That’s a pretty impressive combo—dish soap, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide. I’ve tried a few things for stains (mostly from tomato sauce or tea, which somehow always find their way onto my clothes), but never that exact mix. Usually, I just reach for whatever stain remover’s lying around, but I’m starting to think there’s more science to it than I realized.
Here’s something I’ve wondered: does that method work on set-in stains too? Like, if you forget about the spill and only remember it after it’s dried? I had a shirt with a stubborn curry stain, and nothing seemed to touch it after a few days. Also, do you ever worry about hydrogen peroxide bleaching colors? I’ve hesitated using it on anything but white fabrics because I’m not sure how safe it is for colors.
Curious if anyone’s tried this with braces wax stains... I managed to get some on my shirt once (don’t ask), and it was surprisingly tricky to remove.
Yeah, hydrogen peroxide is a bit of a wild card with colored fabrics. I’ve had it fade dark shirts before, even at low concentrations, so I’m careful—definitely test on a hidden spot first. For set-in stains, the baking soda helps lift old residue, but I’ll be honest, nothing’s 100% on dried curry. Sometimes tech just can’t beat chemistry. Never tried it on braces wax, but I’d guess freezing and scraping might work better than any cleaner for that one... Wax is stubborn.
I get what you mean about hydrogen peroxide. I’ve definitely ruined a couple of thrifted shirts thinking I was being clever with the “just a dab” trick. But honestly, I’ve had better luck with plain old dish soap and cold water on most stains, even some old ones. It’s not perfect, but it’s way less risky for colors (and cheaper than buying special stuff).
About the wax—
I actually tried the freezer thing with candle wax once, but it just cracked into bits and got stuck deeper in the fabric. What finally worked for me was ironing it between brown paper—melts the wax so it absorbs into the paper instead of the fabric. Not sure if braces wax is exactly the same, but might be worth a shot?freezing and scraping might work better than any cleaner for that one... Wax is stubborn.
Curry stains though... yeah, those are pretty much forever. If anyone figures out a budget fix for that, let me know.
Not gonna lie, I actually had the opposite experience with dish soap—sometimes it just spreads the stain around for me, especially on greasy stuff. Maybe I’m using too much water? For wax, the brown paper and iron trick is solid, but I once got a weird oily outline that wouldn’t wash out. Guess it depends on the fabric. Curry stains... yeah, those have defeated me every time too.
I swear, dish soap is either a miracle or a total flop—no in between. I’ve definitely had it just smear greasy pizza stains around too. Maybe it’s the water, or maybe I just panic and scrub too hard. The wax trick left me with that greasy halo once as well... felt like I’d invented a new kind of stain. And curry stains? Might as well surrender, those things are relentless.
