Best stain removers
“Stain remover that actually works?”
30 answers from 29 people · Updated Sep 25, 2026
Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover (liquid bottle, not spray!)
never met a stain this stain remover can’t handle. can’t recommend it enough.
Gets rid of everything
This is the stain remover you need.
You need to work this stuff into the fabric before you get it wet, but it has conquered some stains I previously would have thought were hopeless. I use either a toothbrush or a spoolie brush (depending on how delicate the fabric is.)
5
Wine Away Red Wine Stain Remover
a miracle worker - not to exaggerate but it has saved my life many, many times. They have mini bottles that are actually useful stocking stuffers / perfect to have on the go, but I have several full-size bottles at home. It instantly removes wine stains from clothing, bedding, rugs, you name it.
Miracle in a spray bottle. Use as instructed and as a laundry stain superstar!
Janie Dry Stick On-The-Spot Dry Cleaner
I found this stain remover deep in costume department reddit after I got body oil on an Issey dress. Miracles occurred. Since that day, Janie and I have gone to battle together many times. A must have if you’re sloppy with expensive tastes.
9
MAGIC✨
These lil devils are each specially formulated for different stain types. As someone who likes to wear his food I’ve found that #5 “fat and cooking oil” is magic.
61
Resolve Oxi-Action Pre Treat Stain Remover Spray
If it doesn’t take it out completely, it will take it down to “didn’t-even-notice-until-you-pointed-it-out”.
General Pencil Kiss Off Stain Remover 0.7-Ounce (136BP),White
This got oily vongole splatter stains out of a shirt! Just rinsed it out and it dried completely perfect. Blown away!
1
Miss Mouth's Messy Eater Stain Treater Pen 3pk
one for your car, your purse, and your suitcase. having these in a stick form is a game changer
I carry this in my bag, keep some at my work desk, and take them with me on travels. I wear a lot of white and light colored clothing. Hasn’t failed me yet.
2
Tide to Go Instant Stain Remover
Ask not where the mess spills, it spills on you
Billy Mays didn’t lie! No baby poop stain can stand against the power of a 6-hour Oxiclean soak.
Koala Eco USA Oxygenated Bleach
THIS IS MAGICAL - it works and it's not toxic. I am a big fan of all things Koala Eco but this and the dog wash might be my very favorites. Run don't walk towards this stuff.
4
My enzymes!! S/o r/laundry for telling me about these! Adding a scoop or two to every load of laundry has changed the quality of my clothes. Any yellowing, dingyness, stain, or lingering funk has completely disappeared after a few washes. Everything feels brand new. I’ve been telling everyone I know to get them, even at the office which is maybe sometimes a little weird. Just don’t use on protein fibers like silk or wool, it will eat away at them eventually.
11
I was desperate for a good stain/smell remover after I washed some spilled milk kitchen towels with our bath towels (NOT recommended). Found this at our co-op! I added 4 scoops to my next load of towels as directed and voila!! Everything smelled fresh and felt so clean! Now I use it every time I wash the kitchen towels 🙌
1
A must have for new parents, it removes poop stains like nothing else.
Big fan of Branch Basics and their clean-living ethos. Liking the Oxygen Boost for laundry and general home cleaning.
1
When you get oil/grease on your clothes, this stuff works wonders. Just pile it on the spot, leave it overnight, and brush it off in the morning—voilà, no stain. (I’m not sure whether it works on old stains that have already set—probably not?—but it definitely works on new ones where you got oil on yourself and need a way to take care of it.)
142
great for getting yellow stains out of white clothes. a classic for a reason!
71
Bisous de Provence Lavender Bar Soap
But not as a hand soap! My mother always rubbed this directly on any stains, rinsed in cold water, and the stain washed right out. Any bar soap will do really as long as it’s vegetable-based. This one is found at Trader Joe’s.
1
use any bar of soap to pre treat your stains
When my kids were babies, there were tons of stains that I was tackling - spit ups, blow ups, baby purée, you name it. I’d read about magical soaps that would bust the stains - and, while I have no doubt that they work, they were all somehow just out of reach for me as a new mom deprived of sleep. My baby had a blow out during one of our trips. While I was in the hotel bathroom washing the onesie, the baby woke up and I had just enough time to rub the hotel soap into the wet onesie. An hour later I resumed the washing and the stain washed away super easily. I didn’t realize what I had done was pretreating the stain. I’m here to say you don’t need the special soap. Any good old soap will do! But it’s nice to have that special soap that we want.
1
