Stain Remover Face Off

During spring break, I thought it would be a good idea to wash my coat.  When I took it off and looked at it in the stark light of the laundry room, I was surprised (and a little disgusted) by just how truly dirty it was.  My purple jacket was really more grey than anything else.  It was that kind of grey/black grime comprised mostly of dirt and motor oil that gets on all coats from rubbing up against car doors.  Since I had a lot of dirt to remove, I thought it might be a good time for a stain-remover face-off! 

I covered one side of my jacket with Shout stain removing spray.  I covered the other side in my favorite homemade stain removing concoction: blue Dawn and Borax.  I made a paste and scrubbed it in vigorously in the hopes that it would prove to be much more effective than store-bought products.  I let it sit for an hour, then I tossed it in the washer.

So what happened?  Nothing surprising.  Both sides came out mostly clean.  Both methods worked, but neither was awesome.

Conclusion: super cheap, homemade stain remover works as well as Shout at getting out stains.  However, there were still some spots that didn't come clean, so the search continues for the ultimate stain remover.

What are your suggestions?



Marcia