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Bargain Hunters Reveal £1 Hack For Removing Chocolate, Ketchup & Grass Stains

  • 7 tips to remove stains on a budget from members of money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk
  • Tricks include several £1 cleaners which get rid of stubborn stains and some old-fashioned solutions using everyday items found around the house
(Picture: Freya Farrington)
(Picture: Freya Farrington)

Whether it’s a glass of wine, a chocolate bar or a ketchup spill, getting stains on clothes, walls and furniture can be frustrating and stressful. However, there are a number of ways to get rid of them that don’t have to break the bank.

Members of money-saving community LatestDeals.co.uk provide their top tips on getting stains out while on a budget.

Use Elbow Grease for curry or chocolate

A favourite among bargain hunters is Elbow Grease spray, which costs just £1 in most shops. Lynne Fripp recommends the spray in conjunction with a hot wash: ‘It works every time. My daughter got chocolate from a Magnum over her top, I’d washed it on 30 as normal and it didn’t come out, so I put Elbow Grease spray on it, scrubbed it in and did a 60 degree wash - it’s like new again.’ Similarly, Tracey Glasscoe said: ‘Elbow Grease sprayed on stains with a 40 degree wash hasn’t let me down yet. Grease, ketchup, all done, even on the cheapest of clothes.’

Jaimie Ash also loves the product. ‘I had a tub of blackberries from when we went blackberry picking spill out under the pushchair, all over my little girl’s pale pink favourite jumper. Fairy and Elbow Grease worked a treat!’ Angela Stewart has had similar success: ‘Yellow Elbow Grease has removed various stains from clothes, carpets and dining chairs.’

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Use The Pink Stuff for grease and felt tip pens

For difficult stains on walls and carpets, many have found success with the Pink Stuff. Sarah Cadwallender said: ‘I use the Pink Stuff spray, £1 from Home Bargains. I accidentally found out when my son dropped raspberries on the carpet and stood on a couple. The spray lifted every single bit of stain. Amazing.’

Elsewhere, Maxine Chidlow said: ‘I had a grease stain so bad on a top I couldn’t get it out with anything, even after lots of washes - I got some Pink Stuff out of the tub, rubbed it in the stain, straight in the washing machine, stain gone!’ Karen Horne has found success for another stain: ‘Dunno about stains on clothes, but Pink Stuff has removed felt tip pen off my walls and dye (from tie-dying) off my hands...no idea how I managed without it!’

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Use white vinegar or bicarbonate of soda to remove underarm stains

Emma Bissett asked LatestDeals.co.uk members for help: ‘I’m looking for something to get suncream stains and underarm stains out. It’s a nightmare, my daughter's new tops are all ruined with it.’ Holly Taylor suggested: ‘White vinegar on underarm stains, let it soak for 10-15 minutes.’

Meanwhile, Kelly Williams had another solution: ‘I get some bicarbonate of soda and some water, turn it into a paste and rub it on with a toothbrush. I leave it for a bit then chuck it in the washing machine. It works for sweat stains on our work shirts.’ Diane Haig agreed, providing her own version: ‘Bicarb and vinegar works amazing for most things - that or bleach if it’s for something white.’

Make the most of supermarket brand stain removers

It may be tempting to buy the more expensive brands if you’re dealing with a bad stain, but plenty of bargain hunters have had success with supermarket brands. For example, Charlotte-Louise Hart said: ‘I use Sainsbury’s own spray stain remover, pink bottle. My son got a blackcurrant fruit pouch all down his white sleepsuit and it came out new.’

Kylie Garrad recommended Morrisons own stain remover, saying: ‘It’s fantastic, it’s my go-to every time. I accidentally cleaned the bath with it once - that worked a treat too!’ Similarly, Lynda Lawson said she used the same product to remove blue bubble gum lolly drips.

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Use a magic sponge for crayon and paint stains

Magic sponges, also known as magic erasers, are rapidly gaining popularity - and they’re available for as little as £1 at discount stores. SB Sarah said she uses a magic sponge for trainers, walls and kitchen cupboards. Similarly, Simon Newman commented: ‘I use a melamine sponge - or magic sponge as it’s commonly known - as this will even take off crayon. I removed some paint from another car off mine (they opened their door onto mine).’

Tom added: ‘Magic erasers are a cheap method for removing some of the most stubborn stains on walls and floors. Just make sure they don’t remove the paint by testing them in a small area first.’

Use washing up liquid to remove tough stains

Sometimes all you need to remove stubborn stains is some old-fashioned washing up liquid. Andrew Pyne explained how he used this method to remove ketchup from a white T-shirt recently. ‘I scraped off what I could, then I rinsed it with cold water. Afterwards, I got washing up liquid and rubbed it on the stain with clean fingers. Next, I rinsed again from inside the shirt with cold water and checked the stain. I repeated the washing up liquid step, and rinsed one more time. I then rubbed the stain - which was almost gone - with a Vanish stick and washed it in the machine on the hottest temperature the label would allow. Job done.’

Lori Westgarth was in agreement: ‘Washing up liquid works better than any stain remover,’ with Ceri Beament adding: ‘I only learned it last year, but it’s saved several tops!’ Rachel Clifford questioned whether only Fairy Platinum worked, but Lori replied: ‘Nope, any Fairy works. I took grease off a yellow jumper with just normal green Fairy liquid.’

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Soak clothing before washing it

A popular method is to soak clothes in stain removing products before they go into the washing machine. For example, Kim de Ronde shared her trick: ‘I pre-treat clothes with the Astonish Fabric Stain Remover. I spray it on and work in the product, then add it to the washing machine. Works all the time for me.’ Anuca Apetri had a similar method: ‘Soak in Napisan pre-wash, add Napisan on the wash, wash at a low temperature and dry in the sun as it is a natural cleaner.’

Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said: ‘Letting the product soak in before putting them in the washing machine can save a lot of time and stress. It also avoids running several washing cycles to try and get the stain out, which uses up electricity.’

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