Remove stubborn stains from clothes with 55p cleaning product you already own

Cleaning fans have shared their best tips to remove set-in stains from clothes - and it turns out all you need is a cheap cleaning product we all already have at home

Rescue your favourite shirt from that stubborn food stain with this clever cleaning trick.

We've all experienced the frustration - you're out enjoying a meal in your go-to top, and disaster strikes as you accidentally spill dinner all over it. If you're fortunate, a simple wash cycle might remove the stain, but more often than not, you'll need to take more drastic action.

The issue with relying on the first wash to remove the stain is that if it doesn't work, the stain can set into the fabric, making it even tougher to remove using traditional methods. However, there's a surprisingly simple solution. According to cleaning enthusiasts on Reddit, there's a hack that can eliminate any type of set stain, particularly effective on oil-based stains.

The best part? You likely already have the necessary cleaning product at home, and if not, it's available for just 55p.

This hack was shared on Reddit in response to someone seeking help removing two light stains from a grey jumper. The jumper was second-hand, the stains were "set" after multiple washes, and the poster revealed that even stain remover couldn't tackle the mystery marks.

But the community of cleaning enthusiasts were quick to jump in with a simple fix. Among the various suggestions, one emerged as the favourite: pre-treating the stain with washing up liquid before tossing it into the wash.

One helpful commenter advised: "Looks like oil stains. If they are, they'll come out if you treat them with some dish soap and launder as usual." Another suggested: "I would put a few drops of dish soap on them and rub it in, then rinse out the foam before putting it on a high-temperature cycle."

How to remove set stains from second hand jumper? Stain remover did not work. I am not sure what type of stains they are.
byu/Apart-Contract517 inCleaningTips

The original poster later updated the thread to say they had tried the dish soap trick, using "an old toothbrush" to work the soap into the fabric. They happily reported: "Applying some dish soap to the stained area and scrubbing it gently with an old toothbrush managed to do the job!"

Cleaning experts at Smol explain that washing up liquid is effective against oil because it's formulated to cut through grease during dishwashing. However, they caution against using green-coloured dish soap as it may leave additional stains.

They also suggested drawing the stain out first by sprinkling bicarbonate of soda onto it and leaving it for 30 minutes, which will absorb some of the stain and make it easier to remove.

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