Stain Removal Guide: How to Get Stains Out
How do you get blood, red wine, grease or candle wax out? Pick the stain, what it's on and how old it is. The guide gives you step-by-step instructions for clothes, delicates, carpet, sofas and mattresses, what not to do, and what you'll need from the cupboard, with a printable stain removal chart.
No sign-up required. Free to use, with every method and its sources explained on this page. Last reviewed October 2026.
Find your stain
Stain Removal Guide
Pick the stain, what it's on and how old it is. You get the steps to get it out, what not to do, and what you'll need from the cupboard.
1 What's the stain?
No stain matches that. Try a simpler word, or pick the closest one.
2 What's it on?
3 How old is it?
How to get it out
Steps
Don't
What you'll need
No brands needed: most of these are already under the sink.
Before you start
- Test anything you put on it on a hidden spot first (a seam, under a cushion, inside a cupboard), and wait for it to dry.
- Work from the outside of the stain inwards, so it doesn't spread. Blot, don't rub.
- Open a window when you use rubbing alcohol or nail varnish remover, and keep them away from flames. Keep every product out of children's reach.
- Never mix chlorine bleach with vinegar or ammonia: together they give off a toxic gas.
- Check the care label first for bleach and temperature. Not sure what the symbols mean? Use our Laundry Symbols Decoder.
Mildew comes back if the room stays damp. See why with the Dew Point & Mould Calculator, or size a dehumidifier with the Dehumidifier Picker.
Stain removal chart
For washable fabrics. Tap a stain in the chart to see its full steps above.
| Stain | First thing to do | Main remover | Water |
|---|
A guide, not a guarantee. How well a stain comes out depends on the fabric, the dye and how long it's been there. Always test first, follow the care label, and take valuable, antique or dry-clean-only items to a professional cleaner.
How it works
The stain, what it's on, and how old it is
Stains behave differently depending on what they're made of, so the guide sorts the 30 stains into types and picks the method for each. The methods follow the stain guides from Texas A&M AgriLife and Cornell University, and the Carpet and Rug Institute's spot-removal advice. The sources and assumptions behind it are on our How we calculate page.
What the stain is made of
Blood, egg, milk and vomit are protein: cold water and a biological (enzyme) detergent, never hot water first, which cooks them in. Wine, tea, coffee and fruit are plant stains: liquid detergent, then oxygen bleach. Grease needs washing-up liquid, and ink, lipstick and marker need rubbing alcohol.
What it's on
Washable clothes can be soaked and washed. Carpet, sofas and mattresses can't, so the guide uses a weak washing-up liquid mix, blots instead of rubbing, and rinses with as little water as possible. Wool and silk get gentle methods: no enzymes and no bleach.
How old it is
Fresh stains come out most easily. Dried ones need softening first and often take a few rounds. If it's been through the dryer or under an iron, heat has probably set it: the guide adds a long soak and tells you honestly that it may not come out completely.
Examples
What to do for common stains
Ten common stains and what the guide says to do, fresh, on the surface shown.
Washing-up liquid mix: ¼ teaspoon of clear washing-up liquid in a mug of water. Vinegar mix: 1 part white vinegar to 2 parts water. Test anything on a hidden spot first, and check the care label before using bleach or hot water.
Tips
Getting a stain out without making it worse
Most stains that won't shift were set by the first thing someone did to them. A few habits make the difference.
Act fast, and blot
Blot with a clean white cloth or kitchen roll and press, don't rub: rubbing spreads the stain and frays carpet pile. Work from the outside of the stain inwards. On carpet, don't pour on lots of water: what soaks into the backing can bring the stain back up as it dries.
Keep the heat away
Hot water, the tumble dryer and the iron all set stains. Use cold water first, and check the stain has gone before anything goes in the dryer. If a mark is left after washing, treat it again while it's still damp.
Test, and read the label
Try every product on a hidden spot first: a seam, the back of a cushion, under a sofa. The care label says whether bleach and hot water are allowed; our Laundry Symbols decoder explains it. Never mix chlorine bleach with vinegar or ammonia.
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Common questions
Frequently asked questions about removing stains
Common questions about getting blood, wine, grease and wax out, and which products to use.
How do you get blood out of clothes?
Rinse the stain from the back under cold running water, never hot: heat cooks the blood into the fabric. Then soak it for 30 minutes in cold water with biological laundry liquid, whose enzymes break the blood down, and wash it at 30 to 40 °C. If a mark is left on whites or colourfast fabric, soak it in oxygen bleach and wash it again. Check it has gone before you tumble dry.
How do you get red wine out of carpet?
Blot up as much as you can with a clean white cloth, pressing rather than rubbing, then dab on a little cold water and blot again. Next, dab on ¼ teaspoon of clear washing-up liquid in a mug of lukewarm water, leave it a few minutes and blot. If a mark is left, use 1 part white vinegar to 2 parts water. Finish by misting with clean water and blotting dry.
How do you remove grease stains from clothes?
Blot off what you can and, on fresh oil, cover it with bicarbonate of soda for 15 minutes to soak it up. Then work a few drops of washing-up liquid into both sides of the stain, leave it 15 minutes, and wash at the warmest temperature the care label allows. Grease often leaves a shadow the first time, so check before drying and repeat if needed.
Can you get a stain out after it's been through the dryer?
Sometimes. Heat sets stains, so it may not come out completely, but it's worth one good try. Soak it first: on whites and colourfast fabric, warm water with oxygen bleach for as long as the pack allows; on other colours, cool water with biological laundry liquid for a few hours. Then follow the normal steps for that stain.
How do you get candle wax out of carpet?
Hold a bag of ice on the wax until it's hard, then crack it and scrape it off with a blunt knife and hoover up the bits. Lay brown paper or kitchen roll over what's left and press with an iron on its lowest setting, keeping it moving and changing the paper as the wax soaks in. Don't let the iron touch the carpet. Coloured wax can leave a mark: dab it with rubbing alcohol on a cloth.
What is the difference between biological and non-bio detergent for stains?
Biological detergent contains enzymes that break down protein, starch and fat, so it works better on food, blood, sweat and grass stains. Don't use it on wool or silk: the enzymes break those fibres down too. For wool and silk, use a wool or delicates detergent.
Does vinegar remove stains?
White vinegar mixed 1 part to 2 parts water helps lift the last of a wine, tea or coffee mark from carpet and upholstery, and it cuts the smell of milk, vomit and urine. It's not a cure-all: it does little for grease, and you should never mix it with chlorine bleach, because together they give off a toxic gas.