A few years ago, I got an oily stain on my recently purchased coral pants. I was devastated, thinking that there was no way I’d be able to get that greasy stain out! Luckily, my despair turned out to be unfounded, and I was able to get that stain out with relative ease thanks to a tag-team treatment of Dawn dish soap and hydrogen peroxide. But what makes this particular combination so effective?
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Read More: Getting Oily Stains Out Of Dark Clothing
Dawn dish soap and other detergents are considered surfactants, which emulsify oil and water. Applying Dawn to an oily stain allows the oil and water to mix in the wash, which helps dissolve the stain.
On the other hand, hydrogen peroxide is considered an oxidizing ingredient. The oxidation process changes the chemical structure of a molecule, which includes its color. This reaction breaks down colored stains in the wash (though it doesn’t work as well in lower temperatures). The combination of hydrogen peroxide and Dawn soap works to dissolve all sorts of colorful and greasy laundry stains!
I’ve been using this stain removing duo for years now to remove stains on both white and colored clothing. These days I always keep a bottle of Dawn and a bottle of peroxide in my laundry room cupboard, so I’m always ready to tackle a stain. But it recently occurred to me that I could save myself some space by mixing up a ready-made stain remover spray. It works wonderfully, as you’ll see in the photos below, and it’s even more convenient than ever. Here’s how to make it!
Jillee’s Ultimate Stain Remover Spray
Ingredients:
- 1 part Dawn dishwashing liquid
- 2 parts hydrogen peroxide (3%)
Directions:
Add the Dawn and the peroxide to a measuring cup and stir to mix. Pour the mixture into to a dark colored spray bottle, and store in a dark place. (Hydrogen peroxide will decompose back to water & oxygen if it is exposed to too much light.)
Using The Stain Remover Spray
Using this spray couldn’t be simpler! First, apply the spray to the stain, making sure that the stain gets completely saturated. I usually use my fingers to work it into the fibers a bit, too. (On colored clothing items, you may want to apply a small amount in a hidden area to test the colorfastness of the fabric. I’ve used it successfully on dark clothing without any discoloration issues, but not all fabrics and dyes will react the same.)
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Launder the item in warm water.
For stubborn stains, you may want to sprinkle a bit of baking soda onto the stain, in addition to the spray, for added scrubbing power!
You can also use a small scrub brush or an old toothbrush to really work the soap and peroxide into the fibers.
To demonstrate just how effective this stain remover is, we purposely soiled a t-shirt with several common stains. Then I applied the spray to the stains, and used a small brush to work the spray into the stains.
I tossed it into the wash on a regular cycle, and when I took it out, I couldn’t find a single trace of the original stains. Take a look at this “before-and-after.”
I think those are the kind of results that speak for themselves! :-)
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Does this stain remover work better than your homemade “Shout” stain remover? Is there a stain situation in which you would prefer one over the other?
I’ve been using this one more often lately, but they both work wonderfully! It’s just a matter of preference. :-)
I have a question on a lot of these cleaning mixures…. Should you use glass bottles over plastic?
Will the plastic absorb the essential oils, cleaning solutions>?????
Thanks
Carol
Yes, essential oils should be stored in glass bottles because they can eat away at the plastic over time. :-)
I have 2 seperate garments both brand new only worn once & already look to be ruined. I was hoping you could steer me in the right direction on which one of your homemade diy stain removers if any you think could possibly save them. Ok the 1st one is a white w/various bright colored designs swimshirt/rashguard its 82% polyester/18% spandex. This one has mud/dirt stains all over it like dark brown/blackish stains. The 2nd one is also a swimshirt/rashgaurd it’s 80% nylon/20% spandex. It was white with red designs on it. This one was wet and got left tied… Read more »
RIT color remover may work. I have used it on those “accidentally” pink items. :)
Can you use the scented Dawn or do you need to use the original blue Dawn?
Will this work on carpets too?
My 80 year old husband still works nearly every day restoring antique cars and motors. Some of the oil that he gets on his jeans is 50 years old. I have tried everything to clean the oil stains out of his blue jeans and nothing really worked. I made your stain remover, sprayed it onto his jeans and rubbed it quickly with my fingers, washed the jeans in hot water and was amazed. The stains were gone. I then tried it on a pair of jeans that he had worn while bead blasting, the jeans were covered with a dark… Read more »
I’ve had a bottle of this mix in my laundry room for a few years now – it hasn’t failed me yet and I have boys that play football and red dirt.
Won’t the peroxide make a pale mark?
It might on 100% cotton clothing if you let it sit overnight.
Ladies I forgot to ask where you can get brown spray bottles. I’ve only seen clear or light colors.
Just click on the words “dark colored spray bottle” in the directions :-)
Is this okay to use on baby’s clothes?
Yes :-)