How to get poop stains and smell out of clothes
To remove poop stains from clothes, wear gloves, scrape the solids into the toilet, rinse the back of the stain with cold water, soak it in cold water with an enzyme presoak or enzyme detergent, then wash with oxygen bleach (or chlorine bleach on whites that allow it) and air-dry. Feces are a protein stain, so hot water first sets the stain and the smell, while enzymes break down the residue that holds the odor.
- Best method
- Scrape, cold rinse, enzyme soak, wash with bleach safe for the fabric
- Time
- 10 minutes plus a 30-minute to several-hour soak and a wash
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Stain type
- Protein
You will need
- Disposable gloves
- A dull knife or spoon
- Enzyme presoak or enzyme laundry detergent
- Oxygen bleach, or chlorine bleach for whites if the label allows
- A bucket or sink for soaking
How to remove poop (feces) from clothes
- 1
Put on gloves and remove the solids
Wearing disposable gloves, scrape or shake solids into the toilet with a dull knife or spoon. Handle the garment gently and don't shake it around the room.
Why: Feces carry germs, and the CDC advises handling soiled laundry without shaking it to avoid spreading them. Removing the bulk first means less to dissolve.
- 2
Rinse from the back with cold water
Turn the garment inside out and run cold water through the back of the stain, or swish it in a sink or bucket of cold water, until the water runs mostly clear.
Why: Cold water lifts the protein and bacteria while they're still loose. Hot water at this stage would cook the protein into the fibers.
- 3
Soak with an enzyme product
Soak the item in cold water with an enzyme presoak or enzyme laundry detergent: at least 30 minutes for a fresh stain, several hours for a dried one. Rub a little detergent into the stain halfway through.
Why: Enzymes break down the proteins and some of the fats in feces, which is what anchors the stain and feeds the smell.
- 4
Wash with a bleach safe for the fabric
Wash in warm water with detergent, adding oxygen bleach for colors or chlorine bleach for white cotton whose label allows it.
Why: Bleach removes the yellow-brown pigment left behind and helps clear the odor. The color comes partly from a bile pigment that survives after the solids are gone.
- 5
Check by sight and smell before drying
Look at the spot and smell the garment while it's damp. If there's any stain or odor left, repeat the enzyme soak and wash instead of drying it.
Why: Dryer heat sets any remaining residue, making both the mark and the smell harder to remove.
- 6
Air-dry, ideally outdoors
Hang the item to dry. On white cotton, drying in the sun can help fade a faint leftover mark.
Why: Air-drying protects against setting a stain you missed. Sun bleaching is a traditional method for whites, with weak evidence, but it does no harm to white cotton.
Why poop stains and why the smell lingers
Feces are undigested food, gut bacteria, proteins, fats and shed cells, colored brown by a bile pigment that bacteria have altered. On fabric, the proteins and fats grip the fibers, and the pigment leaves a yellow-brown mark that can outlast the solids. Laundry guides treat it as a protein stain: cold water and enzymes first, heat last.
The smell comes mainly from skatole and indole, made by gut bacteria, plus sulfur compounds and fatty acids. Those live in the residue, so a fragrant detergent or fabric spray only covers them for a while. Once the residue is broken down by enzymes and washed out, the smell goes with it.
By situation
Poop stains on underwear
Skid marks are small but set easily, because underwear often waits in the hamper. Rinse cold from the back, rub enzyme detergent into the spot and soak for 30 minutes or more before washing. Skip chlorine bleach on underwear with spandex or elastic, which it damages; oxygen bleach is safe for those.
Dried or old poop stains
Scrape off any crust, then give it a long enzyme soak of several hours in cold water, changing the solution if it gets cloudy. A yellow-brown shadow that remains usually needs an oxygen bleach soak and a second wash.
Diarrhea or a stomach bug in the house
When illness such as norovirus is possible, the CDC advises washing soiled items right away with detergent and hot water on the longest cycle and drying them on the highest heat. Rinse heavy soil out in cold water first so the hot wash doesn't set the stain. Wear gloves and wash your hands with soap and water afterward; hand sanitizer doesn't work well against norovirus.
Poop smell stays after washing
That means residue is still in the fabric. Soak again in cold water with an enzyme presoak, wash with oxygen bleach, and air-dry outdoors. Don't machine-dry it until it smells clean.
Baby clothes and cloth diapers
The same method works for blowouts, with a few baby-specific points covered in poop on baby clothes.
Silk, wool and dry-clean-only clothes
Enzymes and chlorine bleach damage silk and wool. Remove solids, rinse gently with cool water and take the item to a dry cleaner, telling them what the stain is.
What not to do
- Don't start with hot water. Hot water coagulates the protein between the fibers so the stain and smell set.
- Don't machine-dry until the stain and smell are gone. Heat locks in whatever residue is left.
- Don't shake soiled clothes. Shaking can spread germs through the air and around the room.
- Don't mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or vinegar. The combinations release toxic chloramine or chlorine gas. See never mix these cleaners.
Other methods that work
Dish soap
Rubbing a little dish soap into the stain after the cold rinse helps with the fatty part of feces. It's commonly used but not specifically in extension guides, so treat it as a traditional method with weak evidence.
Caution: Rinse it out thoroughly before washing.
Sunlight (white cotton)
Drying white items in direct sun is an old way to fade leftover yellow marks. Historical USDA guidance used sun bleaching for many stains on white fabrics.
Caution: Whites only. Sunlight fades colored fabric.
Stain still there?
A yellow-brown shadow is left after washing
That's pigment, not protein. Soak in oxygen bleach for several hours, or use chlorine bleach on white cotton that allows it, then rewash.
The clothes went through the dryer with the stain
Soak again in cold water with an enzyme presoak, then wash with oxygen bleach. Heat-set stains may take a few rounds and sometimes only fade.
The stain is still there after two rounds
Give it one more long enzyme soak followed by an oxygen bleach soak. If nothing changes after that, the mark has probably set, especially if it was dried hot, and may only fade further with time and sun on whites.
Safety
- Wear disposable gloves and wash your hands with soap and water afterward.
- Norovirus can remain in stool for two weeks or more after symptoms end, so keep wearing gloves and washing your hands after handling soiled items during that time.
- Never mix chlorine bleach with ammonia or vinegar.
Never mix cleaning products; see chemicals you must never combine.
Questions
How do you get poop stains out of underwear?
Rinse the back of the stain with cold water, rub in enzyme detergent and soak for at least 30 minutes, then wash with oxygen bleach. Avoid chlorine bleach on stretchy fabrics.
How do you get the poop smell out of clothes?
Remove the residue that causes it: cold rinse, enzyme soak, then a wash with bleach safe for the fabric. Check the smell before drying, and repeat the soak if any odor remains.
Should I wash poop out with hot or cold water?
Rinse and soak in cold water first so the protein doesn't set. If illness is possible, follow with a hot wash and high-heat drying, as the CDC recommends.
Can you put clothes with poop in the washing machine?
Yes, after scraping the solids into the toilet and rinsing the stain in cold water. If someone has been ill, use the CDC's hot, longest cycle and high-heat drying.
Poop (feces) on other surfaces
Other stains on clothes
Sources
- Stain Removal Guide, American Cleaning Institute
- Stain Removal for Washable Fabrics (HE 2-840), University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service
- Quick and Easy Stain Removal for Clothing (HS 305, May 2026), Iowa State University Extension and Outreach
- How to Prevent Norovirus, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Removing Stains from Washable Fabrics, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension
- Chlorine gas: What happens if you mix bleach and other cleaners, National Capital Poison Center (Poison Control)
Last updated . Methods are drawn from the sources above; how we research and check our guides.