Spray it out stain remover!

There is only one thing more that I dislike than spending a LOT of money on clothes.... that is getting stubborn stains on them rendering them useless! Back before I went "green" on my cleaning supplies it was not really a big deal. I could always buy more "shout" or "spray and wash" and be done with it... but even then many times it required MORE than one treatment to remove the offending stain. I have tried quite a few of the "all natural" whiteners you can find on google searches. Some worked "a little" some I did not really notice much of a difference. Some of the homemade versions have ammonia in them, and I just really do not like the smell of it.... plus it is not that great for you to breath in!

I hate to admit this but honestly some of my lack of success is probably due to the fact that I hate scrubbing a stain! It hurts my neck / arm (old injury) so I like to save the energy & pain for other things.... like canning my veggies or making more cleaning supplies ;0)  That is why I LOVE this recipe, it works WITHOUT a lot of effort on my part! I bet you even have the 3 ingredients to make this right in your pantry :)

I first tried this recipe out on my under arm stains I had on a couple of old favorite shirts I had from my Pre-green days that I could not bare to part with. Since the bulk of the stains / off color come from the oil & bacteria on your skin I felt quite confident that this mix would remove it. I sprayed the stain, took my little brush and rubbed it into the fabric and threw it to the side while the washer filled up and I loaded the rest of my clothes. I washed it like I always do with my homemade laundry soap and upon inspection at the end of the load the arm pit stains were totally gone!! I was amazed, smiling and feeling oh so happy! So then I scoured the home for some more items....mmmm Yes, let me go to my son's house and scout out his laundry pile! He lives next door and has come to realize that I may show up at anytime looking for "guniea pigs".... all in the name of research and further promoting a frugal and sustainable lifestyle. He has 2 girls and lives in the country, yep you know what that means - a whole lot of light pink items that have the potential for dirt stains lol. Home run, I found some of their play clothes that had been retired to the dreaded "rag bin" I thought what the heck, nothing ventured nothing gained. I sprayed the items, rubbed in the spray and laundered as usual (homemade of course) Success again, back to the dresser they went AND he got a free load of laundry done lol. Then I noticed this really gross stain on his carpet that resembled spilled juice that did not "quite" get removed when it happened. I pondered this for a moment and decided I would try this "miracle stain remover". I sprayed it on, took a scrub brush this time I did dip the brush in the water, rubbed it around and within just a few minutes it appeared to be gone! What?? seriously I got a rag and rubbed it to dry it and sure enough it WAS gone. NO evidence that it ever existed. The only problem was that it worked so well, you could see that the rest of his carpet really did need cleaned too....Sorry baby, I will make you a big batch but I cannot do that ;0)

So what is this miracle multi purpose spot remover? 

Items you will need:

1 spray bottle

3/4 cup Hydrogen Peroxide - 3%

1/4 cup Dawn (any scent, non ultra)

1 tsp. Baking soda (to soften the water, I have well water)

That is it!! The great thing about this is you can make as much or as little as you want. Just remember that the peroxide is 3 parts, Dawn is 1 part and if you have hard water as I do add 1 tsp of baking soda for every 1 cup of solution. I have since used this on many colored items and it has not bleached or spotted them.... I was a little concerned about this in the beginning but so far, so good. I have calculated the cost for this batch at .32 per 8 oz cup - Compare THAT to your store bought items!!

 * I get my peroxide for 1.00 per 32 oz bottle at "Dollar General" batch cost .18 = and the Dawn is about 4.00 for 56 oz non ultra ~ Batch cost = .14

 I use it in so many of my house cleaning supplies and soft scrubs I try to keep stocked up on it :)

** I am really sorry that I did NOT take pictures as the testimony! I got so caught up in the moment I totally forgot. I will have to scout out some more stains and do before and after pics so you can see for yourself! 

Now this is a change that we can all live with :) Happy spot removing!