Spilling something on your clothing is inevitable, and it always seems to happen at the most inconvenient times – like when you’re finally wearing your brand new shirt or pants and decide to chow down on French fries with loads of ketchup, or when you’re checking out that new wine bar down the street and get a little too careless with your glass of Pinot Noir. We’ve all been there, and we’ve all felt that moment of panic, rage, and disappointment of thinking we’ve ruined yet another item of clothing too soon.

However, with a little bit of elbow grease and a few tips and tricks, you can pretty much tackle almost any stain that your clothing encounters, thanks to our handy guide that breaks down how to get rid of some of the most common, everyday clothing stains. 

How To Remove Stains From Clothing in General

For minor, everyday scuffs and stains that may make their way onto your clothing, there’s a general formula you can use to get those suckers out ASAP – especially if you don’t have the time to perform stain-specific “surgery” on your garments. 

The first thing to keep in mind when battling stains is that you want to take care of it as soon as possible: the faster you tend to the stain, the easier it’ll be to get out. If you let it sit for days and days, there’s a good chance that stain will remain a stain, and even if you can get most of it out, there’s a chance that your clothes will be marked forever. 

Start by pretreating the stain with a stain remover, like OxiClean Max Force Spray Laundry Stain Remover, which you can find on Amazon or in-store at places like Target, Walmart, or even your local grocery store. Let it soak for five minutes, and then wash according to the garment’s launder instructions. Typically, regular stains should come out when washed on cold, however, if the stain is extra grimy or tough, you can wash on warm. If the stain doesn’t come out after the first wash, repeat the above steps and wash again. Whatever you do, don’t put the garment into the dryer if the stain is still there – keep trying to get the stain out with the remover and washing it until it’s no longer there.