How to Use Dish Soap for Laundry Stains (2024)

How to Use Dish Soap for Laundry Stains (1)

The right dish soap can do wonders on your greasy pots, pans, and everyday dishware, but can dish soap be used for laundry? While certain dish soaps can be used during the laundry process, they aren’t a replacement for detergent. Learn more about how dish soap can help as a pretreatment option for common laundry stains like those caused by pizza night; how to use dish soap properly so that white mesh top doesn’t get ruined; and which type of soap works best to help fight unwanted, set-in stains on your family’s clothes.

How to Use Dawn® Dish Soap for Laundry Stains

Stains happen to the best of us. But with Dawn® Platinum, it’s So Dawn Easy to pretreat most stains—like tomato sauce, blueberries, and grease—giving your clothes a fighting chance.

How to Use Dish Soap for Laundry Stains (2)

1. Apply Dawn® Platinum directly to any cotton/polycotton fabric, * covering the entire stained area, and rub it in using your fingers.
2. Then wash it normally with Tide in your washing machine. **
3. Do not reapply Dawn® to the same spot and wash again.

When stains happen, it’s So Dawn Easy to pretreat them with the power of Dawn®.
*For best results, use a little less than two teaspoons (9.5 mL) of Dawn® Platinum in a top-loading washing machine—be sure not to use too much, and don't use on delicate fabrics like silk. Spot test with a small drop in a less visible area to make sure the material will not be damaged.

**High efficiency washing machines can be sensitive and cycle times may vary.

When to Use Dish Soap for Laundry Stains

How to Use Dish Soap for Laundry Stains (3)

Dinner at a friend’s and now you spot a stain on your favorite top? Not planning on running a full load of laundry just yet? There are several instances where dish soap can be used on laundry.

  • Pretreatment for stains: You can apply dish soap directly to any stains you may find on fabrics, whether it’s clothing, kitchen towels, or even bedding.

  • Stain removal in a pinch: There are plenty of times when an oil drip or saucy trickle makes its way onto our clothing, and sometimes there’s no opportunity to throw that article of clothing into the wash. A dishwashing liquid, like A dishwashing liquid, like Dawn® Platinum, can help in those quick-fix, on-the-fly moments!

  • Stain treatment before loading: Not planning on running a full load of laundry just yet? Dish soap can be applied to stains before you run the wash, to better prevent them from settling into the fabric.

  • Handwashing small loads: Dawn® Platinum can help remove stubborn oil and food stains, making it an ideal option for handwashing small loads of laundry.

Though dish soap is great as a stain pretreatment option, it’s not meant for direct use in a laundry washing machine. That’s because dish soaps are uniquely formulated to break up grease and stuck-on food particles with foamy suds—something you don’t want to happen in your washing machine. Too many soapy suds can create a waterfall-like effect as your laundry washing machine runs a full cycle.

Best Dish Soap Options for Laundry

Whether pretreating stains or handwashing, you’ll want to use a dish soap that’s tough on oil and food splatters while staying gentle on your fabrics.

  • Best for spot treatment: For best results, apply a few drops of Dawn® Platinum directly to the stain. Then allow it to sit for just a few minutes before scrubbing the spot with some water.

  • Best for handwashing laundry: When you have just a few articles of clothing to wash, handwashing may be best—you’ll save both water and energy! Simply add a few drops of Dawn® Platinum to a mix of water and allow your laundry to soak in the suds. Then, scrub stained areas and rinse off before drying.

With so many uses around the house, Dawn® Platinum is great to always have around—especially when you’re in need of a quick fix!

For Laundry Use with Dawn Powerwash

1. Apply Dawn® Powerwash directly to any cotton/polycotton fabric, *covering the entire stained area, and rub the Powerwash into your stain. Allow product to soak on stain for 5-10 minutes prior to washing.
2. Then wash it normally with Tide in your washing machine.**
3. Do not reapply Dawn® to the same spot and wash again.

*For best results, use 1-2 sprays of Dawn® Powerwash with nozzle 3-6 inches from fabric, wash in a top-loading washing machine—be sure not to use too much, and don't use on delicate fabrics like silk. Spot test with a small amount in a less visible area to make sure the material will not be damaged.

**High efficiency washing machines can be sensitive and cycle times may vary.

How to Use Dish Soap for Laundry Stains (2024)

FAQs

How to Use Dish Soap for Laundry Stains? ›

Simply add a few drops of Dawn

Dawn
Dawn is an American brand of dishwashing liquid owned by Procter & Gamble. Introduced in 1973, it is the best-selling brand of dishwashing liquid in the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Dawn_(brand)
® Platinum to a mix of water and allow your laundry to soak in the suds. Then, scrub stained areas and rinse off before drying.

Can I use dish soap to get stains out of clothes? ›

Apply 1 to 2 sprays of Dawn® Powerwash Dish Spray directly to any cotton, polyester, or poly blend fabric* and rub it in using your fingers. Although Dawn® dish soap works great as a stain pretreatment option, it's not meant for direct use in a washing machine in place of laundry detergent.

How to use dish soap as laundry detergent? ›

Measure the dish soap.

If you add too much dish detergent, it will foam up and spill out of the machine. Always add the correct amount of dish detergent when using it for laundry to prevent a big mess. Add 1 teaspoon for small loads. Add 2 teaspoons for medium loads.

Does Dawn dish soap and baking soda remove stains? ›

If you have grease stains on your shirts like these, take some dawn dish soap with some baking soda, 00:59 ratio, and just blend it together to make a paste. Take a clean rag and blot it into the stains, and then just let them sit out overnight. Toss into the washing machine as normal.

Can I leave dish soap on clothes overnight? ›

P.S. If you try this at home, the one choice I made that I think helped to remove the stains was letting the dish soap and water mixture sit on the shirt overnight. (My mother-in-law also swears by letting the dish soap soak into the stain for a while).

How long to let Dawn sit on stains? ›

Apply a few drops of dish detergent to stained area. (we LOVE Dawn dish soap for this!) If necessary, spritz water to allow the dish soap to coat and penetrate the entire stain. Let sit for 20-30 minutes.

How to get rid of old stains on clothes? ›

  1. Apply white vinegar to the area, let it soak in for a couple minutes.
  2. Pour salt onto the stained area, then work it in with your fingers.
  3. Put the garment in the sun and let it air dry.
  4. Wash as usual.
  5. Check to see if the stain's gone, repeat the steps if not.
Dec 1, 2019

How do you make homemade laundry stain remover with Dawn? ›

here's the best at home stain remover you can use on almost anything, always spot check before using on colors. 1 bottle hydrogen peroxide 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp dish soap (Blue Dawn is the best) Mix together in a squirt bottle and get to it. Spray on stain and let sit for 5-15 minutes.

What stains does Dawn remove? ›

Stains happen to the best of us. But with Dawn® Platinum, it's So Dawn Easy to pretreat most stains—like tomato sauce, blueberries, and grease—giving your clothes a fighting chance. 1. Apply Dawn® Platinum directly to any cotton/polycotton fabric, * covering the entire stained area, and rub it in using your fingers.

How to get stains out of clothes already dried? ›

Steps to get set-in stains out of clothes
  1. Add water to the plastic dishpan. Use cold tap water and measure so you know you have 1 gallon (16 cups).
  2. Add ¼ cup Clorox® Disinfecting Bleach. Measure the bleach and add it to the water in the plastic dishpan. ...
  3. Add your clothes to the dishpan. ...
  4. Machine wash your clothing. ...
  5. Air dry.

What happens if you accidentally put dish soap in the washing machine? ›

Dawn Can Ruin the Washing Machine

Laundry detergent doesn't get nearly as sudsy and foamy as a liquid dish soap. Therefore, if you use Dawn in the washing machine, it could overflow and also cause issue in the pumps and drains. Your washer was just never intended to handle those kinds of suds.

What happens if you don't rinse soap off clothes? ›

Detergent that isn't rinsed away also means that odor-causing bacteria isn't rinsed away either. Over time, without proper care of the machine, this bacteria can multiply and linger on your clothes, causing them to smell dirty or musky.

Is dish soap safe for clothes? ›

Dish soaps are formulated to cut grease and other food messes from hard, resistant surfaces, not clothes. Washing clothes with dish soap can damage more delicate fabrics like silk, not necessarily because they're too harsh but because they don't have all of the other ingredients that protect clothes in their formula.

How long to soak clothes in dish soap? ›

Step 3: Soak and wash your clothes gently.

Richardson says it's important to leave your clothes in the soapy water for around 20 minutes, manipulating them with your hands every three to four minutes without getting too hard or aggressive.

How to get stains out of clothes that have been washed and dried? ›

Yes, they are. Douse the stain with white vinegar, then apply a paste made of equal parts baking soda and vinegar. If this doesn't work, immerse the item overnight in a bucket of water containing a few tablespoons of detergent and vinegar. Rinse and wash the following morning.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Otha Schamberger

Last Updated:

Views: 5458

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (75 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Otha Schamberger

Birthday: 1999-08-15

Address: Suite 490 606 Hammes Ferry, Carterhaven, IL 62290

Phone: +8557035444877

Job: Forward IT Agent

Hobby: Fishing, Flying, Jewelry making, Digital arts, Sand art, Parkour, tabletop games

Introduction: My name is Otha Schamberger, I am a vast, good, healthy, cheerful, energetic, gorgeous, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.