I Tried 4 Different Methods for Removing Ketchup Stains, and There Was a Clear Winner
I love a good burger, but I don’t order them out too often for one rather embarrassing reason: I’m always afraid of getting ketchup on my shirt. It’s not an unfounded fear, because I have been that person in the restroom frantically dabbing at a food stain with hand soap and a paper towel.
How to Remove Ketchup Stains Out of Clothes
The best way to remove ketchup stains out of clothes is to use vinegar. Dilute distilled white vinegar with water (1:1 ratio) and apply liberally to the stained area. Then wash normally.
While I’ve since learned my lesson on no longer wearing white shirts to burger joints, I wanted to find out how to remove ketchup stains out of clothes — just in case. As it turns out, ketchup stains are actually easier to get rid of than just plain tomato sauce (who knew!) as it contains other ingredients to contend with, like sugar and vinegar.
I tested four different methods for removing ketchup stains, and the results were unbelievable. See below!
How I Tested the Methods
I used a white cotton kids’ T-shirt as a canvas (I nabbed a pair of them on sale just for this purpose) for my ketchup stain test. I squirted four areas on the back of the shirt, creating what looked like a Rorschach test à la Heinz ketchup. I then left the shirt alone for about two hours so the ketchup had time to settle into the fabric. I took a picture of the stained shirt and placed one of four cleaning methods next to each stain so I had a “before” photo for comparison.
When the stain was good and set, I took a butter knife and scraped away as much of the congealed ketchup as I could. Then, I turned the shirt inside out, gave the stains a rinse, and then turned the shirt right side out again. Next, I applied a cleaning method to each of the four stains, and then laundered the shirt in a regular wash cycle.
Ratings: I awarded two different scores for each method — one for the results, and the other for ease of use. Both scores are on a scale of one to five, with five being the highest and one being the lowest.
Method 1: Miss Mouth’s Messy Eater Stain Treater
Results: 4/5
Ease of Use: 5/5
Method: Miss Mouth’s Messy Eater Stain Treater is a new-to-me product, but I was confident in its power to remove ketchup, as I had read about its prowess in removing tomato sauce. Yes, they are different stains, as already discussed, but I was emboldened by the fact that Miss Mouth could hold her own with tomatoes. I followed the directions, which simply said to spray it on the stain, rub it in (if needed), then launder.
How it went: Hmm. Miss Mouth might have some explaining to do. The stain faded, but it wasn’t completely gone. I checked the article again and saw that the writer had dabbed the stain with a clean cloth after spraying the solution. My bottle did not direct me to do that, so I didn’t. I tried again, this time really spraying the solution all over the stain, soaking it once more, then rubbing it in a second time. I figured that I might as well get my money’s worth out of the bottle, and I was correct. After a second wash, the stain was gone. A good tip to follow: Spray Miss Mouth liberally to remove the stain.
Method 2: Dawn Dish Soap
Results: 3/5
Ease of Use: 5/5
Method: Are you even trying to remove a stain if Dawn dish soap isn’t one of your tools? It’s been touted for its stain-fighting power (Reddit users love it!), so I dove into this one with high hopes. I dabbed on a bit of the soap directly to the stain, then rubbed it in a little bit, which was scary because it made the stain look worse. I crossed my fingers, then tossed it into the wash.
How it went: The stain faded, but out of the four test spots, this one was the worst. Had I not rubbed it in enough the first time? Like I said, I didn’t think I was doing the shirt any favors because rubbing it in made the stain spread further. But I was willing to try anything, so I added more Dawn, rubbed it into the fibers, and laundered it a second time. Bingo! That did the trick. Don’t be afraid to rub Dawn into the fabric and let it do its thing.
Method 3: Diluted Vinegar
Results: 5/5
Ease of Use: 5/5
Method: Vinegar is known as a natural bleaching agent. It’s recommend across the internet (even suggested by Cotton Incorporated, a not-for-profit organization, and cleaning experts) as a tool for removing ketchup stains. But it can be strong, so I diluted it 1:1 with water and filled a condiment bottle (oh, the irony!) with the solution to ensure I applied the solution directly onto the stain. Because you’ve already rinsed the shirt, it should still be damp. If it’s since dried, please make sure to have the shirt wet with water before applying the vinegar. I shook the bottle, squirted the stain, and laundered it. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but it looked like the stain was fading already now that it had been hit with some vinegar.
How it went: I should have hit it with more vinegar. The stain definitely faded the most out of the four test spots — so much, in fact, that I would try this stain removal hack if I got a stain on a shirt that I was still forced to wear until I got home. I had no qualms at all about giving the stain a healthier dose of vinegar before a second wash, and I was rewarded with a clean shirt.
Method 4: Pretreatment with Laundry Detergent
Results: 4/5
Ease of Use: 5/5
Method: I have only recently begun to realize the wonders of using the same detergent you’d use to wash the entire load as a pretreatment. I have some Persil liquid laundry detergent set aside in another condiment bottle for this reason, and so I squirted a bit on the stain. Remember, just as a little HE (high-efficiency) detergent goes a long way for the entire load of laundry, so you’ll only want some targeted dots on the stain as a pretreatment.
How it went: The stain faded, but didn’t completely disappear in the first wash cycle. I dotted on some more detergent and rubbed it in a bit more this time before rewashing. It came out completely clean the second time. Less is still more with detergent, but as with the Dawn, don’t be afraid to rub your detergent of choice into the fibers.
Conclusion
Some stains come out on the first try, while others need a second dose of pretreatment. I was not shocked to learn that ketchup is one of those stains that often fits in the latter category. What I was shocked to see was just how much of the stain came out on the first try on each of the four methods I tried. They were all so easy to use, so I didn’t hesitate to give them each a go once more. On the second wash, the shirt emerged looking brand-new, without a trace of ketchup in any of the four test areas.
While all four methods proved to be successful with the second treatment, I’ll save the top spot for the diluted vinegar solution. It faded the stain the most on the first shot, so in the future I would simply not be afraid to use more of it when treating a stain.
Am I happy to now have the superpower of ketchup stain removal? Absolutely. But I’d be even happier not to wield that power again, so in the future I’ll opt to instead tie a napkin around my neck before eating anything with ketchup.