🧺Best laundry stain removers to erase those holiday messes

What’s a stain remover, anyway? Laundry detergent in a spray bottle? Consumer Reports ran lab tests to find out. Our results found that the best laundry stain remover, the OxiClean MaxForce, gets rid of stains better than everyday liquid detergent.

The other five spray-on laundry stain removers we tested—from Shout, Spray n’ Wash, and OxiClean (a different formula from the MaxForce)—couldn’t match the best liquid detergents from our ratings for getting rid of the eight stains we treat.

“Prewash stain removers are concentrated and designed to go directly on the stains,” says Rich Handel, CR’s chemist who oversees our laundry stain removal tests. “Detergents, on the other hand, mix in with lots of water to clean, and the water dilutes the stain-removing power. But if you apply a dab of detergent to the stain before washing and let it sit, the detergent alone can remove stains.”

That’s just what we did with the two detergents we included in our tests. The Tide Plus Ultra Stain Release and Persil ProClean Stain Fighter detergents we used to pretreat stains came close enough to the cleaning power of the OxiClean MaxForce that some people might want to use these detergents to both pretreat stains and wash their laundry.

Here’s how five laundry stain removers from our tests stack up against the top-performing OxiClean MaxForce. You’ll also find details on how the Tide and Persil detergents handle stains. The prices listed below are per bottle (some might be for a multipack).

For detailed test results, see our laundry stain remover ratings. And for tips and tricks on how to tackle spills and spots on clothes and furniture, check out our ultimate stain-removal guide.

Stain Removers

OxiClean MaxForce Spray

CR’s take: The OxiClean MaxForce gets down to work, but it costs more per ounce than the other stain removers listed here. It removes stains from body oil, dirt, salad dressing, grass, and blood with just 5 minutes of soaking time. It achieved first-rate performance in these tests. This stain remover also tackles chocolate ice cream better than the rest. Allow the MaxForce to soak in overnight when dealing with stains from baby food or black coffee.

OxiClean Laundry Stain Remover Spray

CR’s take: This OxiClean stain remover is less than half the price per ounce as the MaxForce, and it’s better at removing coffee. Body oil and dirt are no match, and it’s above average at removing stains from grass and baby food. But it doesn’t deliver the same punch when taking on salad dressing and chocolate. It’s also the worst of the group at removing blood stains. To get the best performance from this stain remover, allow the stain to soak overnight.

Shout Triple-Acting Spray

CR’s take: The cheapest of the group per ounce, Shout Triple-Acting, improves with time. It impressively removes body oil grass, and blood stains with just 5 minutes of soaking time, but other stains like dirt, salad dressing, and gravy need an overnight soak.

Spray ‘n Wash Laundry Stain Remover Spray

CR’s take: For a rough-and-tumble life, perhaps for adolescents and toddlers, Spray n’ Wash Laundry Stain Remover handles stains from grass and blood with ease in our tests, and it removes baby food stains respectably. But caffeine lovers, beware: Black coffee stains are a challenge with this stain remover. An overnight soak will help, but coffee stains we treated with this spray never totally disappeared.

Spray ‘n Wash Max Spray

CR’s take: The Spray ‘n Wash Max costs a little more than the Spray ‘n Wash above but doesn’t best its cheaper brandmate overall in our tests, coming just short of acing our grass stain removal test. That said, the Max is better at removing dirt and coffee if you let it soak in overnight. Salad dressing, chocolate, and blood stains prove challenging, earning it a middling rating in these tests.

Shout Advanced Action Gel Liquid

CR’s take: Shout Advance Action is the lowest-scoring of the six prewash stain removers we test. It removes body oil, blood, and grass with top-notch effectiveness. This spray also satisfactorily removes baby food and dirt, but it’s just okay for coffee, chocolate, and salad dressing. So, this can still be a good buy for children’s clothes, but perhaps messy adults should look elsewhere. Letting this stain remover soak in overnight will improve performance, but it still doesn’t deliver the top-rated OxiClean’s punch.

Best Laundry Detergents for Stain Removal

Persil ProClean Stain Fighter

CR’s take: The Persil ProClean Stain Fighter, when used to pretreat stains, is better than most of the stain removers we test. With just 5 minutes of soaking, Persil lifts common stains like body oil and dirt, and even takes on chocolate and salad dressing with ease. Not in a rush? Persil can remove blood and grass stains if you let it soak in overnight (though a longer soak didn’t help this detergent get rid of stains from black coffee). When it’s time to wash your clothes, you can count on the  Persil detergent to wash away any other stains with little trouble.

Tide Plus Ultra Stain Release

CR’s take: Pretreat stains with a dab of the top-rated Tide Plus Ultra Stain Release, and the results are better than most of the stain removers above—oddly enough, considering it’s a detergent. Tide removes common stains like dirt and body oil grease in 5 minutes, and even tackles chocolate ice cream and salad dressing well. It’s just passable for clumsy coffee drinkers, so you’ll probably need a longer treatment. (The OxiClean MaxForce does do a better job with blood and grass. It’s also better at taking on black coffee and baby food if you let it soak in overnight.) But as a laundry detergent, the Tide Plus Ultra Stain Release removes more grass stains than any of the dozens of detergents we test.