How to Clean Stained Clothes to Remove Bright-Yellow Mustard Stains

One of my favorite things to do in the summertime is head out to the ballpark to watch the Yankees play. It’s great when they win, of course, but I love watching live sports so much that I’m OK even if they lose. In fact, just about the only thing that will ruin the otherwise glorious experience of a trip to Yankee Stadium is splattering mustard on my shirt while I’m eating a hot dog.

This season I’m taking no chances: I spoke to two laundry experts about how to remove mustard stains out of clothes. While I can’t always count on the Yankees to come through with a win, I can now count on my laundry technique to come through for my clothes. Here’s how you can do the same for yours.

• A butter knife or other blunt instrument
• A clean cloth
• A stain remover (like Shout Active Enzyme Laundry Stain Remover, Tide Pen, or LA’s Totally Awesome)
• Soft brush (optional)

“Time is of the essence with a mustard stain, so you’ll want to begin treating it as soon as possible; definitely don’t let it sit overnight,” says Logan Taylor, president and founder of The Dazzle Cleaning Company. Linsey Morgan, owner of Linsey’s Laundry, agrees that it pays to act quickly to avoid the stain setting. Below, they share how to remove mustard stains out of clothes in six steps.

Using the dull side of a butter knife (or another blunt instrument), gently scrape off as much of the mustard as possible. For a stain that’s been sitting around for a while, Morgan suggests soaking the garment in cold water for a couple of hours first, then try scraping it.

Dampen a clean cloth and blot the stain. “It’s important to blot and not rub, as you don’t want to damage the fabric or grind the stain in further,” says Taylor.

Pretreat the stain with a stain remover. Taylor recommends Shout Active Enzyme Laundry Stain Remover. Morgan swears by her Tide Pen, or you can use LA’s Totally Awesome All-Purpose Cleaner mixed with some water. Apply your stain remover of choice and let the garment sit for about 15 minutes. Taylor says he’s left his pretreatment on for around an hour, but don’t let it go so long that the spray dries on the fabric, he explains.

Rinse the garment in cold water. If the stain is gone, proceed to Step 6.

If the stain doesn’t come out in that first rinse, it’s time to try again. For stubborn stains, both Morgan and Taylor suggest using a soft brush — a toothbrush will do — to loosen up the fibers and release the stain.

If the stain is gone, toss the garment in the wash on the appropriate cycle. 

Mustard contains turmeric, which is often used to dye clothes, making the condiment “the most frustrating stain,” says Morgan.

Vinegar works as a natural bleach, so you might have read somewhere online that mixing some with water or with Dawn dish soap works on mustard stains. However, Taylor says you might be disappointed with anything but an enzymatic cleanser on mustard.

“Mustard isn’t really greasy, which is what Dawn combats, and the acid in the vinegar isn’t really what a mustard stain needs,” he explains. What it needs is enzymes, which is why Shout did better than the rest.” (For the record, he’s tried quite a few commercial cleaners, but he touts Shout as the best to take on mustard.)

If you don’t have any of the aforementioned stain removers, Morgan suggests using a bit of regular detergent to pretreat the stain. Just add a bit to the stain and rub in with a soft brush, or you could use your finger in a pinch, she says.

Another thing to remember is that you should work with cold water when rinsing and laundering the garment to avoid any stains from setting in. Double-check to see that the stain is gone before tumbling dry to avoid setting the stain, says Morgan.