How come the most comfortable clothes are also the least presentable? When I say “least presentable,” I’m referring to those stained up rags you still hold near and dear, but everybody else in the house talks about behind your back and plots to throw out when you’re not looking.
You know you have some…
Mine is a dingy but beloved t-shirt adorned with chocolate ice cream stains, and I cannot let it go. I simply cannot.
Tattered shreds of better days. (And good ice cream.) But why didn’t I take a few extra steps to remove the stain?
So let’s make a pact on this fine December day. Let’s go forth into the holiday season armed with knowledge that may prevent yet one more item of clothing from becoming a favorite frock of ill contempt.
And we’re off…
A few common holiday stains. Read your care labels and then…
When blotting your spills, work from the edges inward to try to keep the stain from spreading farther.
Cranberry sauce – Remove any excess fruit from the cotton and run the fabric under cold water to prevent oxidation. Wash the garment in the warmest water safe for it. Use your bleach dispenser or add liquid chlorine bleach or color-safe bleach during the rinse cycle, after your detergent has done its job.
Turkey juices – Apply a pretreat to the stain, or rub liquid detergent directly into it. Wash the garment in the hottest water safe for the fabric, then air dry and check it for any remaining stain. If necessary, repeat the procedure before placing the clothing in the dryer.
Gravy – Scrape off any remaining gravy with a spoon or back of a butter knife. If it has already dried, brush off the residue. Rub in liquid detergent and then soak the fabric in a mixture of detergent and water for up to 30 minutes. Finish by washing the garment in the warmest water safe for it.
Make sure you’ve removed the stain before you put it in the clothes dryer or the heat could set the stain permanently.
Help a table out too. Spray your tablecloth with stain protector the day before the meal.
Here’s wishing you a stain-free holiday!
Out of curiosity, what are your favorite “rags” to wear? Do yours have stains too?
I wrote this review while participating in a Blog Tour for Mom Central Consulting on behalf of Whirlpool. I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating.
Ha! I try to not wear my stained clothes out of the house, but I know it happens! I’m always so bummed when my favorite comfy clothes get stained.
Whenever I wear white scrubs to work, I get something on them. Blood (use peroxide), my lunch, or the worst culprit is betadine/iodine! I have bleached, spot treating, and eventually ended up throwing away many scrubs. That is until a fellow RN was helping me with a procedure & I let out the inevitable groan of frustration for getting iodine on my white scrubs. She said, “put some saline on it before it dries!” I did, and it disappeared, IODINE disappeared off my white scrubs! I am forever indebted to her!
Hmmmm…..I don’t think I own any clothes that are raggedy! Not because I can afford to buy new clothes all the time (I can’t), I just take really good care of the ones I do have.
I am also great at getting out stains 😀 so it just looks like I am put together and awesome, when really, I am a stain waiting to happen….
😀
I love this post. How come.. LOL!
I have one shirt that is from my mom I can’t remove the stain but can’t get rid of it!
I always end up with stains on my good clothes without fail.
Great tips and I make those clothes my pj’s!
Awesome tips! Stains are such a huge pain.
Tee hee, my husband still talks about my NAU sweater (I’m pretty sure he threw it away) that was so ratty and torn but I love it to pieces.
Great tips. I often never know what to do with a stain and end up making it worse.
I seem to miss my mouth a lot, so lots of my favourite clothes end up with stains. It makes me sad 🙁 Thanks for the tips though!
Great title! Really draws you in. My favorite “rags” to wear are my black Old Navy sweats, a black tank top, and a sweat shirt of some kind.
Those are great tips! I hate the Turkey juice stain!!
I would have to say that my favorite rags would have to be my sweats, they’ve been through everything and yet I wear them everyday lol.
holiday stain can be the worse
The neighbor and I were just discussing our husband’s inability to throw out stained “favorite” clothes – they intend to wear them just around the house and then forget and wear them to Costco! Thanks for the tips.
For years I kept a couple of favorite t-shirts hoping that someday I would be able to get the stains out – I finally got rid of them a few years ago. It’s so true that you need to treat the stains ASAP to successfully get rid of the stains.
I have a few rags. usually free tshirts i got over the years that i wear around the house when cleaning
Stains are such a pain….LOL!!!!
I love the title of this post, it made me want to read it 🙂 Great tips & your right, everyone does have a favorite like that. I have a peanuts shirt that I refuse to toss & it has seen better days for sure!
I never treat stains always have to throw away i dont know why lol
As clumsy as I am, I should print this off and take it with me to Christmas dinner!
I seem to wear everything 🙁
Gravy is a big one in this house.
I usually don’t treat stains. When I get stains on my clothes, those usually end up being my pajamas. These are good tips!
Thanks for the washing tips. I definitely don’t go to this extent to get stains out… maybe that’s why they are still there, lol
Excellent advise to get rid of the stains especially around the holidays
My favorite are a pair of jeans with green paint on them 🙁 Oddly enough, I find that mustard is still the hardest stain to remove, ever.
I am bad about treating stains LOL. I need to get better at it, I would have less ruined clothes.
those are good tips to keep in mind for when I dribble! I have more trouble getting oil based stains out of clothes, so I have a lot of just-wear-around-the-house-clothes. After the holidays one of my tasks is to sort out some of my clothes.
My favorite rags to wear is a sweat shirt from junior high school (so what if its over twenty years old) that has Lucy from Peanuts and says “If stress burned calories, I’d be a size 5” LOL. I LURVE that shirt, and it has plenty of stains! Thanks for the tips, especially the cranberry sauce one.
Great post!
Unfortunately, most of my clothes eventually end up being “rags”. I don’t have any kids, but I hate to shop and my clothes are old. The end up getting grease and other assorted un-named stains on them eventually. So then I end up having to buy new ones, which I usually end up buying online because of my aversion to shopping.
Thanks for the tips!! I am an accident looking for a place to happen when it comes to stains. You can dress me up…….
Hehe. I’m the same way. I don’t really wear stuff that’s stained, but when things get worn out and holey they are just getting comfy! 😉
I’ll have to remember to work from the outside in… DUH! I should have known this already, right?
My comfy clothes are my pjs… always. New or old, if they’re pjs I love them.
I get so many stains having a toddler, and I usually have no idea how to get them out. Thanks for the helpful post!!
If I buy anything white, that’s a guarantee it’ll be ruined by the second use. If I’m lucky. More often than not, white things don’t even last through one wearing. I’m so accident prone these tips are super helpful!
I actually just donated all my stained clothes. I couldn’t’ torture my self another yr with them
I chase 3 year old twins all day so pretty much all my clothes ends up with stains!!
I love this post so much, hehe. My family calls them bum clothes – clothes with stains or holes that we only wear around the house. I’m glad to know that other families have these too!
i definitely need new nice clothes
I have quite a few like this! They are oh so comfortable though.
iv always said the grease can come out with backing soda:) thanks for the help:)
Never would have thought to spray a table cloth with stain protector! How awesome is that.
There’s a tea stain somewhere on my outfit. I’m sure of it. I have some awful brown knit yoga pants. They don’t have stains but they have ‘pilling’. i know-yuck ; )
I’ve got a band t-shirt I bought at a concert … I asked for a medium and they gave me an XL on accident. It’s HUGE on me, haha! so it’s always been a raggy indoor kinda shirt, but I don’t take great care of it either so there’s stains for sure. whooops.
Do I have stains too? Do cows give milk? Did Neil Armstrong walk on the moon? Do dogs bark? OF course I have stains. And I pretty much only have comfy clothes (with stains). Such is the life of a stay at home mom.
Almost all of my clothes are rags, I do have a few nice things I save for when I have to go somewhere though.
95% of my clothes are rags!! LOL
I have stains from wine LOL OK, so I’m a clumsy lush!
Mine is a t-shirt sent to me from Germany. It says 100% cotton, but it’s soooo much softer than our 100% cotton items. Most of it is white, unfortunately, but giving it up would traumatize me. 🙂
Katharina angelsandmusic[at]gmail[dot]com
My favorites are my velour sweats. My husband calls them my uniform. 😉
I have a pair of sweats that used to belong to my husband. I love them and simply cannot part with them, I have to hide them when I’m not wearing them because he threatens to throw them out. I try not to wear them when he’s home.
Good tips, especially the pre-treating the table cloth.
I still have a sweatshirt from my college that is over 25 years – it has seen better days 🙂
I stain everything but I don’t know how…so I’m never able to pretreat bc I don’t realize I have spilled something OR maybe it something in my wash but I always have laundry come out with weird blotches on it…. 🙁
One thing that sometimes helps me even after being in the dryer is this Netepur bar soap from H2O! It has saved my couch from sharpie stains and much more
It’s my mom. She has her most comfortable after work shirts that have stains on the front or are torn at bottom edges. My stepdad said if he gets to do laundry, he will throw them out one day. But she knows she can clean or whatever and not worry about messing up anything new…I only have 1 shirt that has a stain on the front I wear around the house for now, till I want to toss it.
My fav. around the house rags are some old sweat pants and shirt. Look a little cruddy but are so comfortable. Great tips above for removing stains!
They are the most comfortable because they are the most broken in and they are stained because they are worn all the time! I have a sweetshirt, luckily black, that I live in during the winter months. Thanks for the cleaning tips!
My favorite RAGS are navy sweatpants with bleach stains on the bottom…funny it’s kind of a pink and looks like orangey pink frosting decorated on them. The string is out of half the back of them. But hey, they are still good RIGHT? I love em’ cuz I am short and they are the right length for once!
I have a couple of old, soft t-shirts I like to wear around the house. They don’t have food stains, but they have bleach stains. I still wear them anyways.
Good tips! My son always gets chocolate stains on his T-shirt. Nutella boy:)
I have a sweatshirt I bought at the college I attended. I was painting our bedroom so had taken it off. Emily was about 2 and got her hand in the paint and rubbed it on my sweatshirt! I still have it and will always remember how I got those fingerprints on it.
I have to bookmark this page! I grow clumsier as I age.
Thanks for the tips,! My favorite “rags” are old jeans and a t shirt. I had a pink lip balm explode in the washer/dryer so half of my clothes actually have stains lol!
Being burdened what I’ve deemed as ‘The Shelf’ I know stains pretty well! Everything lands on ‘The Shelf’ whether I try hard to prevent it or not. LOL I have this really old baggy pull over sweatshirt that has seen better (and cleaner) days o.O
I have some penguin pajamas that have definitely seen better days, but I love them.
I have the world’s tackiest dress: pink plaid, rhinestones, ruffles.
My favorite rags are my 10 year old sweatpants that say size small, but really only fit me because they are so worn out! lol
I have an old red sweatshirt that has grease stains on it, but it is so comfortable.
My favorite (for years, until it fell apart) was a concert tee-shirt covered in photography chemical stains. Once those went in, they never came out. This is a really handy guide for klutzy me and holiday dining, though, I’ll remember these tips!
These are great tips that I will have to remember. I’m forever spilling stuff especially when I’m rushing around during the holidays.
I have a couple things that have bleach stains on them.
I have an old sweatshirt with my alma mater’s name on it that I purchased at that school before I went there!! (And let’s not talk about how I graduated well over a decade ago…) It is in rough shape, but it’s so cozy, I can’t possibly get rid of it!
I would say the most comfortable clothes are the least presentable because we wear them so much they are bound to get stained.
Stain-free holiday? I doubt that. Actually my favorite sweater top has the worst stain ever that I just noticed. I can’t let go of it, it is my fav!
I have some jeans that have seen better days and a 26 year-old sweater that I love.
Good tip about never putting a stained garment in the dryer.
I don’t think I own anything without stains anymore.
I think the worst stained up shirts I have are from art supplies. Oil paint, stain and varnish don’t come out very easily.
I love my very old leggins and a old xtra large Panther t-shirt. Yes, it is stained with lots of things because I do all my cooking in them 🙂
My mom taught us to have rag clothes, but then I wonder what if someone rings the bell when I’m wearing rags? I prefer to look nice all the time if possible (at least clean) but with a baby, unfortunately that is hard 🙂
I don’t really have any rags but I do have a few shirts that have minor stains that I will pick my kids up from school in. LOL
Sadly, most of my clothing has some kind of stain on it. Removing them seems to not work for me, either.
It absolutely never fails, if I have on a new top that I love… I spill something on it. Every time!
i dont have a lot of stains but my shirts get holes from our dumb counter tops! makes me nuts. I ruin shirts like crazy.
Okay, fine. I may be wearing yoga pants but my top is pretty cute. Although it does have a Jasper booger smear right across my belly. Sigh.
Bookmarking this for those pesky stains. I do like Beeb and use them when I dye my hair.
Kas
I don’t really have stains on my clothes. I’m more of a hole person myself. I blame my washing machine!
Some of my all time favorite shirts are so thin they are almost see through. I can’t say much to my husband about his since I keep mine too.
I actually save my rags to wear when I’m dying my hair or when I’m cleaning the bathroom with bleach, LOL.
I love my “Rags” I’ve got plenty of cutsie jammies but none I love more than my stained comfy cotton PJ’s!!I I am SO bad and sometmes leave them on all day and answer the door so the ups and fedx guys must think I’m some kinda depressed person! LMBO!!
I should have sprayed my tablecloth before the gravy boat was spilled right in the center. That stain will not come out.
I have a short sleeve and a long sleeve T-shirt that I only wear when I color my hair. 🙂
wow i love these ideas for getting out stains 🙂 thanks! wish i had them on thanksgiving!
Black yoga pants & my old college sweatshirt are my favorite “rags” to wear. They’re so comfy yet have definitely seen better days.
I’m trying to be better to get rid of the items so I’m not tempted to wear them or who know what the kids will do with them … lol
I have a couple comfy t-shirts that I love that are old but no stains thankfully. 🙂
Oh, spraying your tablecloth with stain protector is an awesome idea!
Hubby likes a huge breakfast on Sunday morning. It almost always includes fried potatoes because he loves them. A couple of years ago I was dumb enough to cook in my new shirt, that I loved, w/o an apron, and of course, grease stains splattered all over the front of it and they still live there today. Not sure why I insist on wearing it if I’m just staying home…maybe I still feel slighted that I only got to wear it once, and the only one who saw it spot-free was the stove, lol. Grease is a bear of a stain to get out of anything too!
I have this purple sweater that has some stains. I wear it when I cook! My husband doesn’t like it. Thanks for sharing these tips! STAINS can be hard to remove
I have an OLD apron I use when baking and it is filled with grease stains which will not come out…but I love this apron and plan on keeping and wearing it
Great tips and I can sure use them because I am a spiller!!!
Love these tips! So helpful. I’m one of those who cannot wear white for fear of what I might do to it 🙂
I have a worn out pair of yoga pants that should have been thrown out a year ago. But they are so worn out, it makes them that much more comfortable. lol
Thanks for the tips on stain care.
I have a longer orange tshirt I love to wear it is so soft and comfortable..it has a few minor stains but my problem is small holes I have no clue how they got there but they seem to get bigger with each wash and one is right over my boob..so pretty soon I will have to part with it or be considered a flasher..lol
You don’t want to know what gets on my “goat clothes”.
You really don’t
I slop every single time I eat. NY laughs about it as he desperately tries to clean me up. My kids are embarrassed although they claim they’re not. If only they could remember the messes they made when they were growing up! Umm … Maybe when I grow up I’ll be able to eat without slopping! Ha!
My favorite “rags” are just good old sweatpants. They’re just so comfortable! They’re not very flattering but I don’t care!
My yearlong problem is coffee or tea – so many little drips ending up on my clothes. My fave college tshirt is not for wear outside of the house.
My seasonal problem has been pomagranites – they are healthy and the kids love opening and eating them. We now have a rule about eating them only in the kitchen .. and that relates to a holiday carpet staining incident.
i have old navy tank tops and exercise capris that are stretched, hole pocked and so comfy! love ’em!
I have a sweatshirt that has all kinds of stains of stains. It is almost thread bare and I have started wearing it inside out due to the fact it is so stained. It is my one go to comfy shirt.
My husband certainly has his share of clothes that qualify as rags. He especially loves his old Dickies work pants and torn up Raiders NFL team shirts. Thankfully he follows our pact and doesn’t wear them outside the house.
hahah my mom is the worst about spills! and all my comfy clothes are in no way acceptable for the public eye.
I like the idea of spraying the tablecloth with a protectant. Never thought of that before.
Why must people feel the need to point out stains? We know they are there and we are oblivious to it, or we are comfortable with the stain. lol!
I am so bad with stains! I have my daughter take off her shirt before she eats spaghetti!!
I think I am that 1% of people that throws every single thing with a stain away – probably wasting hundreds of dollars a year just because I dont know how to get the stain OUT. lol
My favorite “comfy” clothes though are actually gym clothes, and they dont have any stains… so either my washer is phenomenal or I dont sweat enough! ROFL
Most of my comfy clothes have stains. I didn’t realize one of my favorite sweatshirts had stains and I wore it out in public the other day. Whoops!
Haha – I don’t even wash clothes that I stain. They go right into the trash 🙂
Of course my most favorite, comfy clothes have stains! Most of them are cooking/food related too…
My favorite “rags” to wear is my nightshirt. It has holes, it’s threadbare, but it’s so comfortable like an old pair of slippers! I don’t think it has any stains, but it’s dark navy so it would be hard to tell!
Mine have more holes than stains! Have a great day!
Haha that’s for those of you who like to wear white and etc.
I’m a black and purple and red kinda gal 😀
Love the tips though honey!
What great tips! We tend to spill at my house.
Wow, I never thought of spraying my tablecloth first? Oh, and yeah, I have a few ‘rags’ that I keep around for what I call cleaning days. My family rolls their eyes 🙂
So, it’s no secret that I have lost 50 lbs since birthing my darling 3.5 years ago. Still enormous, but hey, 50 lbs lighter. But I have this one shirt..you know…it’s still grey, hangs off of me in all the wrong places, now it’s so big I can wear it alone as a night shirt, has tiny holes in it where I have worn and washed it so much. It’s my life sucks shirt and if I am sick, grumpy, or just feel lazy, it’s my go to. My husband has threatened to leave if he sees me in it again, so now I wear it when he works nights:D The stains? four kids, and a husband. Enough said I have stains I have no idea what they are, sigh
I will wear battered old sweatshirts and stuff, but the stained things I generally get rid of. I do have some painting clothes that have loads of paint on them, if that counts.
ha. a good stain is a sign of a meal well ate….this might come in hand though with my boys…
great, helpful tips!
thanks a lot!
xx
I have more rags than I care to admit. Virtually all of them are stained with oil paint. You just can’t get that stuff out.