The sourced stain decision engine

Sort it before the stain sets

Pick the stain, the material, and what has already happened. Get the safest documented next step — with every claim labeled by where it comes from: university guidance, industry body, manufacturer label, third-party test, or clearly-marked community anecdote.

Sort my stain Browse all stains

Common stains Baby formula & milk Ballpoint & ink Berries, fruit & juice Blood Candle wax Chewing gum Chocolate Coffee & tea
How it works
  1. What caused it? 25 stains covered, each from documented sources.
  2. What's it on? Washable fabric, carpet, upholstery — surfaces shown only where sources cover them.
  3. What already happened? Fresh, dried, washed or heat-set changes what we emphasize.
  4. Get the plan. Do-now, avoid, method, checkpoint before heat, fallback — every step cited.
01 — Nothing invented

Every claim has an origin

An automated check blocks publication of any step without a citation, and every page lists its complete sources with access dates.

02 — Labels first

Materials change the answer

A method that saves cotton can ruin silk. Care labels and manufacturer instructions always take precedence — the site says so on every plan.

03 — Honest gaps

We say when we don't know

Combinations our sources don't cover say so, with conservative advice instead of guesses. Disagreements between sources are shown, not hidden.

Stain families

Stains A–Z
Red wine ring on woven cotton Food and drink Coffee, red wine, tomato, berries Translucent grease mark on a canvas apron Oil and grease Cooking oil, grease, sunscreen Dried blood spot on white fabric Biological Blood, sweat, milk, formula Ballpoint line on a folded blue shirt Ink and pigment Biro, marker, makeup, dye Grass streak on a denim knee Outdoor Grass, mud, soil Carpet stain being treated with powder and a brush Pet stains Pet urine, vomit, feces Yellow storage stains on folded white textiles Old and set-in Storage yellowing, set-in marks Paint-splattered work clothes Household and DIY Candle wax, gum, paint, rust

Stain guides

All stains A–Z
Baby formula & milk Formula and milk are protein stains: rinse or wipe off as much as possible while... Ballpoint & ink Treat ink while it is fresh — laundering or drying can set it, and dried India ink... Berries, fruit & juice Rinse a fresh fruit or berry stain promptly with cool water and keep soap away from... Blood Work fast and keep everything cold: rinse fresh blood under cold running water and... Candle wax Harden the wax first — hold a bagged ice cube on it — then scrape off as much as you... Chewing gum Freeze the gum first: hold ice (bagged, for carpet and upholstery) against it until... Chocolate Chocolate is a combination stain: deal with the greasy part first, then the color. On... Coffee & tea Sponge or rinse a fresh coffee or tea stain promptly in cool water, then pretreat... Cooking oil & grease Absorb what you can, then get an oil-cutting pretreatment into the fibers and launder... Dye transfer Dye stains are very difficult to remove, so keep the discolored item away from heat... Feces / diaper blowout Get solids off while the mess is fresh — wipe or rinse away as much as you can before... Grass Grass is a tannin-and-protein stain, so keep heat away from it: pretreat both sides...

Five kinds of evidence, never blended

Institutional guidance, industry bodies, manufacturer labels, third-party tests, and community anecdotes answer different questions. Each is labeled; none is dressed up as another. No invented statistics, no fake tests, no fictional reviewers.

How evidence is labeled →

Community reports, honestly framed

Real forum threads — linked, dated, and always labeled anecdotal. We publish no success percentages, because we have no verified outcome data yet, and we'd rather be right than impressive.

Read community reports →

Safety

Always follow care and product labels. Never mix cleaning products — especially anything containing chlorine bleach with ammonia or acids. If swallowed or splashed in eyes, contact Poison Control (US: 1-800-222-1222 or poison.org).