I was surprised to discover that OxiClean does not contain magical, stain-removing fairy dust. What it does contain is a powdered version of hydrogen peroxide and good, old-fashioned washing soda. This combination is also known and referred to as Oxygen Bleach. (To differentiate it from chlorine bleach.)
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Have you met washing soda? Your grandma probably had a box in her cupboard. Those of us who can’t tolerate the additives in “new and improved” cleaning supplies are still fans. You should be able to find at least one chain store in your area that carries it, and it’s normally found in the laundry aisle, right next to the 20 Mule Team Borax. (Grab some of that, too, although you won’t need it today. It’s good for a number of general purpose cleaning uses.)
Some recipes you’ll find by googling this call for baking soda. Although Baking Soda and Washing Soda are chemically related, they are not the same. To match the chemical composition of the expensive stuff, you want washing soda. While you may have to try harder to find Washing Soda, it is cheaper than baking soda. It can also be used, alone, as a laundry booster.
This formula DOES NOT HOLD, so mix it when you are about to use it. The quantities below are for a bulk batch, which was what I needed for cleaning my basement carpet. (I applied directly to the carpet, let rest, and then sucked it up with my carpet cleaner.)
My custom blend is as follows:
DIY Oxygen Bleach (You will never buy Oxi-Clean again.)
Ingredients
- 1 quart hydrogen peroxide
- 1 cup washing soda
- 3 quarts hot water
- 1/4 cup CLEAR liquid laundry detergent- optional
Instructions
-
Mix well. Apply liberally to stain and let set for up to 1 hour before removing with carpet steamer.
Recipe Notes
If you are adding this to your laundry, I'd skip the detergent and the water in this recipe, and add a 1/2 cup or so of the solution to your laundry load. For soaking, I'd dilute it a bit more than this. It's cheap, especially if you wait for hydrogen peroxide to go on sale, and it's easy. But you should still keep it out of the reach of kids.
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hydrogen peroxide is expensive, and WEAK ! !
oxiclean does a better job !
SUN makes a version of oxiclean for 20-50% less than oxiclean brand …
you can find it at the dollar general and biglots usually…
If you have a tomato stains or nearly any stain on a light colored or white article of clothing… make a paste smear it on THICK, a big dollop works best. ROLL it up or tightly bunch it up, Get item damp Place in microwave for 30 seconds.
It should be hot and steamy when removed. Place in large plastic bowl, plastic rubbermaid type shoe box or ziplock gallon bag. This method has worked EVERY time on the worst of the worst tomato sauce stains, OLD ones.
I go to the goodwill/thrift and find white shirts and ALWAYS find that horrible orangy-yellowy tomato stain that got the shirt donated….. i place about half an ounce of that paste on, roll it up and follow my procedure above… … Shirt looks brand new. ALWAYS let the shirt sit 24 hrs.
IF it dose not work after one treatment it will only come out with brake cleaner, why?? Brake clear dissolves grease, and what you have left in the stain is the GREASE from the sauce not the tomato ! !
I’m glad you found something that works for you. 1- Hydrogen Peroxide really isn’t expensive, particularly when it is on sale. You might have to shop around for stores that carry the larger bottles- that’s where I got a good price on it. 2- The reason this works so well is that when you are done it is NOT hydrogen peroxide. There has been a chemical reaction among the ingredients. It’s not a mixture, like when you add soap to water and shake it up- it’s actually a different chemical compound. It got cat pee out of my basement carpet… not sure it needs a better endorsement than that!
Thanks, this is great! And at $1/quart from the dollar store…and I think even less at some places, the H2O2 is really not badly priced at 🙂
Cheers!
Can you mix up a spray bottle of this stuff to keep on hand or does it lose its potency?
Unfortunately, hydrogen peroxide breaks down so quickly that this won’t work when pre-mixed (that’s why it’s sold in darkened bottles). Plus it’s not the same as sodium percarbonate, in the first place, especially not in an over-the-counter H2o2 strength (usually 3%). But I applaud the effort to come up with less expensive alternatives to common products for sure!
How did you apply it to your carpet? My dog had an accident and u can’t get the smell out of our rug and want to give this a try.
I just poured it onto the stain with a liquid measuring cup. This mixture will help remove any visible stains. For smell you want to also apply Nature’s Miracle.