EmailBest Reviewed
Stain Removers
- Best add-in for laundry OxiClean Powder *Est. $6
- Pre-wash stain treatment Shout *Est. $5
- Best instant stain remover Tide to Go *Est. $4
- Mark remover for walls and floors Mr. Clean Magic Eraser *Est. $3
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Best instant stain remover
- Works best on fresh food stains
- Cleans ketchup, coffee and barbecue sauce
- Small enough to keep in a purse or bag
- Doesn't work as well on stains that have set
- Does not work on grease stains
- Sometimes causes a stain to spread
Tide to Go is tested in video reports from Slate.com, the Los Angeles Times, and the television stations KLTV (Jacksonville, Fla.), WRAL (Raleigh, N.C.), CBS13 (Sacramento, Calif.), KWCH (Wichita, Kan.) and CP24 (Toronto). It is also tested at the websites KidsOutandAbout.com and HousekeepingChannel.com. On Amazon.com, nearly 40 contributors give Tide to Go a good score.
In testing, Tide to Go - which is an instant stain remover pen - does well against a variety of fresh food stains, including ketchup, coffee and barbecue sauce. It does less well against grease stains and stains that have set. Testers appreciate that the Tide to Go pen is portable, so that stains can be treated as soon as they happen. Testers are also very happy to see stains disappear instantly. Some users caution that Tide to Go can cause stains some to spread. Garments with multiple stains might benefit from a stain remover that is added to laundry, such as OxiClean Powder (*est. $6 for 24 ounces), or one that is sprayed on before laundering, such as Shout (*est. $5).
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Our Sources
1. Slate.com
In a test by Dan Crane of seven stain removers, Tide to Go receives the worst critique - it removes salad dressing and slightly improves a barbecue stain, but it does not remove blood, coffee, mustard or lipstick.
Review: Will It All Come Out in the Wash?, Dan Crane, June 2007
In this hands-on test, a reporter for the Los Angeles Times stains khaki slacks with coffee and raspberry pecan salad dressing. Among four stain removers, she ranks Tide to Go as the "best overall."
Review: Four Handy Spot Removers Take the Stain Test, Catharine Hamm, Jan. 2008
Debra Ross and her kids test Tide to Go on 10 fresh food stains. Overall, it works well on most fresh stains except the mustard, and it even improves an old juice stain.
Review: Review of Tide to Go Instant Stain Remover, Debra Ross, Oct. 2005
In this television news report, Tide to Go is tested against ketchup, grape juice and coffee. In the first round of testing, some of the stains have a chance to set. The results are "not great." In the second round of tests, stains are immediately treated, and this time they are completely removed.
Review: Tide to Go: Does It Work?, Joe Terrell, Aug. 2007
In this television news report, Tide to Go is tested against ketchup, barbecue sauce, grape juice and coffee stains. The reporter finds that the "stains did go away for the most part," but it works best on fresh stains.
Review: Does It Work: Tide to Go, Monica Laliberte, Nov. 2005
Reporter Kurtis Ming tests Tide to Go against food stains and concludes that it works on most stains and lightens others enough to avoid embarrassment.
Review: Buy It and Try It: Tide to Go Stick, Kurtis Ming, July 2006
Tide to Go is tested against ketchup, grape jelly and mustard on a white T-shirt. Stains fade, but don't disappear, and the product leaves behind a noticeable wet spot.
Review: Does It Work: Tide to Go, Kim Setty
Sarah Aguirre states that Tide to Go is "amazingly effective" on fresh food and drink stains, but that it "may not work as effectively on stains that are greasy or have dried on clothing."
Review: Tide to Go, Sarah Aguirre
This television news report tests four stain removers, including Tide to Go, on coffee, pen, grass and red wine stains. None of the products works completely, but most lighten the stains.
Review: Four Stain Removers Are Put to the Test and the Results May Surprise You!, News team at CP24, Oct. 2007
10. Amazon.com
Almost 40 contributors (at the time of our visit) give Tide to Go high scores. A few caution that the product can lighten a stain but can also make it spread.
Review: Tide to Go Instant Stain Remover, Contributors to Amazon.com
