How to Get Stains Out of Kids' Clothes: A Stain-by-Stain Guide for Cotton

Knees and grass

Positano Organic Cotton Pants for Kids

Relaxed cream pants for boys and girls aged 2 to 6, in 100% combed organic cotton made by GOTS-certified manufacturers. Pale trousers are where grass and mud show first, so the grass and mud rows in the table below are the ones to bookmark.

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What is the best way to get stains out of kids' clothes?

Work out what kind of stain it is, then treat it before it dries and before it sees heat. The extension guides group stains by what they are made of, because that decides the method. Protein stains such as milk, egg, blood, vomit and potty accidents need cold water and enzymes. Tannin stains such as juice and berries respond to detergent and warmer water. Oily stains such as butter and sunscreen need detergent worked in, or a solvent. Wax and gum come off once they are cold and hard.

The steps below work for most food and body stains on washable cotton:

1. Lift off what you can. Scrape solids with a dull knife or spoon. Blot liquids with a paper towel; rubbing spreads the stain.
2. Rinse from the back. Hold the stain face down under cold running water so the water pushes it out of the fabric, not deeper in. The American Cleaning Institute gives this advice for tomato stains.
3. Pretreat. Rub in liquid laundry detergent or a stain remover. For food and body stains, use a product that contains enzymes and leave it for at least 30 minutes.
4. Wash. Use the warmest water the care label allows, except for protein stains, which should stay cool until they are gone.
5. Air dry and check. If any mark is left, treat it again. Iowa State University Extension's advice for sunscreen stains is the same: launder, air dry, check, and repeat if needed.

Test first on anything with a print, embroidery or a strong colour. New Mexico State University's guide says to always test a removal method on an inside seam or hem, and Mississippi State's says to leave it there for two to five minutes before you rinse and look. Embroidery thread can be dyed differently from the fabric under it, so test the thread too.

Stain-by-stain: what to do with the stains kids make

Find the stain, do the first step straight away, and keep the piece out of the dryer until it is gone. The table covers the stains children aged 2 to 6 make most, on washable cotton.

Two rows in that table are worth the most. Milk, egg, blood and potty accidents are protein stains: the University of Kentucky's guide says hot water first cooks the protein into the fabric, and Iowa State says the same. And nearly every guide we read warns about the dryer. Texas A&M AgriLife puts it bluntly: never dry a stained piece in the dryer, or it may become impossible to remove.

Grass and mud: the knees of every pair of pants

Grass needs an enzyme pretreatment; mud needs to dry and be brushed off first. The American Cleaning Institute's advice for grass is to pretreat or soak in a product containing enzymes, then wash. Mississippi State's guide adds a wash in the hottest water the fabric can take, with a bleach that is safe for it.

Mud is the one stain to leave alone for a while. Wiping wet mud pushes it into the weave. The cleaning institute says to let it dry and brush off as much as possible, and Texas A&M AgriLife's quick guide suggests a soak of at least 30 minutes in detergent and water before washing. On cream or white cotton pants, do the brushing outside: the dry dust goes everywhere.

Food stains: tomato, berries, chocolate and milk

Rinse cold from the back, pretreat, then wash. Only the water temperature changes from food to food.

• Tomato sauce and ketchup. The cleaning institute says to run cold water through the back of the stain, not the front, so it doesn't spread. Mississippi State suggests a soak in cool water with detergent afterwards.
• Berries and juice. These are tannin stains. The University of Kentucky says fresh tannin stains usually wash out with detergent and hot water. If a mark is left, the cleaning institute suggests a bleach that is safe for the fabric.
• Chocolate. Scrape off the excess gently, soak in cool water, pretreat and wash, according to the cleaning institute.
• Milk, yogurt, egg and formula. Protein stains: cold water, then an enzyme pretreatment or soak. Mississippi State suggests at least 30 minutes for formula.

Pale cotton shows food more than a print does. The Bellagio shirt is pale yellow, and the method above is the same for it as for a white tee.

Potty accidents and vomit

Rinse in cold water as soon as you can, then use an enzyme pretreatment and wash. The American Cleaning Institute groups these as bodily fluids and gives the same answer: pretreat or soak in a product containing enzymes. Mississippi State's guide covers vomit, urine and feces together, with enzymes first and then a bleach that is safe for the fabric if a mark remains.

If any stain remover you use contains ammonia, never use chlorine bleach in the same wash or the same basin: Health Canada warns that bleach reacts with products containing ammonia or acids, including vinegar, and gives off toxic gases. For a toilet-training child, a basin of cold water and an enzyme product by the laundry tub is the simpler routine. Our guide to why kids' clothes still smell after washing covers what to do when a smell stays after the stain has gone.

Crayon, gum, paint and pen

Harden wax and gum, catch paint while it is wet, and test before you fight ink.

• Crayon. Scrape off what you can. The University of Georgia's guide says to put the stain face down on a pad of white paper towels and work in a pre-wash stain remover from the back. For a whole load that went through with a crayon in a pocket, the cleaning institute suggests a hot wash with laundry soap and a cup of baking soda. Keep the load out of the dryer until every mark is gone.
• Gum. Texas A&M AgriLife says to harden it with ice, then crack or scrape it off. Mississippi State suggests a dull knife. Pretreat what is left and wash.
• Water-based paint. The cleaning institute says to rinse in warm water while the paint is still wet, and that once paint is dry it cannot be removed. For paint labelled washable, follow the maker's own instructions too.
• Pen and marker. The cleaning institute suggests sponging with rubbing alcohol. The University of Kentucky says some inks may be impossible to remove, and Mississippi State says felt-tip marker usually cannot be removed. Test on a seam first, and don't use alcohol near an open flame.

Sunscreen stains: where the guides disagree

Blot it, massage in liquid detergent or dish soap, wash, then air dry and check. That is Iowa State University Extension's 2025 advice. It also warns against soaking a sunscreen stain and against chlorine or oxygen bleach, which it says may make the stain worse. Some older guides tell you to use bleach on the same stain. We would follow the newer, more cautious advice on a coloured piece, because bleach can't be undone.

Either way, air dry and check: a sunscreen mark that is still there after the wash should be treated again before the piece goes in the dryer.

When should you use bleach on kids' clothes?

Only when the stain is still there after washing, and only the kind of bleach the care label allows. New Mexico State University says chlorine bleach is best for white cotton and linen. On coloured, printed or embroidered cotton, an oxygen bleach is the usual choice, if the label allows any bleach at all.

The care label tells you which. Under the US Federal Trade Commission's care labelling rule, a label must say "only non-chlorine bleach, when needed" if chlorine bleach would harm the piece, and "no bleach" or "do not bleach" if any bleach would. In Canada, care labelling is voluntary, the Competition Bureau says, so not every piece has a label. When there is none, test on a hidden seam. Our guide to reading a kids' clothing label explains the care symbols.

Rust is the exception to the bleach rule: the cleaning institute says chlorine bleach can make rust stains worse, and Mississippi State says not to use it on rust.

Keeping stain removers safe around kids

Store them high and closed, and never mix them. Health Canada says to keep household chemicals out of sight and out of reach of children and pets, and warns that laundry detergent packets can be attractive to children. It also says never to mix bleach with other chemicals, including products that contain ammonia or acids such as vinegar. New Mexico State's guide gives the same two rules: keep stain removers locked up and out of children's reach, and don't mix them, especially ammonia and chlorine bleach.

A stain stick in the diaper bag or daycare bag is handy. Keep it in a zipped pocket the child can't open.

Which stains are permanent?

Dried paint, permanent marker, some inks, and any stain that has been through the dryer are the most likely to stay. The cleaning institute says dried paint can't be removed. The University of Kentucky and Mississippi State say the same of some inks and felt-tip markers. A stain that has been set by heat may lighten with repeated treatment, but none of the guides promises it will go.

A stain that won't come out doesn't have to end a piece. A pair of pants with grass on the knees is still a good pair of pants for the park, and a shirt with a faint mark still layers under a sweater. Before you put clothes away for a younger child, treat stains first: our guide to storing kids' clothes for the next child explains why old food residue can turn yellow in a bin. And our six tests for clothes that survive two kids help you decide what is worth keeping.

What we don't know

Several of the extension guides we used are decades old (Kentucky's and Texas A&M's date from the 1990s), and laundry products have changed since. Their methods still match the American Cleaning Institute's 2026 guide on the basics, but where newer advice differs, as with sunscreen, we have gone with the newer source. None of the guides tests organic cotton separately from conventional cotton, and we know of no reason the methods would differ. We have not tested these methods on our own clothes. Always follow the care label where there is one.

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Como Organic Cotton Shirt for Kids

A pale yellow mandarin-collar shirt with fine pintucks, for boys and girls.

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Bellagio Organic Cotton Shirt for Kids

A pale yellow collared shirt with short sleeves, for warm days and easy play.

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Palermo Organic Cotton Shorts for Kids

Cream shorts with an adjustable waistband, for boys and girls.

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Capri Floral Organic Cotton Blouse for Girls

A white blouse with a Peter Pan collar and red floral embroidery; test stain removers on the embroidery first.

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