How to pretreat stains: sprays, gels, sticks and detergent

Step by step

1. 1

   Read the care label and the product label

   Note the water temperature the garment allows and whether it's washable at all. Check the product's directions for how long it can stay on.

   Why: Pretreaters are concentrated, and the right contact time differs by form: seconds to minutes for a spray, days for a stick.

2. 2

   Choose the right form for the stain

   Use an aerosol spray for grease and oily stains, an enzyme product for protein stains, and a stick or gel if you can't wash the item soon. Heavy-duty liquid detergent rubbed in works for most everyday stains.

   Why: Aerosols can contain solvents, which only cans can hold, and solvents dissolve grease. Enzymes break down protein. Sticks and gels are made to sit.

3. 3

   Apply it directly to the stain

   Cover the whole stain and a little beyond it. With liquid detergent, work it in gently with your fingers.

   Why: The point of pretreating is a high local dose: far more cleaning agent on the stain than the wash water would ever deliver.

4. 4

   Let it work, but not dry

   Give a liquid or aerosol prewash 1 to 3 minutes, or as the label directs, and don't let it dry on the fabric. A stick can stay on for days; a gel can sit up to a week, except on bright or fluorescent colors.

   Why: The product needs a moment to penetrate and loosen the stain. Left too long, liquids and aerosols can change unstable dyes.

5. 5

   Wash in the right water

   Launder as the care label directs: cold water is fine for regular stains, and the warmest safe water helps on tough and greasy ones.

   Why: The wash is what carries the loosened stain away, and warmer water helps oily soil release.

6. 6

   Check before the dryer

   Look at the spot after washing. If any trace remains, pretreat again and rewash instead of drying.

   Why: Dryer heat can set a remaining stain permanently.

How a pretreater loosens a stain

Prewash stain removers are concentrated surfactants, the same ingredients that make detergent work, often with added solvents or enzymes. Surfactants surround soil and hold it suspended in water so it can't settle back on the fabric. In a normal wash that dose is spread through gallons of water; on a pretreated spot it's concentrated exactly where it's needed.

The extras matter. The University of Kentucky notes that aerosol sprays are especially effective on grease-based stains because solvents can only be packaged in cans. Products with enzymes break down protein stains. Heavy-duty liquid laundry detergent rubbed into a spot works the same way, just without the solvent.

Sprays, gels, sticks and liquid detergent compared

• Liquid and aerosol sprays. Fastest acting. Wash within 1 to 3 minutes (Texas A&M) or a minute or two (Kentucky). Best for grease, oily food, collar and cuff soil, and cosmetics.
• Gels. Apply as soon as you can. They can sit up to a week before washing, but not more than a few minutes on bright or fluorescent items.
• Sticks. Made for stains you can't wash right away. Texas A&M says they can stay on 3 to 4 days; Kentucky says several days.
• Heavy-duty liquid detergent. Rubbed in directly, it's a general pretreater for most stains, including grease.

For grease stains, pretreat and then wash in the hottest water the fabric allows. For heavy deodorant buildup, the American Cleaning Institute and Kentucky guides let a prewash remover stand 5 to 10 minutes, then launder with oxygen bleach.

What pretreatment can damage, and what not to mix

• Unstable dyes, brights and fluorescents. Leaving a liquid or aerosol on longer than directed can cause color change or loss.
• Polyester with soil buildup. A pretreated area can come out "super clean" and look like a bleached spot. The fix is to treat the whole garment with a prespotter and rewash it.
• Silk and wool. Enzyme pretreatments digest protein fibers, so use an enzyme-free product or take the item to a cleaner.

Don't put chlorine bleach on a pretreated spot or pour it directly on fabric. Bleach inactivates enzymes, and undiluted bleach should never touch fabric directly. More broadly, use one product at a time and rinse between them; see never mix these cleaners.

By situation

You can't wash it today

Use a stain stick or gel, which can wait days before laundering. Liquid and aerosol sprays are meant to be washed out within minutes.

Grease, butter or makeup

Use an aerosol prewash or rub in heavy-duty liquid detergent, then wash in the hottest water the care label allows.

Heavy deodorant buildup

Apply a prewash remover, let it stand 5 to 10 minutes, then launder with oxygen bleach.

Bright or fluorescent clothes

Keep contact time short: gels no more than a few minutes, sprays only as long as the label says. Test on an inside seam if you're unsure the dye is stable.

Silk, wool and dry-clean-only items

Skip enzyme pretreatments on silk and wool. Dry-clean-only items should go to a cleaner instead of being spot-treated at home.

What not to do

• Don't let a spray or liquid prewash dry on the fabric. These products are made to be washed out within minutes, and drying in place can change unstable dyes.
• Don't assume longer is better. Leaving liquids or aerosols on beyond the directions can strip color from dyes that aren't stable.
• Don't put the item in the dryer until you've checked the spot. Dryer heat can set a remaining stain permanently.
• Don't add chlorine bleach to a pretreated spot. Bleach inactivates enzymes, and undiluted bleach should never go directly on fabric.
• Don't use enzyme pretreaters on silk or wool. Enzymes digest protein, and silk and wool are protein fibers.

Other methods that work

Heavy-duty liquid detergent

Rubbed straight into the stain, it does the same job as a prewash product for most everyday stains, including grease. It's the simplest pretreatment if you have nothing else.

Oxygen bleach soak

For colored residue left after pretreating, such as dye stains on fabric that can't take chlorine bleach, Kentucky recommends soaking in oxygen bleach and then laundering.

Caution: Test colored fabric first and follow the product label for the dose.

Stain still there?

A clean-looking pale patch appeared on polyester

The pretreated area came out cleaner than the rest of the garment. Treat the whole garment with a prespotter and rewash it.

The stain is still there after washing

Don't dry it. Pretreat again, use warmer water if the label allows, and rewash. Protein stains respond better to an enzyme product, grease to an aerosol prewash.

The color faded where the product sat

The product stayed on too long for that dye. It usually can't be reversed. Next time, wash within the time on the label, and keep gels to a few minutes on brights.

Safety

• Keep laundry products sealed and out of children's reach. Liquid laundry packets have caused eye and swallowing injuries in children 5 and under.
• Read the signal word on the label (CAUTION, WARNING or DANGER) and follow the directions.

Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.

Questions

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