From the time you start cooking for Thanksgiving until your guests leave, there’s the chance for everything and anything to get stained. Common Thanksgiving foods and drinks – like red wine and cranberry sauce – can easily stain your sweater on turkey day. Therefore, it’s essential to have effective stain removers on hand. The best part is that you probably have some of the best stain removers already in your home. And, if you don’t, you can quickly stock up on stain removers on Amazon.
What Removes Common Thanksgiving Stains
“In my years as a professional cleaner, I’ve found simple ingredients work wonders to tackle stains,” Fabuloso cleaning expert Sharon Garcia told 21Ninety. So, don’t feel pressured to grab every stain remover you see. There are a few staples that efficiently tackle any tough stain Thanksgiving throws your way.
Stain Removers for Cranberry Sauce (and Other Fruit) Stains
We consume many sauces during Thanksgiving – including the love-it-or-hate-it side dish, better known as cranberry sauce. But when that fruit lands on your clothes, reach for some lemon juice. “Lemon juice works wonders on fruit stains,” Garcia stated.
Happy Belly 100% Lemon Juice
If you don’t have lemons on hand, a bottle of Happy Belly’s 100% Lemon Juice will do. This lemon juice comes in a 32-ounce bottle so that you’ll be able to eliminate fruit stains far past Thanksgiving.
Stain Removers for Red Wine Stains
Garcia praised hydrogen peroxide as a key ingredient in fighting stains – especially for red wine. “I always carry hydrogen peroxide to remove most stains… It’s a fantastic stain remover,” Garcia exclaimed.
Owner of cleaning service Tidy Casa, Ryan Knoll, told 21Ninety that he usually combines hydrogen peroxide with dish soap to lift red wine stains. “The soap helps to lift the stain, while the hydrogen peroxide acts as a mild bleach to lighten the stain without damaging the fabric,” the Tiny Casa owner explained.
Amazon Basics Hydrogen Peroxide – 6 Pack
Amazon Basics offers its Hydrogen Peroxide in a 6 Pack. That comes to under $5 per bottle of the stain fighter. Plus, as the package states, hydrogen peroxide helps clean minor cuts. So, if you prick yourself with the turkey carving knife, you can clean your finger, too.
Dawn Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap
Dawn’s Ultra Dishwashing Liquid Dish Soap is a product you should always have hand. It not only cleans dishes but stains, too. As Knoll mentioned, you can lift red wine stains with it. But, according to Garcia, dish soap (combined with warm water) also removes grease stains on clothes.
Stain Remover Grease and Oil Stains
“The best stain remover for grease stains is a degreasing dish soap or a pre treatment stain remover explicitly targeting oil and grease,” Knoll said. Knoll recommended Carbona Stain Devils – Fat & Cooking Oil, out of all pretreatment stain removers.
Carbona Stain Devils – Fat & Cooking Oil
This bottle of Carbona Stain Devils – Fat & Cooking Oil is able to tackle your gravy, macaroni and cheese, along with the fatty stains from your sliced holiday ham. It removes all oil-based stains, including fat, grease, oil, and butter. This treatment works on machine-washable fabrics or hand washable (water-safe) fabrics.
Stain Remover for Mystery Stains and Odor
When you have no idea what the stain is, but know you want it off your clothes, there are a couple of things you should try: baking soda and white vinegar.
ARM & HAMMER Pure Baking Soda – 6 Pack
This 6 Pack of ARM & HAMMER’s Pure Baking Soda is a household essential. “A mixture of baking soda and water is a powerful solution for various common stains,” according to Garcia. Plus, you can put a box in the fridge to eliminate that turkey scent from getting into your pecan pie.
Heinz All Natural Distilled White Vinegar
Heinz All Natural Distilled White Vinegar is a stain fighter and odor eliminator. “White vinegar is another excellent option for battling stubborn stains try putting one cup in your next load of laundry to get rid of odors,” Garcia said.
Steps to Remove Stubborn Stains
According to Knoll, there are five steps to removing stubborn stains: blot, apply, agitation, rinse, and wash. That said, don’t wait until your Thanksgiving meal is over to follow these steps. “Ideally, try to treat a stain as soon as it happens,” Knoll stated.
Blot the Stain: The first step is to gently blot (tap) the stain with a paper towel, or washcloth, without rubbing it in.
Apply Stain Remover: Next, put the stain remover onto the stain and let it sit for 5 to 15 minutes.
Gentle Agitation: Then, Knoll said to, use a soft toothbrush or washcloth to gently work the remover into the fabric. This is the stage where you rub a little.
Rinse: After the agitation, rinse the stain remover off with cold water.
Wash: The last step is to wash the affected piece of clothing. “Don’t put the item in the dryer until the stain is gone,” Knoll warned.
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