Stain Removers Review

Nothing takes out everything, but many products are useful

Stains on clothing and household surfaces are a fact of life, and there is no shortage of products on the market that promise to remove them. Although we found numerous reviews of stain removers, only a few compared multiple products by conducting methodical tests. One of the best sources is ConsumerReports.org, where editors have conducted two different tests of stain removers. A 2010 report on carpet cleaners includes a section on stain removers. In that review, editors test 12 spot and stain removers on four different carpet stains. In a 2006 comparison, editors use three instant stain removers on 48 stained fabric swatches.

Slate.com also has conducted a detailed hands-on test of prewash stain treatments. In that 2007 review, a white T-shirt is marked with individual spots of six different substances, treated with seven commercial stain removers (plus club soda, a popular home remedy) and then laundered. The results are then compared to evaluate the stain removers.

These three reports are by far the most thorough we found. To supplement them, we looked at more than a dozen reviews of individual products conducted by television news programs, websites and magazines. In addition, we checked user reviews on Amazon.com and Viewpoints.com to find the products that had earned the most consistent praise from the largest number of consumers.

Although some consumers maintain that their favorite product can handle any stain, professional tests show that no one product is effective against all (or even most) stains. For example, Tide to Go (*Est. $4.30), an instant stain-removal pen that has been frequently reviewed, works best only on specific food stains -- such as tomato juice, grape juice, coffee and chocolate -- and only when the stains are fresh. Experts say the best approach is to match the product to the stain -- a proposition that can get expensive, as it requires keeping a battery of different stain-fighting solutions on hand. What's more, sources like MarthaStewart.com say you may need to use different solutions for the same stain, since a single stain may have more than one component; for example, with lipstick, you have to remove both oil and dye.

Some consumers suggest using home remedies for removing stains, such as club soda for red wine stains. However, one reviewer reports these treatments don't always work as well as commercial products. In his test of stain pre-treatments, Slate.com writer Dan Chase finds that club soda doesn't do much more for stains than laundering alone. Five of the eight commercial products tested do a better job than club soda of removing stains (although, to be fair, the other three perform as poorly or worse). Other home remedies that some consumers swear by -- such as dishwasher detergent -- may even be harmful to clothing, experts say. Janis Stone, a textiles and clothing specialist at Ohio State University, cautions that these products can irritate skin, fade clothing and "damage wool, silk, or nylon fibers." Tips from Stone and other experts can be found in our Useful Links section.

The key to removing a stain successfully seems to be to identify it and then treat it as quickly as possible, and using ingredients that are ready to hand may improve the chances of getting the stain out promptly. If the stained garment is one you would normally dry clean, the safest approach is to take it to a professional cleaner. Some stain removers claim to be safe for such clothing, but experts recommend you test the product first on a hidden part of the garment. The stain removal guides on the MarthaStewart.com and Good Housekeeping websites include both proven home remedies and commercial products.

This report covers spot removers mainly for clothing (though we also discuss stains on other surfaces.) We cover laundry detergent in a separate report. If you only need a stain remover once in a while, reviewers suggest trying your regular liquid laundry detergent, which can be used to pre-treat stains before washing.