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12 Bizarre Kitchen Ingredients That Get Rid Of Stains

Who knew white bread was a stain remover?

Headshot of Hannah DoolinBy Hannah Doolin
ketchup stain

Check your kitchen pantry for stain-busting ingredients that can help remove everything from wine to ink to sweat stains.

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Hair, Cup, Blond, Bucket, Brown hair, Long hair, Publication, Top, Photo caption, Cup,

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Artificial Sweetener

artificial sweetener

These handy packets are useful for more than sweetening your coffee. If you find you've gotten grease on your clothes, use the sweetener to blot the stain, allowing the fine powder to soak up oil from the fabric.

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Milk

Milk

It might sound odd, but soaking clothing in a milk bath overnight can help lift ink or chocolate stains. Use the soak as a pre-treatment before you put the clothes through a regular wash cycle.

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Bread

delish-white-bread
Science & Society Picture Library

When you're at a restaurant, you might not have your Tide to Go pen on hand, but a slice of bread could be your savior. The doughy center of bread can be rolled into a ball and used to blot stains, like a sort of sponge, before washing. This is a great trick for pesky lipstick marks.

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Soda

Coke Pouring
Getty Images

One of the toughest stains to get out of clothing and other fabrics is blood. Strangely enough, soaking the item in a basin full of cola is a great way to lessen the damage of the tough-to-remove stain — do it overnight for the best results.

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Salt

sea salt

Stubborn stains caused by red wine, blood or perspiration are best treated by soaking in a mixture of salt and cold water for 1 to 2 hours before going through the washing machine. For focused areas, make a paste with salt and water to apply directly and let sit prior to washing.

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White Vinegar

white vinegar

Avoid hot water when it comes to stain removal — instead, tackle it with a mixture of cold water and 1/4 cup white vinegar and soak items for at least 30 minutes before rubbing and rinsing the spot. For carpeting and mattresses, pour on white vinegar, then sprinkle baking soda over top. Allow it to bubble before vacuuming up the powder.

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Lemon Juice

lemon

There's so much you can do with simple lemons. Berry juice stains and underarm sweat stains are no match for the acidic fruit. Rub lemon juice (or a mixture of equal parts lemon and water) onto fabric to help lift the marks. A paste of lemon juice and cream of tartar helps blast ink stains and lemon juice with salt is key to removing streaks from mildew and rust. Even cutting board stains can benefit.

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Baking Soda

baking soda

A simple paste of baking soda and water goes a long way if you don't have special cleaning products on hand. Spread the mixture onto stained areas and leave for 10 minutes before rinsing it away with club soda (the bubbles are key). Try it with carpet stains, then vacuum up the powder.

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Club Soda

seltzer club soda
Flickr

Seltzer is good to keep stocked in your pantry for more than just drinking. The acidic nature of our favorite beverage do the trick when it comes to stains from coffee, tea, wine and beyond. The bubbles help lift the unwanted substance from your clothes.

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Coconut Oil

Food, Ingredient, Coconut cream, Nut butter,

Mix one part coconut oil with one part baking soda to make your own natural stain remover. However, be careful what you use this on to avoid unwanted grease marks. Apply the mixture to upholstery or carpeting and let sit for a few minutes before wiping it away. It's also a great ingredient to have for cleaning leather or removing crayon marks from walls.

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White Wine

Wine by Beach
Lauren C

No need to freak out next time there's a wine spill during a party — red wine stains can easily be neutralized by pouring a little white wine on top of it. Dab the stain to clean up extra liquid, then wash the fabric as you normally would.

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Corn Starch

flour corn starch

Getting food crease on leather, silk and other delicate fabrics can feel like a tragedy, but corn starch is an ingredient that can keep you calm. Blot the powder onto the stained area, let it sit for 20 minutes or until it absorbs the stain, then brush it off with a clean cloth or toothbrush.

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