Got a protein stain? Wondering what the heck is a protein stain? Just desperately trying to get rid of a nasty blood or vomit stain and haven’t found anything that works?
You’re in the right place.
In the #cleaningarmy, we don’t like the nasty, but we also don’t shy away from it. Keep reading to learn how to roll up your sleeves and get rid of protein stains. (Including a simple and cheap little hack that flat-out WORKS.)
What is a Protein Stain?
So here we are. You used to spend your nights and weekends Googling the best happy hour specials. Now your Google search history contains phrases like “how to remove baby puke from a sweater” or “how to clean milk out of a sofa.”
No judgment…been there.
But what is a protein stain anyway? It’s basically anything that came from a human or animal. We’re talking nosebleeds on your good towels, baby puke on sleepers, and ALL the pants during potty training.
No crying over spilled milk in the #cleaningarmy, because we’ve got all the tricks up our sleeves to clean that sh*t up – literally.
(Note: There are a lot of good stain removers on the market like Tide Rescue, but we love a good, cheap hack that WORKS. So that’s what we’re giving you in this article.)
Cheap and Easy Ways to Remove Protein Stains
REMEMBER: Treat stains quickly so they can’t set in and NO HEAT until you know the stain is gone.
Our go-to recipe for protein stains can be used on all of the above, except for blood and sweat (keep reading if that is the case). The trick here is to use an enzyme based cleaner.
- Mix 1 tsp of OxiClean® OR Powdered Tide® to 1 tbsp water. Scrub the mixture into the stain, and let sit overnight. Wash in COLD water and check that the stain has lifted before putting it in the dryer or the heat will set the stain. Repeat these steps if it has not lifted.
Sweat stains on the armpits of your shirt are caused by the minerals in sweat (salt) mixing with the ingredients in deodorant (usually aluminum). These stains can be very stubborn and may need to be treated a couple of times before they lift.
- Mix together 1 tsp each of each blue Dawn® dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda to form a paste. Scrub into the stain and let sit overnight, then rinse and wash using powdered Tide®. Again, check that the stain has lifted before drying, and repeat if necessary.
NOTE: Hydrogen peroxide is a mild bleaching agent so always test this recipe on a small spot first, taking care with colored clothes. You can leave out the peroxide if the clothing is colored or dark.
Now for nosebleeds, cuts, etc, the plan of action is super simple. First of all, act quickly as blood stains can set very fast.
- Pour COLD water over the stain to remove as much of the stain as you can, and then pour hydrogen peroxide directly onto the stain to help lift it some more. Then wash using our favorite powdered Tide®. Check that the stain has lifted before drying as usual. (Again, see the note above above about hydrogen peroxide.)
Don’t be Stain-timidated
When your head is already spinning from a puking infant, pooping child, or bleeding nose, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by a stain. But hopefully these simple (and CHEAP) methods show you that protein stain removal doesn’t have to be rocket science.
With these tools under your belt, you won’t stress when stains inevitably happen. Just take them in stride and remember everything we’ve taught you. Perhaps having our hard copy laundry handbook on hand will help relieve some of the stress that occurs when stains do happen.
Best of luck, you’ve got this!
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– Becky @ GoCleanCo
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gocleanco
May 31
I’m in the hot seat answering your burning questions on @downy Rinse & Refresh! I’ve been using the new @downy Rinse & Refresh for a while now, and this stuff is so good at making your fabrics fresh on the daily. Odors get trapped in fabric because we have a residue (like minerals, hard water, or body oils) coating the fabrics. @downy Rinse & Refresh breaks down the residues and helps eliminate the odors. You put it in the fabric softener dispenser cup and wash with your regular detergent (I use Tide in case you are new around here). Plus, it is safe for all washable fabrics. I just used it on my musty towels and it blew my mind! What have you tried Rinse & Refresh on? Tell me in the comments! #ad #downypartner #odorisnttheend
gocleanco
May 23
Petition to have all toilet seats removable from now until the end of time. Sign below ⬇️ #cleaningtips
gocleanco
May 21
Needed this to live on the feed forever cause you folks ask me about it everyday. This is the @malibucpro hard water treatment I use on my hair. If you have super hard water, it sticks to your hair just like your shower doors. It makes your hair coated and feel like straw—your shampoo doesn’t work as well and your hair feels limp and lifeless. It’s super to easy to use, you can do it at home and it’s safe for highlighted/colour treated hair. Linked it up in both our Amazon storefronts and on stories. @hairhouseyeg 💁🏼♀️ #hairtutorial
gocleanco
May 12
Dawn Platinum means serious business. Did you know that 3 bottles of the leading non-concentrated dish liquid equals ONE bottle of Dawn Platinum? @dawndishwash has a powerful formula to help you get through more dishes with less product, which will save you some moola plus you can use it outside of the kitchen! Dawn Platinum cleans windows and BBQ grills, tire rims…anywhere you need to fight a greasy mess, you can reach for Dawn Platinum. We love Dawn Ultra around here, but Dawn Platinum is even more concentrated so it’s the best grease-cutting you can get. You know it works on dishes but where else are you using Dawn, outside of the kitchen sink? Share your best stories below so I can test them out! #ad #dawnpartner
gocleanco
May 9
If you give a Mom a coffee…😵💫 ☕️ Don’t overdo it this week leading up to your big “day off”. #happymothersday
gocleanco
May 3
April in nutshell. #springcleaning
gocleanco
Apr 28
dump scare > jump scare 🫣
gocleanco
Apr 27
DING 🛎️ DING 🛎️ DING 🛎️ If you guessed: Spray Tan Residue, you win 5 gold ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and bragging rights to your friends. #dontdothisathome
gocleanco
Apr 26
You each get one guess: GO! #springcleaning
gocleanco
Apr 17
Check out my IG Live on Wednesday—I'll be chatting with P&G dishwashing scientist, Morgan Eberhard, to answer all your burning questions about the new Cascade Platinum Plus. Remember…the dishwasher pod that blew all your minds a couple weeks ago?! It’s the solution we have all been waiting for; cabinet-ready dishes without pre-rinsing or the need to dry them out of the dishwasher. My DM’s were DEEP when I showed you Cascade Platinum Plus in action and tbh, I didn’t think loading the dishwasher could get so many people steamed up! Drop your questions below so we can answer them on the live with Morgan. She knows her stuff —she’s a legit 👩🏼🔬 folks. #sponsored #cascadeplatinumplus #cascadepartner
gocleanco
Apr 15
Happy National Laundry Day! Not sure why we need a national day for laundry since we do it everyday but hey hey I’m always in the mood to hug a box of tide so here we are! Anyways, in celebration of Laundry Day, we have a blog post all about my new washer and dryer to answer your pressing questions. It will live on the blog so you can go back and check when (touch wood) your machine kicks the bucket. Link is in our bio to read! #laundryday
gocleanco
Apr 13
Nothing like a few before and afters to get your asses motivated! Remember you can start one drawer a day and build from there if you don’t know where to start. Also, try to rope in some friends to help you—6 hands are better than one! Pick a designated day each week for about a month and get everyone together and tackle projects around your homes together. It’s way more fun to clean/organize someone else’s house. Trust me, I made a business out of it. 😉 #springcleaning
gocleanco
Apr 12
Vacuum round up and break down of how they made it into our Amazon Storefront in stories today! We are also planning a Vacuum Fight Club…so drop your favs or the ones you want to see us test in the comments and I’ll hook us up.
gocleanco
Apr 2
#sponsored Did you know that household bleach is derived from sodium chloride - common table salt? During household use, it breaks down to mostly salt and water. Did you also know that you can use Clorox® Disinfecting Concentrated Bleach to keep your flowers beautiful longer? Wearing gloves, add ¼ tsp. of Clorox® Disinfecting Concentrated Bleach to every 1.27 L of water you use in the flower vase and stir well to mix. Make sure to trim off the end of each flower stem before arranging it, to increase absorption. Check your flowers weekly and refresh the water as needed. Just mix up a fresh batch of Clorox® Disinfecting Concentrated Bleach and water solution. #yeahbleachdoesthat @clorox_canada
gocleanco
Apr 1
Wanted to catch y’all before you had breakfast. #cleaningmotivation
gocleanco
Mar 30
Some products you just have to see to believe. 🤯 Cascade Platinum Plus is a brand new product (you might have seen it on the shelves already) that is changing the GAME for your dishwashing routine. For years we’ve been doing work that really should be our dishwasher’s job! Spoiler alert: it’s not your dishwasher, it’s your dish detergent. TBH I was skeptical when @mycascade told me not to rinse and to let the dishes SIT OVERNIGHT BEFORE WASHING THEM but here we are. #sponsored #cascadepartner
gocleanco
Mar 29
It’s the final week of the Spring Cleaning Challenge! How y’all doing? Thrown in the towel yet?! 🫣 This round was fast and dirty (in the best way possible) and I’m telling ya—it feels like a fever dream 😮💨 😵💫 I’ll be recovering on my heating pad come Monday. #springcleaning
gocleanco
Mar 25
Spring cleaning isn’t over until we clean the windows. Sparkling windows make all the difference, you can actually see outside and let the sunshine in! I have a Spring Cleaning offer with @oceansalesltd up in my stories, it is a package deal with the AquaBLADE and the Carbon Tuff Cloths. Check it out! #sponsored
gocleanco
Mar 23
Carpet Cleaner Fight Club 👊🏻 coming at you 3.23.23 get your 🍿 and pull up a 🪑 *Carpets were harmed in the making of this video* #springcleaning
gocleanco
Mar 19
Remember to change your mop head every once in awhile 😎 @hairhouseyeg #shorthair