The easiest way to remove old stains from baby clothing! Treat several items at once, even set in stains! Works for blow outs and spit up stains. Also takes out the yellow spots in baby clothing that have been in storage. This post contains affiliate links.
The yellow spots linger in the clothes and are unique to baby stains.
I call them ‘baby stains’ because they are different than food or permanent marker type stains. Simply treating them with a spray on stain remover is not going to work.
Not only did his outfit take a hit, but also the blanket he was wrapped in, and the blanket that I laid him on while cleaning up the mess!
I wasn’t worried about baby stains at all. I simply wrapped it all up in a blanket and put it in the car and would eventually take care of it when I had time.
This is because my sister shared her method for how to remove old stains from baby clothing years ago when my other kids were babies, and it has been my go to method ever since. It has saved many, many articles of clothing. Her mother in law shared the trick with her and now I’m sharing it with you.
I’ve tried skipping this method and rinsing the clothes then spraying them with Oxi Clean spray and wash, but I still sometimes end up with light yellow staining.
My husband said I should have taken a “before” photo. I just couldn’t bring myself to do that. It was nasty, and I have a personal thing against posting gross photos of bodily fluid on social media. I hope you’ll forgive me, but just know that there was a soft ball sized stain that leaked from the back to the front of this beautiful organic cotton one piece. But after treating it with Oxi Clean and boiling water it is perfectly clean!
How to Remove Old Stains From Baby Clothing
Step 2: SLOWLY pour two small scoops of Oxi Clean into the water (Scoop sizes vary, but about 1/4 c. works great).
Step 3: Add clothing. Stir to make sure everything is soaked.
Step 4: Let sit 10-15 minutes.
Step 5: Dump the entire pot into the washing machine, water and all.
Step 6: Run a normal cycle in washing machine. Dry as usual.
Notes:
- Treat light colored clothing separately from dark colored clothing to avoid colors bleeding.
- Pour Oxi Clean slowly into water to avoid foaming over.
- May be repeated if the baby stains don’t come out all the way the first time. I’ve never had to do this.
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truthe1 says
June 1, 2017 at 2:29 pmWonder if this would work on white baseball uniforms stained with dirt from baseball field!!! Surely can’t hurt?
Brandy says
June 2, 2017 at 2:01 pmIt’s worth a shot!
Bev says
June 4, 2017 at 5:36 amIn high school our marching band had white uniform pants with a red stripe (probably the worst colors ever for sweaty teenagers) and the parents would wash the uniform pants with oxi clean to save money on dry cleaning and keep them white.
FirstTimeMommy says
September 19, 2017 at 9:49 pmDo you add laundry detergent to the washing machine load? Or will the dissolved oxiclean be enough when you put it in the washing machine? Thanks!
Brandy says
September 19, 2017 at 10:10 pmHi! I add laundry detergent and wash like normal! (with the oxiclean). Hope that helps!
Kristen says
March 18, 2018 at 1:45 pmAny idea if Biz powder detergent will work as well?
Brandy says
March 20, 2018 at 7:12 amHi Kristen, I havne’t tried that so I’m not sure!
Sharon says
August 9, 2018 at 12:49 pmHi, can you tell me how do you do several garments at once? Thank you very much for your help.
Brandy says
August 12, 2018 at 4:45 pmHi Sharon! You can soak several items at the same time. As many as will fit inside of your pot. For baby clothes it means several onesies and pajamas. For larger items, you may have to do it in bathes. Hope tha thelps! 🙂
Haley says
October 17, 2018 at 6:59 pmBE CAREFUL!! My pot of hot water foamed over as I slowly added oxy clean. I would suggesting placing pot in the sink BEFORE adding oxy clean 😬😬😬
Brandy says
October 18, 2018 at 10:05 amGreat idea, it does bubble up quickly! I’ve done it dozens of times and have had it bubble over probably twice over the years, even when pouring slowly. And I use the same amount of water and oxy clean every time, so I’m not sure what makes the difference!
Jessica says
January 26, 2019 at 8:29 pmWorks great! Thank you.. to avoid bubble over I place a wooden spoon across the top of pot.
Brandy says
January 27, 2019 at 11:45 amGreat tip!
Kate says
June 18, 2019 at 6:15 pmI moved into a home with a front load washer and I hate it. So, when it came time to pre treat and wash baby clothes (prepping for #2), I knew I would need a better option. This worked miracles!! All of the breastmilk yellow storage stains are completely gone after one round!! Thank you for this tutorial!!
Brandy says
June 18, 2019 at 10:03 pmYou’re welcome! It works for so many stains. I just did a pot full of clothes today!
Rachel says
August 8, 2019 at 6:33 pmJust a note, she isn’t kidding when she says separate darks and lights. I included a white shirt with a red graphic on it, and it completely ruined almost everything else in the pot. All of my oldest son’s cute newborn outfits are ruined with dye transfer 😪
Brandy says
August 10, 2019 at 11:08 pmOh no! 🙁
Reagen Ikard says
August 11, 2019 at 10:30 amThis works amazingly well!! Getting clothes ready for a consignment sale and it made them look like new!