A to Z Stain Removal Guide for Clothes, Carpet, and Upholstery

Stains happen. That's just a fact of wearing clothes or having a carpet and using anything that drips, leaks or smears.

So to help you take care of those stains, here's a comprehensive list of stain makers from A to Z. Each link takes you to a step-by-step description of the products you'll need and how to remove that specific stain from washable fabrics, dry clean only fabrics, as well as, carpet and upholstery.

While many stains are treated the same way, others require special steps or they can become permanent. Treating stains on upholstery and carpet takes a bit more skill than just tossing a shirt in the washer.

Not sure what caused the stain? There are ways to identify mystery stains and get you started. Take a few seconds and treat the stain-making culprit the right way to make sure that you'll wear your favorite shirt another day.

 

Stains A to D	Stains E to L	Stains M to R	Stains S to Z
A	E	M	S
Acne Medicine	Easter Egg Dye	Make-up	Saffron
Apple Juice	Egg	Mango	Salad Dressing
Artichoke	Eggplant	Maple Syrup	Salt Stains
Avocado	F	Margarine	Self Tanners
B	Face Cream	Mascara	Shoe Polish
Baby Food	Feces	Mayonnaise	Shrimp and Seafood
Baby Formula	Fingernail Polish	Metal Button Tarnish	Skunk Odor
Bacon	Fish	Mildew	Smoke and Soot
BBQ Sauce	Food Coloring	Milk	Soft Drinks
Beef and Red Meats	Formula	Mustard	Sour Cream
Beer	Fried Chicken	Mud	Soy Sauce
Beet	Frosting	N	Steak
Bird Poop	Fruit Juice	Nail Polish	Steak Sauce
Blackberry	G	Nectarine	Sticker Glue
Blood	Gasoline	Nicotine	Strawberry
Blueberry	Glow Stick	O	Sunscreen
Butter	Grape Juice	Oil	Super Glue
C	Grapefruit	Ointment	Sushi
Candle Wax	Grass Stains	Orange Juice	Sweet Potato
Caramel	Gravy	Oyster	T
Cat Urine	Grease	P	Tabasco Sauce
Caviar	Gum	Paint - Latex or Oil	Tar
Cement	H	Papaya	Tea
Champagne	Hair Dye	Paper Dye Transfer	Tomato
Cheese Sauce	Hair Spray	Peach	Toothpaste
Cherries	Hamburger	Peanut Butter	Tree Sap
Chicken	Hog Odor	Perfume Odor	U
Chocolate	Honey	Permanent Marker	Underarm Stains
Cigarette Odor	Hot Sauce	Perspiration Stains and Odor	Urine
Cigarette Stains	I	Pesticides	V
Coffee	Ice Cream	Pet Feces	Vanilla Extract
Corn	Ink	Pine Resin	Vaseline
Correction Fluid	Insect Droppings	Poison Ivy	Vitamin Gel Caps
Cottage Cheese	Iodine	Pollen	Vomit
Cranberry	J	Pork	W
Cream Cheese	Jam and Jelly	Pudding	Washable Markers
Crayons	Jello	Pumpkin	Watermelon
Curry	Jewelry Tarnish	R	White Glue
D	K	Raspberry	White Wine
Deodorant Stains	Ketchup	Red Wine	Wood Stain
Deodorant Stripes	Kiwi	Red Wine Vinegar	Worcestershire
Diaper Stains	Kool Aid	Ring Around the Collar	Y
Diesel Fuel	L	Rubber Cement	Yellowing
Dip	Lamb	Rust	Yogurt
Dog Urine	Lemon Juice		Z
Duck	Lime Juice		Zucchini
Dye	Lipstick
	Liquid Medicine
	Liquor
	Lotion

 

Stain Removal Supplies to Keep on Hand

• Oxygen Bleach - Oxygen-based or all-fabric bleach is a gentle bleaching agent that removes stains, whitens and brightens laundry and is safe for use on almost all washable white and colored fabrics. Because of its chemical ingredients, it works more slowly than chlorine bleach, is less corrosive and damaging to fibers and is more environmentally friendly.

• Enzyme-based Stain Remover - Natural or processed chemically, different enzymes target specific soils and the catalytic action breaks the soil into smaller molecules to be washed away. Look for a stain remover that contains these enzymes: protease - degrades protein based soils; amylase - degrades starch based or carbohydrate soils; cellulase - breaks down cotton fibers to release soils; lipase - degrades fat based soils; mannanase - degrades food-based stains; pectinase - degrades fruit-based stains.
• Laundry Soap Bar - Fels Naptha or Zote or Ivory are pure soaps that work very well in cutting through body soil on collars and cuffs.
• Dry Cleaning Solvent - A solvent is needed to lift oily stains from non-washable fabrics. Always use in a well-ventilated space and follow directions carefully.
• Acetone - An essential product for removing fingernail polish.
• Rubbing Alcohol - Removes ink from fabrics and leather.
• Chlorine Bleach or Laundry Disinfectant - A disinfectant is required to kill most types of bacteria, viruses and mold/mildew spores.
• Soft-bristled Brush - Use to work stain remover into fabrics.
• White Cotton Cloths - Always use a white cloth or paper towel to blot away and treat stains to avoid accidental dye transfer during cleaning.