How To Get Baby Poop Out Of Clothes – Tips For Removing Tough Baby Stains

Who would have thought that our little angels are capable of creating such a mess? Babies can create stains that feel impossible to remove. They get on their clothes, bibs, and very often your shirt. But before you start throwing away all the clothes, don’t give up just yet.

Those terrible stains aren’t unbeatable. You just haven’t found the solution that works yet. I’m here to help you with that. Motherhood has made me an expert in removing stains and now I’ll share my secrets. Here are a few useful ways of getting baby poop stains out of clothes (or any other tough baby stains!).

How To Remove Poop Stains From Baby Clothes – Proven Methods

I can’t count how many times I have tried different methods of removing baby poop stains that just don’t work. Pulling out the clothes from the washer and seeing that stain is still there used to be my nightmare.

And you probably know the worst combination – white baby clothes and poop. Now, that scenario still wakes me up at night. Before you decide to say goodbye to those beautiful white PJs that granny gave your little one for Christmas (which is now “decorated” with baby poo stains), let’s try a few tricks.

As you can tell, I didn’t give up that easily. After countless failed attempts I have found several methods that can actually remove poop stains from clothes. Are you ready to hear what they are?

• Clean off everything that you can with baby wipes. Wipes are easier to use because they shape in your hand and give you more control.
• Don’t rub. Rubbing the stain can only make a bigger problem. Put the clothes in the sink and gently rinse with room- temperature water
• Rinse from the opposite side of the fabric. Pull the clothes inside out when washing out the poop. This will prevent the stain from going deeper into the fibers.
• Use a stain pretreatment. When you rinse off the baby poo put a stain treatment directly on the stain and let it sit according to instructions.
• Use the heavy-duty wash setting. That stain will need some extra cleansing so sanitize the stain with warmer cycle or heavy-duty setting.
• Add white vinegar. Along with the hot water setting add 2 cups of white vinegar. This ought to remove poop stains from clothes.
• Dab a dish soap on the stain. Here’s probably something you didn’t try but it works wonders. Rinse those pesky poop stain out of baby’s clothes with cold water. Add the dish soap on the stain and rub it in with a rag. Rinse again with cold water. Repeat this several times if needed and then wash it in the laundry machine.

Removing Baby Poo Stains From Cloth Diapers

If you want to get rid of those pesky poop stains from your baby cloth diapers, you will need a special stain remover and detergent that is recognized as cloth-safe. I think it’s best to check online detergent indexes that assess detergents’ safety level for cleaning cloth diapers¹. Furthermore, I recommend using cloth-safe detergent for cleaning all baby cloths to be sure it won’t cause skin irritation.

How To Get Rid Of Pee & Spit-Up Stains

Poop isn’t the only trouble-maker in the stain department. Pee and spit-up stains can also give you headaches. If you wonder how to get pee smell out of baby’s clothes and tackle those nasty spit-up stains I have some solutions for you.

• Rinse in cold water. Both pee and spit-up stains should be rinsed in cold water before you put the clothes in the washer. Do this immediately after you notice the stain.
• Soak it for 15 minutes. A nice hot soak in the detergent can help get rid of the bad smell and spit-up stain.
• Use a soft brush to remove dry, crusty bits. If you forgot or didn’t have the time to deal with spit-up stain immediately, gently remove any bits with a soft brush.
• Select a warm cycle. The pee stain doesn’t need the hottest cycle but you still want to use warm water to eliminate any bad smells.
• Spray on some lemon juice. Lemon juice is renowned both for its smell-removing and stain-removing abilities. Spray on lemon juice directly on the stain and let it dry in the sun (but don’t leave them for too long!). Remember not to use this method on dark clothes because they will fade. I also recommend you to test this method first to make sure it doesn’t bleach the fabric.
• Use baking soda. Baking soda is an effective odor neutralizer. Mix baking soda with some water (make a paste) and rub it on the stained surface.

Tips For Removing Tough Baby Stains

Before we conclude this stain removing journey, let’s just mentioned a few general tips that will help you battle those pesky baby stains.

• Don’t wait. Address the stain as soon as the baby makes the mess. If you put the clothes in the bin, removing that stain will be much more challenging.
• Don’t dry the clothes before you get rid of the stain. If you let it dry first the stain will set into the fabric.
• Stay away from hard brushes. Scrubbing the stain with a brush can wear down the fabric.
• Do the prewash. Soak the clothes in hot/cold water (depending on the stain type) and detergent with enzymes (around two scoops of detergent). Keep in the water for a few hours and then wash it in the laundry machine.
• Avoid the dryer. The dryer can set the stain so if the first wash didn’t do the trick, air-dry the clothes. Then, give it another try. Read more on how to dry baby clothes in a safe way to avoid shrinking and wrecking the fabric.
• Dry in the sun (if possible). Sun is the natural stain remover and therefore, it can give you an extra boost with stain removal. Make sure that the colored clothes, and clothes with prints, are hanged inside out, because the sun can make the colors fade.
• Do the test first on a small piece of your clothes fabric – If you’re worried that any of these homemade methods or the stain remover may ruin your baby clothes (or yours), test them first on a small piece of fabric and see how the fabric reacts.
• Soak in bleach for 30 minutes. Lingering stains need some heavy machinery. Use a color-safe bleach and soak the clothes in it for at least 30 minutes. Please note that this method is recommended rather for the baby poo stain on parent’s clothing. Bleach is harsh and may cause rash or irritation on your baby delicate skin. For pesky poop stains on baby clothes I would recommend stain remover and then washing them (even couple of times) in a sensitive washing detergent.

Action Plan For Removing Stubborn Baby Stains

Let’s summarize what we need to do to get rid of poop, pee and spit-up stains from clothes or cloth diaper:

1. Remove the poop/pee/spit-up (e.g use baby wipes or soft brush to remove dry bits).
2. Pull the clothes inside out and rinse the remains off with cold water.
3. Soak the clothes/cloth diaper in warm water.
4. Use a stain remover (best if it’s cloth diaper safe)
5. Use a soft brush to scrub the stain, then let it sit for couple of minutes (follow the instructions on the package)
6. Wash normally (for baby clothes use sensitive washing detergent)
7. Dry in the sun if possible.

Final Thoughts

Hopefully, these methods will work for you, just as much as they worked for me. Depending on the clothes’ fabric and the stain, you should try different methods and see which will give the best results.

Now that you know the tricks to removing baby poop stains as well as getting urine smell out of clothes, you’re all set to handle the next big mess you little angel makes. Us parents have to stick together when it comes to this challenging adventure we call parenting.

Hello Moms! I am Zooey. I am a wife and a mother of three amazing kids: almost 5-year-old Haley and 2-year-old twins Jesse and Matthew. I am a jogger, cooker and blogger.

If you have a question or a comment, do not hesitate to write to me! 🙂