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You are here: Home / General / Grandma’s Stain Spray

Grandma’s Stain Spray

June 30, 2011 by Cindy 17 Comments

Grandma Campbell’s stain spray is so simple to make.
And saved my favorite shirt.
Okay. One of my favorite shirts.
It has penguins on it and I’m sure I’ll be wearing it for many years to come.
The first time I wore the shirt (FIRST. TIME.) I managed to spill a huge drop of olive oil right down the front.

Grandma's Stain Spray
I pretreated the EVOO stain with Shout spray, left it over night, then ran the shirt through the washer AND dryer.

The penguin shirt came out of the dryer with the EVOO stain still there. Oil stains are the worst… oil stains that have been through the DRYER are basically permanent. My penguin shirt was now a “wear around the house shirt.”

Or so I thought.

I pretreated with Grandma’s Stain Spray, let it rest overnight, and ran through the wash again.
I was so excited to pull the shirt out of the dryer with no more stain! 100% Gone.

Would you like some wonderful stain spray for your laundry room? Here’s how to make some of your own:


Grandma's Stain Spray

Fill an empty squirt bottle with equal parts
Water
Ammonia
JOY Dishwashing Liquid

Spray on stain and gently rub in. For tough stains, let sit over night before washing

I strongly recommend using JOY dishwashing liquid. My family has tried other brands in the past, and for some reason the mixture would turn into an un-useable gel substance. JOY has always worked just fine.

I can’t guarantee the spray will take out every stain you come across, but it works just as well (if not better!) as the laundry stain sprays you’ll find in the supermarket. We’ve been replenishing the same squirt bottle for about 15 years.

I hope you have the same stain-fighting success!

WARNING: Whether cleaning your bathroom or doing laundry, NEVER use bleach and ammonia products at the same time. The combonation of the 2 produces a highly toxic gas. Be Careful, and happy cleaning!

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Filed Under: General, Live Well Tagged With: cleaning, diy, grandma, household, laundry, laundry spray, recipe, stain, winning

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mika

    June 30, 2011 at 8:56 pm

    You should probably warn people not to use this if they’re planning on ALSO bleaching something. You’re going to get people killed, man.

    Reply
  2. Rose

    June 30, 2011 at 8:59 pm

    Just a tip that popped to my mind: Make sure if any other kind of dish washing liquid is used that it isn’t one with bleach in it. It can be easy to miss on the bottle, but if you mix bleach and ammonia it’ll make toxic fumes. I found this out when I tried to bleach my toilet, lol!
    Thanks for the article, I’ll definitely try making it 🙂

    Reply
  3. Cindy

    July 1, 2011 at 6:22 am

    Thank you for the reminder about the bleach. I added a warning to the post. We use bleach so rarely in our house, I didn’t think of it at first.
    Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Mallory

    July 1, 2011 at 6:52 am

    I’ve found that small oil stains generally come out if you dab straight dish detergent on them before washing them.

    Reply
  5. Cyndee Campbell

    July 1, 2011 at 2:33 pm

    Cindy,
    Wanted to let you know I ‘stumbled upon’ your site and my jaw dropped as we share the same name. I’m sure it happens all the time, but it was a first for me. I’ve enjoyed seeing what my doppel-name-ganger is up to on your website. If you’d like to learn more about me, see: kjo1055.com b947.com and khmyfm.com

    Happy 4th,
    Cyndee Campbell

    Reply
  6. Mallory #2

    July 1, 2011 at 6:37 pm

    Ive made it, used it and its great! Thanks!

    Reply
  7. Rose

    July 1, 2011 at 7:55 pm

    I have used this for years and think it is great.
    Also for oil or grease I have had success using hair shampoo, cuts the grease!

    Reply
  8. carol

    July 4, 2011 at 1:34 pm

    i find that flour/cornstarch/baby powder works well on oily stains. i just shake some over the spot, let sit, and wash as usual. it has worked for me almost every time. i have even “treated” spots on clothing i was still wearing!

    Reply
  9. Kathy H

    July 6, 2011 at 11:05 am

    Lestoil does the same (it must be lestoil not pine sol). Removes grease, grass, ink, almost anything even if it has been washed and dried. Let soak 15 minutes.

    Reply
  10. christiane

    July 7, 2011 at 8:06 am

    i like the idea a lot. has any one in the UK tryed it with a available washingup detergent???

    Reply
  11. Vincent

    July 10, 2011 at 6:46 am

    “Grandma’s Stain Spray” really works ..I now have stains on everything.

    Reply
  12. Julie

    July 21, 2011 at 4:45 pm

    Just tried it on a grease stain that had been through the dryer. Can’t believe it worked!
    Thanks for the tip.

    Reply
  13. Larry Sommese

    July 24, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    Hey thereI stumbled upon your web site on The internet the other day and I am quite pleased that I did!
    I honestly like your blogging approach and tips that you create.
    I will bookmark your site for future reference!
    Thanks

    Reply
  14. Steph G.

    September 23, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    This stuff is GREAT!! It got dried up blood out of egyptian cotton sheets, and dried-on puke out of my polyester comforter! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  15. Shelia Graham

    August 10, 2013 at 9:23 pm

    I’m sorry I guess I didn’t catch the amounts to use for this spot remover.

    Reply
    • Cindy

      August 11, 2013 at 11:47 pm

      I have always used equal parts of the 3 ingredients… so as long as you use the same measuring decice for all 3 ingredints, you’re set! (i.e 1 cup of water + 1 cup ammonia + 1 cup Joy dishwashing liquid)

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Cindy-Campbell.com » Blog Archive » Back in the Saddle Again… says:
    February 18, 2012 at 4:43 am

    […] and I want to be able to share my ideas and tips too! When I first logged on, I saw that my post on Grandma’s Stain Spray and already been “pinned” by a TON of people (that really is some great stain-fighting […]

    Reply

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