Milk makes for a delicious and nutritious beverage, but a pretty tough stain to get out of your clothes.  We know the saying, “don’t cry over spilled milk”, but getting milk all over your favorite clothing item can definitely lead to a shed tear or two.  Fortunately, milk stains are removable, especially if you get them quickly, as long as you follow the right steps as seen below.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Removing Milk Stains

So, why is a milk stain so tricky?  Well, it has to do with the proteins in milk, since protein-based stains absorb deep into the fibers of your clothes and set easily if you follow the wrong stain removal protocol.  Meanwhile, the fats in milk leave behind a mark that can be tough to get out using common methods for other types of stains.  To get rid of a milk stain, just follow these steps.

1. As soon as you catch the milk stain, remove the garment and start blotting with a cloth, paper towel or sponge soaked in cold water – not hot water, which can set the stain. The sooner, the better, although dried milk obviously doesn’t need to be blotted.  If the milk has dried, you can still use the method below.  Keep in mind that rubbing or scraping the stain while wet, can make it worse.  If the milk stain has dried and gotten crusty, you can use a blunt knife to scrape off as much as you can.
2. Soak the garment in cold water, preferably for about an hour. This opens up the fabric so that the milk can more easily release itself out of the fibers.
3. Now, pretreat the stain by rubbing Grab Green Liquid Dish Soap directly into it, or making a paste out of equal parts baking soda and water, and then rubbing it thoroughly onto the stain. This will break up the proteins and fats in the milk so that when laundered, they lift away more easily.
4. Now, you can throw the garment into the washing machine. Wash the garment as you normally would according to its care label, using a normal detergent like Grab Green’s 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Pods or 3 in 1 Laundry Detergent Powder.
5. When you take the garment out of the washing machine, check to see if the stain is still there. If so, follow the above steps starting with soaking it in cold water and then pretreating it, and launder it again.  Only after the stain is gone should you put it in the dryer, as if the stain is still there, the dryer can set the stain.

A Milk Stain Doesn’t Need to Ruin Your Favorite Clothing  

The good news is that while milk stains are annoying, they’re generally quite removable, even if they’re dried.  Just make sure that you follow the steps above, avoiding hot water during the pre-treating stage to prevent the milk’s proteins from setting into the fibers of your clothes.  This method should leave your clothing completely stain-free.