Stumbling upon this magic mixture was one of those discoveries that leaves your life (or, at least, your laundry routine) forever changed.
Over the years I have tried every stain remover on the grocery store shelves – Shout, Spray n Wash, Fels Naptha – and endless parade of sprays, bars, and gels promising amazing results. I have soaked clothes in Oxi Clean, my regular detergent, and sometimes even resorted to a bleach concoction in a desperate attempt to save a beloved item that met an unfortunate bowl of chili. All this time the secret to removing everything from greasy handprints to spaghetti sauce to blood lay in a mixture of just two ingredients already lurking in my cupboards …
The simple combination of hydrogen peroxide and a few squirts of original blue Dawn dish detergent has proven to be a formidable opponent for nearly every stain it has tackled in my laundry room. Recently it was able to remove SEVERAL stains – stains over a year old – from my son’s favorite tee shirt. These stains had been through the washing machine and dryer multiple times, and had been treated, soaked, and scrubbed to no avail. Since that original success this concoction has proven worth its weight in gold!
Ready to make your own?
Simply squirt a few drops of Dawn into your bottle of peroxide (store it in its original dark container, if possible, since light degrades peroxide rather quickly), and leave the lid propped open to vent. If you choose not to store the mixture in the dark container, any squirt bottle will do, but make a small batch that will be used quickly. To treat stains, simply saturate the fabric with your mixture and allow it to do its business for a few hours, or even overnight. Come back and let me know how it works for you!