by Rhonda M.

Created on: August 01, 2005   Last Updated: April 25, 2007

I have always been prone to dropping something on me at lunch or finding a mystery stain on my favorite shirt at the end of the day. This has just always been a part of my life. I have often found myself fighting with laundry to get those pesky stains out but my best motivation came four years ago when I had my first child. My clothing on a few days got lucky and just needed a good washing but my son's on the other hand always needs some type of stain treatment. Since having a child I have been attempting to learn the best and most cost effective ways to rid clothing of stains, below you will read what I have found to be the best even with a little boy all grimy and muddy!

I must admit I like buying my stain fighters already concocted. I am a big fan of oxy clean and shout. These products are great at getting stains out of your clothing. If you have a real nasty stain you can combine the two for an unstoppable duo. I generally put the cup of oxy clean in the wash as it states and then apply shout to the garment. After the shout is worked in well take a slight amount of the oxy powder and sprinkle where the shout has been applied. The shout makes the powder a bit wet and if you have a brush can be worked into the garment for extra stain fighting power! You can also make a mixture with oxy in a spray bottle to immediately spray on stains as soon as you take off the clothing. The best idea is to let the garment sit for a few hours to a day before you wash it once you have treated the stain. This allows enough time for the remover to begin working on the stain.

Many people choose to use home remedies to make their own stain fighting remedies. Many items can be used to make home remedies such as washing detergent, household ammonia, white vinegar, bleach, and hydrogen peroxide. If you make your own be careful how you mix the ingredients. Here are some common ways to mix the ingredients:
*washing detergent - 1 tablespoon per cup of warm water
*household ammonia - 1 teaspoon per cup of water
*white vinegar - 1 part vinegar to 3 parts of water

You do not want that favorite expensive sweater you adore looking like it came from the dump in it's multi polka dot array! Make sure no matter how you treat your stains that you always spot test before treatment. The stain hardly matters if the whole item is ruined due to your own negligence of a spot test.

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