better easier ways to remove stains from a white shirt? Please leave a comment below.
Leave a Reply