Detergent is a major saving grace when it comes to doing laundry. Laundry detergent allows clothes to be washed thoroughly. Laundry detergent isn’t without its faults. Depending on the type of laundry detergent you use, you might have noticed that your clothes seem to be getting stained by it lately. If you find yourself frustrated by these detergent stains appearing in your clothes, you can learn how to get laundry detergent stains out of clothes in this blog.
What Causes Laundry Detergent Stains?
Before diving into how to get laundry detergent stains out of clothes, it’s important to understand how these stains are caused in the first place. To start, calling them “stains” is technically a misnomer, as it’s actually laundry detergent residue that can be left on clothing. As for how these so-called stains end up on clothes, it’s usually due to using powered detergent or an incorrect amount of liquid detergent. To avoid dealing with stains on clothes from laundry detergent, ensure that you’re using it correctly.
How To Get Laundry Detergent Stains Out Of Clothes With Rubbing Alcohol
Now that you understand what causes laundry detergent stains (or, more accurately, residue) on your clothes, it’s time to learn how to get laundry detergent stains out of clothes. Here’s how you can use rubbing alcohol to complete this task:
1. Rinse With Hot Or Warm Water
The first step in figuring out how to get laundry detergent stains out of clothes is to rinse the garment with hot or warm water. Checking the wash requirements on the tag will inform you whether hot or warm water is most suitable. Rinsing will ensure that any excess residue is removed.
2. Gently Rub And Wring Out Water
After rinsing, you’ll need to gently rub the spot on the garment where the stain is located to see if it comes out that way for about a minute. If not, gently wring out any water from the garment, then lay it down flat on a surface for the next step.
3. Apply Rubbing Alcohol And Soak
Ensure that you have household rubbing alcohol that you should then apply to the stained area. If you wish to do a spot check, rub a small amount of the alcohol on another similar piece of fabric or in a small fold of the garment first. Once the rubbing alcohol is applied, let it soak for ten minutes. Fifteen minutes is also an acceptable amount of time to let the garment soak in the rubbing alcohol.
4. Rinse With Warm Water
After letting the garment soak for ten to fifteen minutes, you’ll need to rinse out the rubbing alcohol with warm or hot water, which should ultimately remove the stain entirely. If the stain is still present, then repeat this process until it’s gone. Once the stain is gone, lay it down to dry.
How To Get Laundry Detergent Stains Out of Clothes: Other Substances
Rubbing alcohol is very useful for getting laundry detergent stains out of clothes. However, it’s important to remember that not all clothing materials are receptive to rubbing alcohol. Luckily, other substances can be used to get laundry detergent stains out of clothes that aren’t as likely to lead to an adverse reaction.
Baking soda can be used instead of laundry detergent if you run your stained clothes through another wash cycle. Soaking your stained garment in a tub of warm water with a cup of vinegar can also make a difference. These are just two of the many alternative methods for how to get laundry stains out of clothes. Just find the method that works best for you, and be very careful about how much laundry detergent you use in the future.
Keep Your Washer In Shape With Appliance Repair Houston!
You can return to doing laundry as usual now that you know how to get laundry detergent stains out of clothes. That said, you might find yourself dealing with future issues with your washer, making it difficult for your clothes to be thoroughly washed. If that ever happens, contact us at Appliance Repair Houston so our technicians can keep your washer and dryer in shape!
