Mustard is a favorite condiment enjoyed the world over, but when it drips on your clothes rather than on your food, it’s not quite enjoyable. What makes mustard stains extra-tricky is that they naturally contain Turmeric, a natural dye that sticks incredibly well to fabric. To make things worse, stain-wise, is that most companies add chemicals to make their mustard products have that vivid yellow color. So you have a lot of color stain to deal with. (In case you're wondering what else can you do with mustard, read 12 of the most surprising uses for mustard)

 

When dealing with mustard-stains, keep in mind that the sooner that you attend to it, the better. Old and dried mustard stains are difficult to remove, and you’ll probably have to live with that stain for as long as the cloth exists. One thing to remedy this is if you know what kind of mustard stained your shirt, you should use the same mustard (and ONLY the same mustard) and put it exactly on top of the old stain. The old stain should bond with the fresh mustard on top, making it like a “new” stain once again.

 

Before starting, make sure you have scraped off the excess mustard using a blunt knife or a spatula. For fresh stains, you can also use paper towels. Avoid using ammonia or products that contain ammonia when dealing with mustard stains as this will even make the stain even more permanent. When laundering, avoid using bleach on anything other than white items and if you do, make sure that the bleach you are using is color-safe.

 

Here are the different things you can try when removing mustard stains.

 

1. Fantastik All-Purpose Cleaner. This cleaner is not actually made for fabric, but is an all-purpose house cleaner, and must not be used for particularly delicate cloth. However, should you opt to use it, you must spray on the stain and let it sit for two minutes. Rub the stain together gently, not roughly. Rinse with cold water. Repeat as many times until you are satisfied that the stain is out and then launder as you normally would.

 

2. Detergent. For a fresh stain, remove as much as you can with paper towels. Sponge over the stain with some cold water and then put a bit of detergent enough to cover the stain. Rub over the detergent into the stain, making sure that it’s not bleeding into another part of the cloth. Leave for five minutes and then rinse again in cold water. You can then use your typical stain remover on the mustard stain. Launder as usual and dry.

 

3. Glycerin. Apply glycerin directly on the stain, and rub it gently for a few minutes with your fingers or a soft toothbrush. Let it sit for around 30 minutes. You can follow this up with an application of spot stain remover. Launder as usual and dry.

 

4. Denatured Alcohol and Dish Soap. Mix three parts liquid dish soap and one part denatured alcohol. Put the stain on top of an absorbent material and soak the stain on the dish soap and alcohol mixture. Leave it alone for ten minutes, but don’t leave it to dry. Rinse the area with hot water, and then launder. You might notice the stain turning darker, but that’s no reason to alarm. Once it dries, the darker spot will also go.

 

5. Enzymatic Cleaner. Enzymatic cleaners such as Axion are easily available in your local supermarkets. Make sure that the enzymatic cleaner that you’re using is effective for protein-based stains and are safe for fabrics.

 

6. Dish Soap, Water and Vinegar. Mix half a teaspoon of dish soap to a half a cup of water with a few drops of white vinegar. Apply the mixture to the mustard stain and let it soak for a few minutes without letting it go completely dry. Rinse with hot water and launder.

 

7. Vinegar. You can try simply applying white vinegar directly on the stain and letting it soak for a couple of minutes. Rinse the vinegar off with cool water and launder.

 

8. Detergent and Water. For mustard stains on leather and carpets, use two cups of water mixed with three tablespoons of detergent. For carpets, use this solution to scrub away the stain. For most surfaces such as tiles, glass and even leather, work up a few suds in the water and use a clean sponge to gently go over the stain. Rinse with a clean damp rag and dry thoroughly.

 

9. Baking Soda. To get rid of mustard stains on texture floors and grout, you can also use baking soda for those hard-to-reach areas. After scrubbing the area with warm soapy water, put a bit of baking soda on the stain and scrub. (For other uses of baking soda, read 75 extraordinary uses for baking soda)

 

10. Hairspray, Gel, Stain Remover Stick. Hairspray can also be used as an additional step. Apply detergent liquid on the stain and let it stand for five minutes. Rinse and repeat until most of the stain is removed or you can see the stain fading. Apply hairspray, gel or a stain remover stick on the stain, apply detergent again, rinse. If you can still see a stain, you must repeat the process of detergent and rinsing until the stain is totally gone. (For other uses of hairspray, read 18 hair-raising uses for spray)

 

11. Soaking. When mustard gets on your prized jewelry, you must act quickly. Put a few drops of liquid detergent in a small bowl of warm water (Want to make your own liquid detergent, Learn how to make liquid soap). Make sure it’s nice and sudsy before putting in your jewelry in to soak. Leave it there for a few minutes and rinse in warm water. Pat dry with a clean rag.

 

12. Club Soda. Pour a bit of club soda onto a piece of clean cloth. Make sure that the cloth is damp and not dripping wet. Use the cloth with club soda to blot the stain until it eventually goes away.

 

13. Rust Remover. Use the same procedure recommended in item number six, only after rinsing, you must blot the stain to remove excess moisture. Apply rust remover (oxalic acid solution) and then blot again. Rinse with tap water sprayed onto the stain. Blot again to remove excess water. Put some paper towels on top of the stain and put a weight to keep them from being blown away. Repeat the whole process as you see fit, and launder as you normally would.

 

14. Meat Tenderizer. Mix water meat tenderizer to make a paste. Use an old but clean toothbrush to scrub the stain using the paste. Allow the stain to set, even overnight. You may then launder the stained clothing as usual.

 

Removing mustard stains may be quite a pain, and a test of patience. Sometimes you’ll have to make do with a slight yellow discoloration that won’t be easily perceived by other people, but that’s okay. Just keep doing any of these methods again and again and you’re sure to get that stain out eventually. For more information on this article, read how to get stains out.