How to Get Poop Stain out of Baby Clothes
All parents will have to deal with the dreaded poop stains early on in their parenthood journey. Whether it’s due to a leaky diaper or a squirming baby that makes a mess during changing, understanding how to remove poop stains will help your child’s wardrobe last just a little bit longer.
Step 1:
Using a baby wipe, remove any excess poop from the garment. Wet wipes fit the contours of your hands better and allow you to remove excrement more thoroughly.
Step 2:
Pretreat the garment by placing it in warm water and removing as much of the remaining mess as possible.
Step 3:
Before placing garment in the wash, treat the stained area with a poop stain remover like Dreft Stain Remover
Step 4:
Wash in your laundry machine using a heavy-duty setting, Dreft Detergent and the sanitization feature, if your machine has one
Step 5:
Examine the garment after the wash cycle completes. If it still has a stain, wash again, this time adding hydrogen peroxide or a bit of bleach to the cycle
Step 6:
Once the stain has been removed, dry as you normally would
How to Get Set-in Poop Stain Out of Baby Clothes
If you’re unable to get to a poop stain right away or you missed one and are trying to treat it after it has set in, here are some steps you can take to get a set-in poop stain out of baby clothes.
Step 1:
Rinse the stained area with water and using Dreft baby detergent, scrub the stained area, then rinse. Repeat this process if you feel it is needed.
Step 2:
For an extra stain-busting benefit, mix dish soap with some hydrogen peroxide (a 50/50 mix) and apply to the stained area. Let the mixture sit on the garment overnight before washing.
Step 3:
Before placing garment in the wash, treat the stained area with Dreft Stain Remover.
Step 4:
Wash in your laundry machine using a heavy-duty setting, Dreft Detergent and the sanitization feature, if your machine has one.
Step 5:
Examine the garment after the wash cycle completes. If it still has a stain, wash again, this time adding hydrogen peroxide or a bit of bleach to the cycle.
Step 6:
Once the stain has been removed, dry as you normally would.
How Do You Get Baby Poop Stains Out of Clothes Naturally?
If you’re looking for a natural way to remove poop stains from clothes, there are a few things you can try, but natural sunlight is one of our favorite tricks!
Step 1:
Rinse the garment under warm water, getting it completely saturated, then treat with regular lemon juice. No scrubbing is needed.
Step 2:
Place the garment in strong, direct sunlight with the stained area facing the sun.* Place the garment outside on a drying rack, if possible, to get the maximum benefit of the sunlight. *This trick seems to work better in hotter climates, but it’s worth a shot on any sunny day. This method works for set-in poop stains as well.
Step 3:
Check the garment repeatedly over the next few hours to ensure it stays in direct sunlight.
Step 4:
After a few hours, the stain should be gone. The garment will likely be stiff from the lemon juice, so run through the wash using Dreft Detergent to fully clean and soften the garment.
Natural stain busters that most people have laying around their house are:
Dish soap
Vinegar
Baking soda
Lemon juice
Don’t be afraid to experiment with these on stained garments to find the solution that works best for you.
How to Prevent Poop Stains
If you’re a parent who uses cloth diapers, one trick you can use to help prevent poop stains is to cut up some fleece liners to use inside cloth diapers. You can catch a lot of baby’s mess and protect her clothes from stains this way, and when it comes time to wash your cloth diapers, Dreft you’re covered there, too!
Tips for Removing Tough Stains
Stains are each unique with some requiring more work than others to remove. Below are some tips you can keep in mind to help cut off tough stains before they happen.
Don’t let it sit
When possible, treat the problem area right away while the stain is still wet. As stains dry, they become more bonded to fabric, which makes them tougher to remove down the road.
Do rinse out the stain carefully with room-temperature water
Rinsing the stain thoroughly will help wash away as much excess material as possible, giving your detergent a head start on busting up the stain.
Use a stain pretreatment after rinsing
After rinsing the garment in warm water, give your laundry machine a head start on stain busting by treating it with Dreft Stain Remover before throwing it in the wash.
Don’t throw the item right into the wash
Taking the time to properly remove excess from the stained fabric and rinse thoroughly under warm water will be key to fighting stains. Resist the urge to throw it right in the wash—rinse and treat with a stain remover before washing for maximum stain removal.
Don’t dry until the stain is gone
Don’t be discouraged if the stain isn’t completely removed after your first round of washing. The important thing is not to let the stain dry completely where it will become set-in. Repeat your rinse and wash process until the stain is removed, then dry.
Battling stained clothes is an ongoing battle for any parent. The good news is that you’ll only be dealing with poop and pee stains for a few years before your child moves on to even tougher stains like dirt and grass. The good news is that by learning to remove stains from your baby clothes now, you’ll be ready to handle all the stains life throws your way!