How to Get Yellow Stains Out of Baby Clothes
This post may contain affiliate or sponsored links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Looking for a way to get yellow stains out of baby clothes after storage? I’ve stumbled on the PERFECT solution! Read on to learn how to save those baby clothes! (Tip- be sure to read the comments too! People have offered some great tips there as well.)
How to Get Yellow Stains Out of Baby Clothes!
A rumbling-tumbling-jumping belly, achy back, out of breath…all the time, decreased appetite, and hating 95% of my clothing can only mean one thing: the third trimester!
It’s game time baby.
The nursery is starting to take shape, I’ve got some fabulous freezer meals made, and I’m starting to knock off some to-do’s before baby #3 arrives. Since we aren’t finding out the gender of this one, one of my big tasks was to dig out infant clothes for both genders. I’ve stored and hauled around bins and bins of these pre-washed, organized baby clothes for years knowing that this day would come.
So, I’m sure you can imagine the shock and horror I experienced when I opened up the first container to find a mysterious yellow staining on almost all of my baby clothes! I washed these, I tell you! The yellow staining was particularly bad on the girl clothes that had been stored for 4 years now. The boy clothes did not escape the yellow-plague by any means either.
Since hormones and emotions are a bit heightened presently, I came close to calling it all a loss and throwing away all of the totally ruined-hopeless-grossly yellowed clothes. Drama.
Well, luckily I still had a tad bit of sanity left that evening and decided to do a little research on the issue.
Turns out, I’m not alone.
Why do baby clothes get yellow stains?
It’s quite common for stored baby clothes to go into storage clean and come out a few years later with discoloration–even if you’ve washed them well. The culprit: the protein from milk.
This can come from breastmilk or even spit-up. Even if they’ve been washed, the residue can remain and bond to the clothing. Over time it takes on a yellowish color.
How to get yellow stains out of baby clothes
After digging a bit more, I learned that many have had success in removing these stains using OxiClean. So, on my next store run, I snagged a tub of it and gave it a whirl.
You guys.
IT WORKED!
I feel like only fellow mothers can appreciate the triumph of the situation. (When I told my husband about it all he was happy but, I guarantee you, hasn’t given it a thought since.) It not only got stains OUT but I feel like it brightened up the clothes and made them look almost new.
Step-by-Step Guide
Here is exactly how I got those yucky yellow stained clothes looking good as new.
I set my washer on a medium-load, hot water soak cycle. I then put 6, yes 6 scoops of OxiClean. The directions said to put a scoop for every gallon of water and my best guess what that my load would be about 6 gallons. It seemed like an insane amount of detergent to put in a load but I was trusting the directions.
I let it soak about 10 hours (overnight) and then ran a wash cycle as normal.
The clothes came out STAIN FREE. Stain free, I tell you! Here are a few before and afters of some of the boys clothes:
It even worked just as well on the four year old stains on the girl clothes.
So mama friends, learn from this gal. Don’t be shocked when your precious, cleanly stored baby clothes come out with the yellow plague. While no vaccine may be available, rest assured that there is an easy cure!
Since you have a tub of Oxiclean on hand now, here are a few more ways you can use it in your home!
We adopted our daughter in 2001 when she was 14 years old and three month after we got her we baptized her at sunday mass.We did her in a white,short sleeve,poofy,top of the knees baptism dress with a matching bonnet,white tights and white mary jane shoes.We did a white tee shirt as her top under the dress with a cloth diaper and adult size rubberpants under the tights.We had the entire outfit cleaned and boxed.Back in march,some cousins adopted a 15 year old girl and are finially having her baptized on August 30th.We are loaning them our daughters baptism outfit to wear and i opended up the box the other day and the dress and bonnet are still white,but the tights and the cloth diaper have yellowed a little,the rubberpants are still white.Would washing the diaper and tights in Oxyclean get the yellowing out?
Did this today with my twins’ clothes, which I had stain treated so carefully prior to putting them in storage. I was planning to give them to a friend who is getting ready to have a baby and due to a variety of circumstances, has very few options as far as baby clothes go. I followed the steps one by one and went to go check 3 hours later…the colors had bled EVERYWHERE. Black and red staining over $1000 worth of baby clothes, which also had incredible intrinsic value to me. I’ve been washing them like a maniac all night and the dyes are permanently staining them. Now I have nothing to give my friend, and everything is in such bad shape I can’t even donate it.
I’m so glad I found this post and all the helpful comments. I’m expecting #2 and realized many of the clothes we had were stained. I’m hoping this works as well for us as it has for y’all. Our washing machine only soaks for a couple of hours before starting the wash cycle. I soaked my clothes in the bathtub and now my tub is yellow. Did anyone else have an issue with this? If so how did y’all clean it out? My husband scrubbed with our normal tub cleaner and now we are letting bleach soak for a bit. I’m hoping that helps, but wanted to check in case it doesn’t.
I have baby cloths that have yellow stains after being stored. I picked up Oxi Clean white revive thinking I had the right thing. Will that be safe to use on colored baby clothes?
For newborns, would you use a free and clear detergent after using the oxiclean on the clothes? Or is the oxiclean safe on newborn skin?
I don’t think I can speak to the safety of oxiclean. I’d say do a little research on their website to get that answer. I always used a fragrant free detergent with my baby clothes though.
Thank you for the recommendation I will be trying out this method today. But I ask that you please don’t alter or brighten the “after” photos as it can be misleading….
Hi, I live in the UK.
I have a similar problem.
Can I use oxiclean on white pure wool first size clothes? (knitted for my children by my godmother 36 years ago).
I’m guessing I can order oxiclean from amazon, not sure it is sold in the UK.
Hi, live in the USA.
Wool can shrink when washed. For something that precious, I think I would take it to be dry cleaned
I’m expecting my first grandson and just used this method on some of my son’s baby things, which have been stored for about 30 years. Some items were very yellowed, and I am amazed that now they look like new! I put about 4 gallons of hot water in a plastic tub with 4 scoops of Oxiclean, stirred until it was all dissolved, and then stirred in the clothes. I washed them after 11-12 hrs of soaking, and they look great!!
That’s amazing! I’m so glad they could be saved!
Can this Oxi-clean also get out stains more than six years old, stains like: oil stains, chocolate stains, car grease, stains from under arm and groin places, and is it a water softener, plus have the ability to brighten and whiten whites? Because I have clothing that are turning gray! They were brand new and white before I moved and now they are turning gray! I’ve tried lemon juice, vinegar, and bleach, etc., and it’s not going well.
Just wondering what the Oxiclean water ratio would be if soaking a lot of baby clothes in the bathtub first? I have probably a whole tubs worth of clothes that need to be soaked but would I need to add more than 6 scoops for soaking?
I only have white refresh will this still work ?
So glad to find this info this morning! I just took out my container of 25 year old white baby clothes that my mother in law (who passed away many years ago) made for my first born and I was shocked to see that they have lots of yellow/dingy stains on them. My first grand baby is due in July and I wanted to surprise my son with the items….sure hope this works!
I have a front loading washer, so I’m not sure if I should follow the same instructions- the clothes won’t necessarily all be soaking. Should I soak them in the tub first With oxiclean and then Repeat oxiclean process in the washer or is that overkill?
I am not quite sure. I would think a soak in the tub would do the trick though!
I have my oldest son’s baby blanket that was made for him after his birth, it’s been stored away for well over 20 years. It’s full of those yellow stain’s. if I soak it in the tub over night using the Oxi clean then wash it will that do the trick? Plus how many scoops should I use?
I just did this trick with Set in, haven’t been washed in 3 years, stains. And I can’t believe my eyes to find they look brand new. Some of these were almost thrown in the garage because I thought there was no way these stains would come out! Thank you, thank you so much for sharing and saving my baby girls clothes!
Wonderful to hear this good news!
I, too, share a similar story as many others. I thought I did everything right. (Us mothers, we do so try!) Twenty years ago, I stain treated, cleaned and appropriately stored for long-term storage my son’s baby clothes on the hopes that one day there might be a precious grandbaby to bestow these upon. In the process of moving to another home, I checked on the condition of the clothes only to discover the yellow plague! With over 100 articles of clothing, none was left unscathed. Thanks to the Internet and quick perusal of sites, I came across this wonderful blog and tutorial. I filled two large 10 gallon plastic tubs with warm water and six scoops of Oxiclean each. I stained treated each article of clothing with spray Shout and then placed in a tub. With the frenetic energy of a witch at her cauldron, I stirred my concoctions of clothing and water/Oxiclean/shout to ensure each piece of cloothing was well saturated and then I left it sit overnight (11 hours so far and counting). (Side note: I agree with the comment about wearing gloves if you love your manicure! I used a large metal stir stick to saturate the clothes but did manage to get quite a bit on my hands checking on the clothes prior to putting on the gloves. The Oxiclean instantly dried out my hands to the point of being quite painful!) But, back to the good news, by morning, the mixture and soaking had eradicated the yellow stains on nearly all the clothes. The only ones that appear to need a little more work are the ones made of heavy duty denim. I plan to leave everything soak another five hours (for 16 hours total, per one of the comments) and then will run through my high efficiency washer and dryer. Moms, please don’t despair! Try it! (And, yes, put ALL SIX SCOOPS in until your water when stirred is white and foamy!)
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience, Laura. I’m so glad it finally worked for you!