Beyond mentally preparing for the onslaught up piles of laundry that will soon consume my life with the tiny tot’s impending arrival, I’m also trying to take in all I can so that I am prepared for the various stains that will come with those piles of laundry.

I’m dreaming about animated piles of monster laundry, with googly eyes and wavy arms chasing me through my house. Pregnancy dreams are really vivid, guys.

Thankfully, I am much more prepared than if I just sat down at my computer and googled things, because Maytag and the Institute of Home Science has a laundry list (HA! Get it?!) of stain tips that will get you, and sleep deprived me, through anything. From the typical household stains like deodorant on clothes, and ink, to the baby food, spit up, and red wine stains – you are covered!

And let’s be honest, juggling a kid, clothes, learning to mom, and everything in between means there will be plenty of stains happening because of ME!

Because food is always at the front of my mind, I wanted to compile a round up of some of my favorite dishes that stain! The best food isn’t always the most easy or clean to eat, but rest easy. If the worst happens you will still be able to wash away those marks and carry on.

I’ve already put our Maytag’s PowerWash cycle to the test with tomatoes. Worked like a charm.

Chocolate Stains – Dutch Chocolate Walnut Frosted Brownies

Chocolate is one of my favorite things, but it doesn’t mean I can escape the wiles of its rogue staining properties. Beyond not wearing white when I eat chocolate, I can also count on a dab of liquid detergent on the stain, and a good scrub to wash it away. Just remember, don’t put it in the dryer until the stain is completely gone! Once it hits the dryer any stain will set.

Meat Stains – Grilled Peruvian Chicken

Grilled Peruvian Chicken

BBQ, chicken, and steak can wreak havoc on fabrics if you’re not careful! Take the steps to wipe away those messy food crimes, when you get more on your clothes and hands than in your mouth.

The sure way to get those meat stains out is to soak the stained area in mixture of detergent and water! But don’t use hot water, as those proteins will harden and set. Wash your garments in warm water and wait for the stains to disappear.

Tomato Stains – Chicken Cacciatore

Vegetable Packed Chicken Cacciatore - homemadehome.com

 

And perhaps one of the most dreaded stains of all is the tomato stain. Having taken my life in my hands with eating spaghetti while wearing white, I know the terror of getting tomato based sauces on your favorite clothes is REAL!

Once the inevitable happens, pretreat the stain with liquid detergent, and wash it on the warmest setting allowed for your garment. If that doesn’t do the trick, follow it up with a wash using color-safe bleach for colors, and chlorine bleach for whites. Once you’re done, let the stain air dry to make sure it is all gone. Only then should you add it to the dryer. Once it goes in for a heat treatment it is in there for good!

No matter what your stains, there is a way to remove them. We have been enjoying the versatility and easy use of our Maytag washer and dryer and know they will come in handy, whether it’s the kid’s stains, mine, or even Ben’s hospital germs that come home imbedded in our clothes. The PowerWash cycle will get out the gunk, and our favorite sanitize function will make sure that the toughest stains and germs are washed away. With the PowerWash cycle, it combines added cleaning power and heated water to fight those tough stains in a single wash. Rest easy messy eaters. You’re covered.

Keep up to date on our laundry room renovations in our Instagram feed where we will be posting updates in our Stories! And see our first post with the inspiration we are relying on to recreate a space that is functional and fun. After all, I’ll be spending a lot of time in there. I want it to be pretty!

*Fine Print* This post is sponsored  by Maytag, as part of our new house laundry room renovation. But remember, all opinions are my own.