It’s surprising just how messy a toddler can be when given a juice box or a yogurt. I’ve also met my fair share of clumsy adults who can’t seem to stop talking with their hands while they are holding a drink. (Ahem… my husband.)
Whether you are a parent or not, chances are you’ve had to deal with food stains a time or two. And if you’ve ever found yourself dealing with a food stain on your favorite shirt, you know how frustrating it can be. We’ve got your back. And your front. Or wherever the stain landed.
The first step is to figure out what the stain is made of, and then treat it accordingly. Read on to learn how to treat greasy food stains, coffee, red wine, chocolate, or berry stains. (Protein based stains are covered in this blog article, so head on over there if you are dealing with anything that came from an animal or human.) We love a good stain treatment like Tide Rescue®, but we love cheap stain hacks that WORK, too!

Greasy Food Stains
Greasy food stains are easily treated with dish soap. It works to cut the grease on our cooking pans, so why wouldn’t it work on our clothes? (Spoiler Alert: it works wonders!)
Mix 3 parts blue Dawn® dish soap with 1 part water, and gently scrub the mixture into the stain. Let sit for at least 1 hour, but overnight is best for tough stains (or laziness). Rinse, then wash in the hottest cycle possible for your fabric using Powdered Tide®. Check the garment for any remaining stain. If it’s not fully gone, repeat before drying.

Coffee
This one may be harder to blame on the kids. But hey, not impossible!
First, run COLD water over the coffee stain to get as much of it to lift as you can. Then, soak your garment in a sink full of hot water and a dishwasher tab. Rinse, then wash in your machine using powdered Tide®. Check for the stain, and if it’s not fully gone, repeat.
Red Wine
It seems like red wine stains usually end up on the carpet or a white shirt. They are easy to treat as long as you get to them quickly, but this method also works on set in, dry red wine stains the next morning if you can’t treat right away.
On Carpet:
Blot the stain with a towel. Try to get as much of the liquid up as possible. Mix 1 tsp of powdered Tide® in 1 cup of warm water. Wet a cloth in the mixture and dab the stain. You can pour a small amount of the mixture on the stain and blot it with a cloth. It will lift immediately. No need to rinse.
For tough stains that have been set for several days, weeks, or months, spray liberally with water followed by hydrogen peroxide. (Note that hydrogen peroxide is a mid bleaching agent, so we always recommend testing on a small spot in the corner of the room.)
Next, grab a damp white cloth and place it over the sprayed area. Place a hot iron on top of the cloth and let it sit stationary for 20 to 30 seconds. Continue this process until the stain lifts. (Note: All irons are different. Use caution and be careful not to burn or melt the fibers of your carpet.)

On Clothing:
Rinse the stain with warm water to remove any excess wine. Soak in the sink overnight with 1 scoop of OxiClean® and hot water. Wash on a hot water cycle with powdered Tide® and a scoop of OxiClean®. Check the garment for any remaining stain, and if it’s not fully gone, repeat before drying.
Chocolate:
Get to these stains quickly! Once they set, they are very hard to remove.
If the chocolate is melted and gooey, throw the offending clothes in a plastic bag and put in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and scrape off as much hardened chocolate as you can. Once back to room temperature, apply a bit of toothpaste. Scrub into the stain and let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse well, repeat if necessary.
Once the stain has mostly lifted, treat the spot with a paste made of powdered Tide® and hot water. Let sit for 20 minutes. Wash in hot water and powdered Tide®. Check the garment for any remaining stain, and if it’s not fully gone, repeat before drying.
Berries:
Berries are another tricky stain where it’s best to act quickly to avoid having the stain set.
Boil a full kettle of water and pour it over the stain, and watch as it disappears before your eyes! If there is any stain left, treat the spot with a paste made of powdered Tide® and hot water. Let sit for 20 minutes, then wash in hot water and powdered Tide®. Check the garment for any remaining stain, and if it’s not fully gone, repeat before drying.
May the odds be ever in your favor. But with these tips and our laundry handbook, you will know exactly what to do and what not to do. Luck is not required when you have the skills.
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– Becky @ GoCleanCo
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gocleanco
Nov 18
I circled rollerblades in the Sears Wish Book every year…and every year my mother would patiently explain that we lived on an acreage with gravel roads and rollerblades do not work on gravel…and every year I would be so disappointed when they didn’t show up under the tree. 🤣🤦🏼♀️ #nostalgia #christmastime
gocleanco
Nov 15
PSA: A lot of people don’t know you can do this when you order a gift off of Amazon. At check out, you can select that the item is a gift and then choose the option to add a gift bag and a custom message and this is how it is delivered! You don’t have to worry about the surprise being ruined if they open the box because it’s already wrapped and they can plunk it under the tree. Perfect if you have family far away that you won’t be seeing this holiday season. Saves ya time and energy in the chaos of the season. 🎁🎄🎅🏻🕰️🕰️🕰️ #christmastime
gocleanco
Nov 13
Nostalgic Christmas!!!! Bring on the tinsel and the garland. I can handle it. 🤭We have some fun things planned to take you back to the days when we made ornaments outta fishhooks, so STAY TUNED ya filthy animals! 🎄🎁 ⛄️ 🎅🏻 🤶🏻❄️ ☕️
gocleanco
Nov 12
Best part of getting my hair done is hanging with sister @hellohairhouse the results aren’t too shabby either
gocleanco
Nov 9
Just out here doing the lords work. meganrreed_
gocleanco
Nov 4
Okay my DM’s are full of people asking for this to live on the feed. Brew a cup of coffee. I use a @nespresso pod but any regular cup java will do. Add in one scoop of your fav protein powder (or do half if you find this too sweet). This-is-a-wing-it-to-how-you-like-it-recipe as most cups of coffee are. I used vanilla protein powder here with a sprinkle of cinnamon, tastes a Christmasy! My go to is usually chocolate protein because it tastes like a mocha. Froth it with frother and drink it hot or over ice. This gets me 26 grams of protein right in the morning which helps cause I’m not a breakfast person. I’m trying y’all. 💪🏻 🍑
gocleanco
Nov 1
You asked and I delivered! You have been requesting I test the viral Tineco floor washers forever so here they are! Full break down of the S5 and S3 model in my stories plus they are both on sale at Canadian Tire and Amazon! @tinecoglobal #sponsored #floorcare #evolutionofclean
gocleanco
Oct 28
Best one yet. 🤣😂🤣🤣 I told you guys he looks like @mrclean
gocleanco
Oct 25
I have shared my new BLANCO sink and faucet but let’s talk about accessories, did you know BLANCO also has under sink organization systems? I completed my BLANCO UNIT with the BOTTON II, it tidies up the mess under your kitchen sink and it pulls out like a drawer; you can store your cleaning supplies in it and also has a handy dandy little handle so you can take your supplies with you around the house. I have a post up on their blog that goes into depth about BLANCO maintenance and care, and more tips in my stories so make sure you check them out. You folks had lots of questions about BLANCO last round and I am happy to help. Plus BLANCO customer service can answer any maintenance questions you might have. #sponsored @blancoamerica1
gocleanco
Oct 22
You can’t win them all. 🐷🩰
gocleanco
Oct 20
Ghosts have chores too! #happyhalloween
gocleanco
Oct 13
It’s a blessing and a curse, really. #housework
gocleanco
Oct 11
Me for the last 24 hours straight 🥴😵💫 What didn’t you snag that you had on your heart set on for Prime Big Deals Days? Drop ONE THING you didn’t nab in the comments below and maybe we will do some surprise Amazon deliveries! 🥰 The only thing I have had time to buy for myself is a Home Alone Pillow with Kevin’s face on it and some Tide Rescue 😂 Swipe to see ➡️➡️➡️
gocleanco
Oct 9
It is the final week of the Fall Cleaning Challenge which means we are cleaning the Common Area’s in our homes (that’s hallways, closets, mudrooms, porches and laundry rooms) we are ALSO taking our buckets, Aquablades, power washers and shop vacuums outside to clean up our outdoor spaces before the ❄️ hits. This is a big week. What’s the biggest disaster area that you need to tackle this week? I’ll go first. It’s my scary linen closet which currently it has a sign on on it that says CAUTION ⚠️ 😂 I also got a new leaf blower that I am very excited to blast some dirt and 🍂 with. Pace yourselves, WE GOT THIS! 👊🏻 #cleaningtips
gocleanco
Oct 8
If you are sick of doing dishes, we got this off Amazon for Stella’s apartment cause she didn’t have a dishwasher and she would not stop complaining about it. The little window is so cute, you can watch everything that happening in it, it’s almost as dramatic as and episode of Love is Blind. 5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ from Stella! #amazonfinds
gocleanco
Oct 7
Hiiiii 👋🏼 Sarah here. I’m the one behind the cleaning hacks, motivation, business tips, home design, decor and sometimes fashion advice and sassy commentary. Oh and I wrote some books in the early days too 🤓 How long have long have you been following along for the ride? Thanks for sticking with me 💕💕💕
gocleanco
Oct 6
Takes me just as long to pick a blanket as it does a pillowcase. 🫠🤣 Everything is linked up in my Amazon Store front! Link is in my bio. Reminder it’s Prime Deals Days next week so expecting lots of stuff to be on sale next week! My rug is from @ruggable and is 9x12 and called the Kamran Hazel. #falldecor
gocleanco
Oct 4
Entering spooky season but it’s just a regular Wednesday for us. Today I learned not everyone pronounces it 👻—GUR 🤣🤣🤣 #happyhalloween
gocleanco
Sep 24
Heya. 👋🏼 Sarah here. We are wrapping up Week One (Kitchen Week—the most overwhelming) of the Fall Cleaning challenge. How is it going? What have you got done? My job during these Challenges is to motivate and help educate you on the most efficient and effective ways to clean so you feel confident about moving onto the next week with us! The Cleaning Challenges get easier each time we do them as it’s a scheduled, routine deep clean that helps you stay on top of things before they get out of hand. If you deep cleaned in the Spring Challenge with us, I know (based on the hundreds of DM’s🤣) that this week felt easier because you lined the tops of your cupboards with parchment paper in the Spring! I find it hard to put into writing how cleaning can make you feel SO GOOD, satisfied and proud of your home. I can’t explain the feeling feeling until you roll up your sleeves and get to work and feel it yourself. Once one room is done, please stop and stand back and survey your work. Take a minute to feel the accomplishment in your bones. This is hard but rewarding work and you CAN do it—I will cheer you on the entire way. Keep sending me your before and afters! They make me so happy and proud of each you, I feel like I am helping clean millions of homes around the world and that’s honestly pretty cool. 😎
gocleanco
Sep 22
It’s Kitchen week of the Fall Cleaning Challenge and I can finally share my new kitchen sink from BLANCO that everyone has been asking about. I am very excited to be working with @blancoamerica1 they are THE kitchen experts and a global brand with over 95 years of experience. Head to my stories to see how I care for this beauty on the daily and how easy it is to treat stains. BLANCO is more than just sinks; they also have faucets and organizational systems (like the BOTTON) that work together as an integrated UNIT. #ad