Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Easy Green Stain Remover


Sometimes I make something so simple I don't think it's worth posting. But I take pictures of the process just in case. This is one of those projects. I found this recipe for DIY stain remover and pinned it to my Going Green board.

Our four-year-old is kind of a neat freak, so we don't need to use a lot of stain remover. In fact, I don't even think I've used any since we moved into our new house a year ago. But, I thought if I made it, I could hold off Murphy.

It's super easy. All you need is:

  • 1 spray bottle
  • hydrogen peroxide
  • blue Dawn (I don't know if blue Dawn is more magical than any other, but that's what the recipe called for)
  • a measuring cup (I used a 1/4 cup)
  • a funnel


My spray bottle is pretty small, so I added 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide (2 "parts").

And 1/4 cup blue Dawn ("one part").

I swirled it around a little bit, which wasn't really necessary before labeling it

For things like this, I like to included the ingredients as well so it's easy to whip up another batch.  

I made this a month ago, and set it in our laundry room. I told all the family members about it so they could test it out if there were a need to pre-treat anything. Finally, last week, I was taking the laundry out of the dryer to hang up and I found a HUGE orange spot on my husband's shirt pocket. I wish I would have taken a photo but I didn't because I was sure the shirt was toast. We're not sure what it was, but it looks like maybe an orange post-it note or highlighter exploded. I decided to test out the stain remover. I sprayed it, left it over night and then tossed it in the wash. The stain was GONE! I was stunned. Usually if a stain sets in the dryer, it's permanent!

This past weekend, we were in Canada for four days. On the second day, our son spilled fresh blueberry jam on his shirt. We were away from home, away from anything to even keep it wet. It ended up in the car until we got home last night. I sprayed the stain (AGAIN forgetting to take a photo). This morning the stain was gone before I even washed the shirt. This stuff is magic! I really wanted to post about it so I looked around for a stain! I found one on our playroom carpet. Again, blueberry! This has been on the carpet (right in front of the door and walked over frequently) for at least a week.

I sprayed it before heading off to drop our little blueberry lover off at preschool.

Two hours later, all the spray was absorbed.  

I took out a rag, wet it, and rubbed vigorously for less than a minute until...POOF! The stain is gone!

Are you sold? I sure am!

Click below to follow my Green Living board on Pinterest.


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20 comments:

  1. My husband's shirt has mysterious orange stains on it! I just soaked it in oxyclean but I don't think it got it all out. I'm going to try this, thanks!
    I found you via Not Just a Housewife.

    Angela

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  2. Definitely looks like it works!

    Great ideas!

    Would love for you to link it and your other green cleaning ideas up at my new Empty Your Archive link party - there is a focus this week on green cleaning, Alice @ Mums Make Lists x

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  3. amazing! Tres cool; thanks for sharing!

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  4. Awesome tip! Thanks for sharing! Now I just need to buy hydrogen peroxide!
    Selene @ Restoration Beauty

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    Replies
    1. I just used up the last of mine making a double batch of this for the downstairs laundry!

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  5. Wow! Sounds great and inexpensive. I think I will have to give this a try. Thanks for the tip.
    Thanks so much for linking up at the Real Family Fun link party! Hope to see you next week.
    KC

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    Replies
    1. I'm been surprised by how well it works. Let me know how it works for you.

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  6. This is fabulous!! Thank you for linking up at the Pinterest Power Party!!

    Danielle
    SewMuchCrafting.com

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  7. Love this! It is perfect for baseball season. I shared it over on my Facebook page! Thanks for linking up.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing! And yes, if my son gets into sports, I may have to start making vats of this! :-)

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  8. I'm so glad it worked for you! Yay!!! I'm not sure why it called for Blue Dawn~ but it works and I'm happy! I keep a bottle of blue Dawn under my sink now.

    If you don't mind, I'd like to include your review in my post!

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    Replies
    1. You're welcome to include our review, as long as you link back to this page. Thanks!

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    2. But of course! That's what bloggy friends are for!

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  9. Thank you so much for linking up at Empty Your Archive, Alice x

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  10. So glad I found this! I have tried a couple homemade stain removers but none have been impressive. Can't wait to try this one out.

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