Remove Stains with Vinegar, Borax, Club Soda and More

Written by Charlotte Wood (last updated April 14, 2025)

You hear of all those household remedies to remove stains, but sometimes you don't really know how those methods are supposed to work. Fortunately substances like vinegar, borax, and club soda (among other products) do work in certain situations and here is how you can use them! Goodbye to stains!

You can squirt away stains with vinegar. Those fruit, beverage, and grass stains in your washable clothes won't stand a chance against a mixture of equal parts white vinegar, dishwashing liquid, and water. Squeeze on this solution from a plastic squirt bottle and work it in. Let it stand for a few minutes, rinse, and say good-bye to stains.

Another example of when you can use vinegar for a stain is perspiration stains. To remove a deodorant stain from a washable shirt or dress, dab it with white vinegar. If that doesn't do the trick, sponge it with denatured alcohol and wash it in the hottest water the fabric can stand. Do keep in mind though with these methods that they'll make your clothes a bit smelly so you'll probably want to wash them anyway.

For a general, all-purpose stain remover, add one-quarter cup of borax to two cups of cold water. Soak the stained garment in the mixture before washing with laundry detergent and cold water. This is a nice and quick stain removal trick and one you can easily incorporate into your regular

For many small stains the vinegar and other household item tricks will work, but don't completely rule out investing in some higher quality stain removers. Sometimes that will do for you what regular household items can't. When you have no idea where a strange stain came from, club soda or seltzer is probably your best shot at getting it out.

Stains are a pain to have to deal with but fortunately there are tried and true ways of ridding yourself of such inconveniences! If these basic remedies don't work the way you want however, you should try an established stain removal product. Stains don't have to ruin your clothes!

Author Bio

Charlotte Wood

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