OxiClean: The BEST Stain Remover for Baby and Toddler Clothing

Here's something a little embarrassing: I didn't start doing all my own laundry until I moved out from my parent's home when I was almost 21. Even then, my mom was still happy to do my laundry when I brought it over to her house.

When I finally started washing my own clothes, I didn't understand why people made such a big deal over stains. A little stain spray before washing kept my clothes looking good.

No wonder; I was a girlie college student who didn't even really know how to make a big mess! Little did I know that I had yet to deal with one of the hundreds of real stains that come with being a mom.

When my good friend Leah had her baby girl a few years before I had mine, I remember my sister asking how Leah kept her baby's clothes so clean and bright. Leah exclaimed “OXICLEAN!”

She was adamant that an OxiClean soak was the only way to get formula and other baby stains out of clothing, bibs, burp cloths and everything else.

While pregnant with my first baby, I remembered Leah's glowing recommendation for OxiClean. Being a frugal mom-to-be, I started picking up secondhand clothes at garage sales for my unborn baby. I also made sure I had a big box of OxiClean ready to treat them.

Every time I came home with a “new to me” baby garment, it got an overnight soak in an OxiClean/hot water solution before being washed in a regular load of laundry. Clothes came out of the washing machine bright, stain-free and ready to be worn!

I even wrote about my allegiance to OxiClean and how to get formula stains out of baby clothes just after I started publishing this site. At that time, there were generic versions of OxiClean that were very affordable and equal in performance. That's no longer true.

OxiClean has reformulated their Versatile Stain Remover. It has 40% more oxygen power per scoop than the “old” version, plus it's safe to use on both whites and colors!

There are two great ways to use OxiClean to keep your clothes as clean, bright and stain-free as possible:

• Add a scoop of OxiClean to every load of laundry. When used with laundry soap, the oxygen power enhances detergent's cleaning ability. Plus it contains special ingredients to help wash surface stains away.
• Pre-soak stained garments in a bucket of hot water with OxiClean to get even the most difficult stains out of clothing.

Here's my quick guide on how to get stains out of toddler clothing:

This little pair of purple sweatpants had a mystery stain where Piper must have sat in something:

That's the same pair of pants in each photo. I just provided a close-up on the right to make the stain more obvious! Stain Experts (moms!) would probably be able to tell that they went through the washer and dryer once before I noticed they were stained.

Here's how I got those stains out:

• Fill a bucket with one gallon of hot tap water
• Add a scoop of OxiClean (the scoop is conveniently included in the package)
• Stir to dissolve the Oxiclean in the water.
• Add the garments that need to be pre-treated.
• Soak the clothing anywhere between 1 hour to 24 hours. (I prefer at least overnight to really give the OxiClean a chance to work).
• Pour the entire contents of the bucket in your washing machine along with any other clothes that need to be washed.
• Wash as usual and see your stains disappear!

I know it's not 100% obvious, but the stains were all gone, just like I knew they would be!

If you're struggling with stains that won't come out of your baby's clothing, I strongly encourage you to give OxiClean a try. It's definitely a product that deserves a place in your laundry room!

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of OxiClean. I received OxiClean items to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.