Fortunately, not everystainrequires a specialty product.

So before you panic,look around.

Here are seven common household items you could use to remove laundry stains.

Unexpected Laundry Stain Removers

The Spruce / Ellen Lindner

Shaving Cream

The Spruce / Ana Cadena

Shaving cream is essentially a can of ready-to-use whipped soap.

The basic varietiesno gels or added moisturizers and colorsare best for use on stains.

Always use a white cloth or paper towel to prevent color transfer from one fabric to the other.

shaving cream

The Spruce / Ana Cadena

Bread

The sooner you could treat a stain and keep it from spreading, the better.

When a spill occursespecially a greasy onegrab a slice of bread.

Blot the stain with the bread, which will act like a sponge to absorb the stain.

using bread as a stain remover

The Spruce / Ana Cadena

This will prevent it from getting bigger and moving deeper into the fabric fibers.

Any bang out of plain bread, such as white or whole wheat, will work.

Just double-check it hasn’t been buttered.

white chalk as a stain remover

The Spruce / Ana Cadena

Allow the chalk to absorb the oil for at least five minutes, and then brush it off.

Repeat this process until the oil is gone or at least less visible.

you might also usebaby powder or cornstarchin the same way.

small decanter of vodka

The Spruce / Ana Cadena

Furthermore, you’re free to use chalk to cover stains on white clothes.

A piece of chalk is a must-have for emergencystains on a white wedding dress.

Vodka

When ink stains your favoritejeans, grab a bottle of vodka.

using WD-40 on a stain

The Spruce / Ana Cadena

Simply saturate a clean white cloth or a cotton swab with vodka.

Then, working from the outside edge of the stain toward the center, blot away the ink.

Finish by blotting the area with a cloth dipped in plain water.

black permanent marker

The Spruce / Ana Cadena

Vodka also makes a great fabric refresher.

In fact, many commercial fabric refreshers contain high alcohol content.

WD-40

WD-40 is a petroleum-based lubricant that can cause stains on clothes.

bowl of cream of tartar

The Spruce / Ana Cadena

But it also can help to remove stains.

The solvents in WD-40 help to break down oilespecially oldoily stainsloosening the oil molecules from fabric fibers.

Simply spray the stain with a bit of WD-40 from the front and back of the fabric.

Allow it to work for about five minutes.

WD-40 can also be used to liftmelted crayons,candle wax, orchewing gumfrom fabrics.

Just remember to wash immediately once the waxy stain is lifted from the fabric.

Permanent markers also can cover scuffs on shoes and handbags.

Water-based markers will also work in a pinch, but the color won’t last through the next washing.

To use, make a paste of hot water and cream of tartar.

Apply the paste to the stain, and let it work for at least 15 minutes.

Rinse and repeat if necessary.

Forrust stains, boost the cleaning power by mixing cream of tartar with a bit of lemon juice.

The added acid from the lemons will help to remove the stains.