I made some laundry stain remover a few weeks ago but wanted to try it out for a while before I shared the results.
I’m happy to report that after using it regularly for the past few weeks (and having two kids under the age of 5, I use it ALL the time!), that I love the homemade product even more than my all-time favorite, Shout!
I originally saw the stain remover posted here and had just run out of Shout, so it was the perfect time for me to give it a try.
I was a little skeptical at first that it would work as well, but so far it’s worked just as well, or better, than Shout or Spray & Wash ever did.
I even used it on a pair of jeans that had dried blackberry stains (the husband was the culprit this time) and it completely removed any trace of the berry!
Here’s what you need:
2/3 cup Dawn dish detergent
2/3 cup ammonia
6 TBSP baking soda
Mix everything together in a bowl with 2 cups of warm water.
Using a funnel, pour into a spray bottle.
To treat, spray directly on fabric.
I usually let the solution sit on the stain for a while before washing, but it starts working immediately, and several times I’ve rubbed the fabric together and the stain has dissolved completely in just a minute or two!
Awesome stuff, and much more cost-effective than my old standard, Shout.
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Thanks so much , Rebekah. I have been looking for this. I was wanting to try this.:))
I will be trying this asap! I never treat stains and know i should.
Thanks for sharing. I’m going to try this!!!
That is so awesome, I’m totally going to try it!
Thank you so much for sharing! I’m going to spread the recipe to my children.
I’m visiting via Rook No. 17
Thank you for sharing. I am going to have to try this ASAP.
Love this!!! We are always looking for a great stain remover! Thanks for linking up with us on “Strut Your Stuff Saturday!” We hope to see you next week! -The Sisters
Thank you for sharing!
Is the spot remover color safe? Thanks for the reply.
I haven’t had any issues yet and I’ve used it a LOT, so I would say yes.
Thanks, I’ll try this. The best I’ve found for stains so far is Zout. I’ll let you know the results. Nice blog!
It works great but I find that I have to clean out the spray bottle before every use. It seems that the solution clogs it up if it sits in the draw tube too long. This is somewhat of a pain … any thoughts?
I’m not sure; I haven’t had any problems with clogging.
I bet you have hard water and the minerals are clogging the sprayer. Try using Distilled Water.
I love this pre-treat solution for stains! Works great on lots of different stains. But I also have trouble with the prayer clogging and actual hard particles forming in the solution. I thought it was the baking soda settling. I shake before each use. Any other ideas?
Read somewhere else to put it into the Dawn bottle to prevent clogging.
Hi. I know this is an old post. I just wanted to say that I have made this before. It clogged up my sprayer also. (I don’t have hard water) I ended up just trying to pour it on the stains, but it was a bit messy that way & a lot got wasted but still worked great!
I had just made up a small batch at the time & after I had used all of it, I forgot all about it until recently & looked the recipe up again. I’d like to find out why it clogs up as well.
If I remember correctly, it seems like the bottle got crusty around the top. It also seems like the person that wrote the post that I had gotten it from had said to shake it often to keep it well mixed (or something like that :) )
I think I’ll try to make it again, but add a little more water, maybe it will help being thinner? Just an idea.
Another very effective and inexpensive stain remover… I tested this and it really works: chalk! If you have a fat stain on a cloth, you ‘overwrite’ it with a simple piece of chalk (like children use for drawing on chalkboard), then put the cloth in the machine. It’s magic!
I hadn’t heard of this – definitely going to give it a try.
Sounds great! Do you have any solutions for dingy white garments?
Dingites = Hot Hot Water, Dishwasher Solutio: Gel Le That Soak For A Min Of 2 Hours ( Did Mine In The Sink) Wash With Bleach!! Worked Perfectly! Socks Looked Almost Brand New!
I must be missing something when reading this post. Do you soak the whites in hot water with dishwasher soap such as Cascade added for a couple of hours then wash with bleach?
Is there anything u can replace the ammonia with? I don’t like using it but tons of DIY recipes call for it.
This spot remover isnt working very well for me..I am wondering why? I followed the directions exactly.
Does it have to be the original blue Dawn, or will the other ones work? I got a ton iof the “with bleach” Dawn on sale and wondered if it would work…
I’m not sure, I’ve ever only used the original.
You shouldn’t mix any bleach or ammonia together .
Thanks for this recipe I am going to try it next time..Shout and all others are getting so expensive..thanks again
Don’t use any ‘with bleach’ soaps!!! Bleach + ammonia is baaaaaad!!!
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Clear or sudsy ammonia?
Has anyone used this in HE machines? I worry about too many suds in the machine, but wit a nine month old I am practically buying spray and wash evey single load of laundry. $$$$
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I made this and it clogged up the tube on the sprayer because of the baking soda. How do I remedy this problem?
Has anyone had any issues with the stain remover causing discoloration? I haven’t used the recipe and want to be sure I won’t lose my pretty colors.