How to Remove Wood Stain from Clothes

Spilling wood stain on your clothes can seem like a nightmare. Those rich, dark colors soak deeply into fabric and can appear permanent. However, don’t panic! With some household supplies and a bit of patience, you can often successfully remove wood stain from clothing.

Act Quickly for Best Results

When wood stain lands on clothes, speed is of the essence. The quicker you can begin treatment, the higher your chance of getting it out. Start work right away if possible.

Pre-treat the Stain

Before washing, go to work on that stain! Using a pre-wash stain remover will break up stubborn stains so they release from fabric more easily.

Try one or more of these pre-treatments:

Dish soap: Apply a generous amount of original blue Dawn dish soap directly onto the stain. Let it soak in for 5-10 minutes. The surfactants in dish soap help lift oil-based stains like wood finishes.

Rubbing alcohol: Soak the stain using a cloth dampened with 90% isopropyl alcohol. Rubbing alcohol breaks down stubborn oil residues.

Hairspray: Spritz hairspray liberally onto the stained area and let it soak in for 10 minutes. The alcohol in most hairsprays cuts through wood stain.

Hydrogen peroxide: Mix equal parts hydrogen peroxide and water. Swab this fizzing mixture onto the stain using an old toothbrush and scrub lightly. Be careful not to bleach colored fabrics.

Goo Gone: Use this commercial cleaner according to package directions. Its citrus formula removes tricky stains and adhesives. Rinse thoroughly after use.

Baby wipes: For semi-dry stains, rub the stain using lemon-scented baby wipes. The light acid cuts through lingering residue.

Launder as Usual

After pre-treating, launder the garment as usual with your regular detergent. Use cold or warm water, not hot – heat can set some stains. Add a stain-fighting booster along with detergent.

If the stain remains after one wash cycle, do not dry the garment! Repeat washing instead, focusing extra attention on the stained area. Harsh drying can set the residual stain.

Use a Stain Stick

Still seeing traces of wood stain after laundering? Break out a laundry stain remover stick for more aggressive action on leftover spots. Here’s how:

1. Allow the damp garment to partially air dry until slightly wet but not fully dry. Wood stain seems to release best from fabric at this moisture level.
2. Apply a heavy coating of stain remover stick directly on the lingering stain. Colorless types work best for whole garment coverage versus brown or blue tinted versions.
3. Let the stain remover paste soak in for 15-30 minutes before washing again normally with detergent. The active enzymes will further break down stubborn remnants.
4. Check carefully after full drying to see if the stain is finally gone. Repeat as needed.

Bleach with Caution

For white or colorfast washables only, chlorine bleach can blast out stubborn traces of wood finish stains after other methods fail. But take caution with bleach – test first on an inside seam!

1. Mix a diluted bleach solution: 1 part chlorine bleach to 4 parts cold water.
2. Soak the stained area of fabric in this solution for 1-2 hours before washing normally with detergent. Monitor carefully – do not let textiles sit too long to avoid damage.
3. Rinse very thoroughly after bleaching to remove all residue. Wash a second time before drying just to be safe.

When All Else Fails…

For really set-in wood stains that defeat all removal efforts, consider re-purposing the item around the house where staining won’t matter. Old t-shirts or kids’ play clothes for instance can become great rags after being ruined. Adds character! Or cut out stained areas of apparel to creatively re-fashion the salvageable fabric into patches, quilts or accessory items. With creative thinking, you can still get get more use out of clothing even with permanent staining.

Let Professionals Take a Crack

Hopefully these tactics remove wood finish stains successfully from your clothes at home. But if you do everything possible to no avail, consider taking items to a professional dry cleaner. They have access to speciality solvents and commercial machines capable of removing the most extreme stains. The pros can often revive clothes you might otherwise discard or retire as rags.

In Summary…

• Act quickly when wood staining occurs before it permanently sets
• Pre-treat using dish soap, alcohol, hairspray or other DIY cleaners
• Wash with detergent and stain fighting boosters in cold or warm water
• Avoid over drying – heat can set stains
• Use a laundry stain remover stick on damp items for extra action
• Bleach with extreme care using highly diluted solutions on whites only
• Salvage unsalvageable clothing creatively around the house
• Call in dry cleaning pros for the worst case wood stain scenarios

With some handy household products and urgent attention to fresh wood staining on clothes, you stand an excellent chance of success. Just don’t let garments sit around long with wood finish on them or it becomes nearly impossible to extract out later without faint residue remaining. Deal with wood stain spills ASAP and you can likely save your clothing from ruin using these effective approaches. Give it a try next time wood stain splatters unexpectedly on your attire!

References

Women’s World Magazine Editors. “How To Remove Wood Stain From Clothes.” WomensWorld.com, Meredith Corporation, 23 June 2022, https://www.womensworld.com/posts/home-cleaning-tips/how-to-remove-wood-stain-from-clothes.

Hill, Janelle. “How to Remove Oil Stains from Clothes.” The Spruce, Dotdash Meredith, 9 June 2022, https://www.thespruce.com/remove-oil-stains-clothing-2146271.