- Presoak colors using either your regular detergent, or a chlorine free bleach. For bright colors to be kept brighter, they need to be soaked in cold water for a short period of time, for about 30 minutes to an hour. Rub a stain removal solution or stick into heavy duty stains before soaking. Once you are done soaking your colors, wash the clothes as usual, making sure you are washing bright colors together, and whites and lighter shades of clothing separately.
- Soak whites in warmer water for best results, and these light and white clothing items can be soaked for a longer period of time such as overnight. Soak in chlorine-free bleach, and rub stains beforehand with a little cold water or a stain remover stick if needed. Once you have presoaked, launder as usual. If the stain persists, repeat the cycle until the stain is gone or faded noticeably. A stain remover such as Biz or Oxiclean can be useful for removing stains from light colors.
- For heavy stains such as chocolate, use a small brush to scrub at the stain before pretreating to remove as much of it as possible, especially if it is smeared on to a garment. For gum or peanut butter that is stuck on a garment, put ice on the substance and rub it until it can be removed without damaging the garment. Once the bulk of the stain is removed, presoak according to color and material.
- If you need to presoak clothes but don't want to use bleach or other chemicals to do it, there are other options. Make a natural, non-toxic presoak solution by mixing equal amounts of baking soda and peroxide with double the amount of hot water. This is a natural stain remover and clothes can soak in it overnight if necessary. Alternately, you can mix 2 tbsp. of your preferred laundry detergent, 2 quarts of water and 1/2 cup of ammonia for another type of presoak and stain remover. Soak clothes in a half water, half vinegar mixture to remove stains and brighten colors naturally.