Your Stain Guide Solution

Sharing a meal with family and friends is a treat, but food spills and spots can make it less than savory. From dinner to dessert, treat tomato sauce, chocolate, berries, and more with our expert moves for stain treatment. Learn how to lift food stains in just a few steps, below.

What you'll need to treat food stains:

• Stain Solution to pretreat & Stain Brush to scrub
• Wash basin or sink
• Stain-fighting wash formula like Signature Detergent

How To Pretreat

Step One

First, thoroughly rinse the fabric with cool water to remove as much of the stain as possible.

Step Two

Next, apply our enzymatic Stain Solution formula, ideal for many food stains, including tomato sauce, chocolate, berries, oatmeal, oil, and salad dressing spills. Work it into the fabric using a damp Stain Brush. Gently scrub, using circular motions.

Step Three

For older, tougher stains, soak before washing. Fill a sink or wash basin with the warmest water the fabric can tolerate (typically hot water for everyday fabrics), then let it soak for 30 minutes.

Step Four

For added stain removal power, pour water using a kettle or faucet from a height over the stained area. Use the pressure to work the stain, then apply more Stain Solution and toss in the wash. After pretreating and soaking, rinse hands well with water.

Deep Clean

• Always launder according to your garment's instructions. We recommend using a stain-fighting detergent designed to target color stains, like Signature Detergent, made with a powerful bio-based enzyme complex.
• Spilled a little breakfast in bed on your bright white bedding? Use Whites Detergent instead for added brightening benefits on white and light-colored fabrics.
• Select the hottest, longest cycle the fabric can tolerate (typically hot water for cottons and other everyday fabrics).
• Remove promptly from the machine to check stains.

Dry & Finish

Food stained items should always be air dried after laundering to avoid "setting in" unseen stains with the heat of the dryer. Some stains might look removed on wet fabric - so it's best to play it safe!

Take Note: Our recommended stain treatment methods are based on textile science, and solely intended for use with The Laundress products. We cannot guarantee the success of products from other brands. Always test delicates and items tagged "dry clean" for color bleeding and water reactions before laundering. Kindly note that not all garments may perform and react as science would predict.