Short answer: treat a stain by what it is made of, not by what spilled. Protein stains such as blood, sweat and dairy must be rinsed in cold water, because heat cooks the protein into the fibre permanently. Tannin stains such as coffee, wine and tea respond to flushing and enzymes. Oil stains need a grease-cutting agent before any water. Dye and pigment stains need blotting and a solvent. In all four cases, blot, never rub, and never put a stained garment in the dryer until the stain is gone.
The four rules
| Family | Examples | Water temperature | What breaks it down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein | Blood, sweat, egg, milk, grass | Cold only | Protease |
| Tannin | Coffee, tea, red wine, fruit juice | Cold to warm | Flushing plus enzymes |
| Oil | Cooking oil, butter, make-up, sunscreen | Warm | Lipase and surfactants |
| Dye and pigment | Ink, grass chlorophyll, mud, tomato | Cold | Solvent plus surfactants |
Hot water is the classic mistake. It helps with oil and nothing else; on protein and tannin it sets the stain. Our pods carry all three enzyme types, protease, amylase and lipase, and all three work at 20 °C, so cold is the safe default.
The first two minutes
- Blot, do not rub. Rubbing drives the stain deeper and damages the weave.
- Work from the back. Hold the fabric stain-side down and flush from the reverse, so the stain is pushed out rather than through.
- Cold water first, unless it is oil.
- No dryer until the stain is gone. Heat makes almost every stain permanent.
Stain by stain
Coffee and tea
Flush from the back with cold water immediately. Rub a small amount of dissolved detergent into the mark, leave 15 minutes, then wash normally. Coffee with milk is a tannin and a protein at once, which is why it sets so fast: keep it cold.
Red wine
Blot up the liquid, then cover the mark generously with salt, which pulls the wine out of the weave while you deal with the rest of the evening. Rinse from the back with cold water, treat with detergent, wash cold. Skip the boiling-water trick on anything you care about. For dried wine, soak for an hour in cold water with a pod dissolved in it.
Grass
Grass is chlorophyll pigment plus plant protein, so it needs two things at once. Sponge the area with cold water and detergent, work it gently with a soft brush, leave 30 minutes, then wash cold with a pod. Never hot.
Cooking oil and grease
This is the exception to the cold rule. Cover the fresh mark in cornstarch or talc for 15 minutes to absorb what has not soaked in, brush it off, then work a drop of dish soap into the fabric. Wash on the warmest setting the label allows.
Make-up, foundation and sunscreen
All three are oil suspensions with pigment. Lift excess with the edge of a spoon, never a cloth. Apply a small amount of detergent or a grease-cutting soap directly, leave 10 minutes, rinse from the back, wash warm. For lipstick, chill the mark first so the wax hardens and can be scraped away.
Blood
Cold water only, always, and the faster the better. Rinse from the back under a cold tap until the water runs clear, then soak in cold water with a dissolved pod for an hour. Hydrogen peroxide works on white cotton but can lift colour, so test it first.
Ink
Place the stain face down on a clean cloth. Dab the back with isopropyl alcohol so the ink transfers into the cloth beneath, moving to a clean section of cloth as it loads up. Rinse cold, then wash. Do not soak the whole garment in alcohol.
Yellow underarm marks
These are a reaction between sweat protein and aluminium in antiperspirant, built up over months. Soak the shirt in cold water with a dissolved pod for several hours, then wash normally. Badly set marks may need two rounds. Prevention beats treatment: let antiperspirant dry fully before dressing.
Mud
Let it dry completely, then brush the solids off with a stiff brush. Wet mud smeared into the weave is far harder to remove than dry mud lifted off it. Then treat as a pigment stain and wash cold.
When the stain has already been dried
It is harder, not always hopeless. Soak the garment for several hours, or overnight, in cold water with a pod dissolved in it, then wash on a long normal cycle. Repeat once before giving up. Do not raise the temperature to compensate; that is what set it in the first place.
Frequently asked questions
Should you use hot or cold water on a stain?
Cold, for almost everything. Heat permanently sets protein stains such as blood, sweat and dairy, and tannin stains such as coffee and wine. Warm water is only for oil and grease.
Can you get a stain out after it has been in the dryer?
Sometimes. Soak the garment overnight in cold water with a dissolved pod, then wash on a long cycle, and repeat once. Heat makes it much harder, so never dry a garment with a visible stain.
Does rubbing a stain help?
No. Rubbing pushes the stain deeper into the weave and can damage the fibres. Blot, and flush from the back of the fabric so the stain exits the way it came in.
What removes red wine from clothes?
Blot, cover in salt, then rinse from the back with cold water and treat with detergent before washing cold. For dried wine, soak for an hour in cold water with a pod dissolved in it.
