As my mom watched me purposefully create stains, she looked doubtfully at the lineup of stain removers. Her skepticism only gave the lineup of products an even bigger challenge as we started going down the line to test them out. Things to remember The type of stain and how it sits on the particular fabric means that no two solutions may be the same every time, so treat each incident individually.

From the dark soy sauce to the olive oils, it definitely “lightens” the stains, as my mom put it. Though her instinct was to add on, “It seems to only temporarily clean it, and when you get home you need to still work on it.” In the end, we did determine it was a solid runner-up, or as Mom put it frankly, “pretty good.” How often do you stain your clothes? If it’s often it’s most likely while you’re outside the home, and a portable stain remover pen would be best. If your stains are further and fewer between, a spray for home use will suffice. It’s hard to resist anything with a homemade-like label and squeeze bottle. The two-ounce bottle is easy to stash on the go, though the directions are a bit contradictory. On the one hand, it says “just a drop is all it takes to remove…” with a list of items from oil and grease to make-up, grass, rust, and blood. But the actual step-by-step instructions say to let it sit for five to 10 minutes and then to wash by hand or in the machine, and then rinse thoroughly to get rid of stains. Another factor to keep in mind is the type of fabric you tend to wear. Some fabrics, like wool and cashmere, are harder to clean and need more care when removing stains. Others, like cotton, can tolerate sprays and intense wash cycles before fraying or shrinking. And a bonus tip from mom: “Wash out stains as soon as you see them. Go the bathroom right away and scrub it out before it settles into the fabrics,” she says. “Then when you get home, wash it properly.”