July 8, 2026, 1:02 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Doing laundry often needs to be quick in everyday life. It’s no surprise if a colorful T-shirt slips in with the whites. But the result is usually consequential: numerous color stains on the clothes that can’t be removed even with another wash. myHOMEBOOK spoke with an expert to explain whether there are ways to remove stains from discolored clothing and if you can prevent discoloration.
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Color Stains in Clothing–Can They Be Removed?
The basic answer is: Yes. But unfortunately, rarely with home remedies. Dr. Bernd Glassl, head of the department at the German Cosmetic, Toiletry, Perfumery and Detergent Association, recommends buying commercial color removers to extract the color stains from the white fibers. If you want to remove stains from discolored clothing, you can also perform additional wash cycles. The color stains gradually fade, as the expert adds.
Also interesting: Dyeing Clothes in the Washing Machine–Will the Laundry Also Turn Colorful?
There are numerous home remedies on the internet that are supposed to help remove color stains from clothing. From citric acid to gall soap to baking soda. However, it’s debated whether these home remedies really help. myHOMEBOOK tested baking soda as a home remedy against discolored laundry in this context:
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Hand Washing Can Prevent
If you have a few new clothing items that might bleed during the first wash, you should try hand washing, advises Bernd Glassl. Although various detergents already contain substances that generally prevent bleeding, this can still happen with new clothing items. A wash solution should already prevent this. “If the wash solution becomes heavily colored, caution is advised when washing with other textiles.”
To further prevent this, color catcher sheets should be used in such cases. But even sorting the textiles carefully can prevent it. Clothes should be sorted by the following color tones:
- White (including white kitchen textiles)
- Black, dark blue, brown
- Red, orange, yellow, pink, light violet
- Light blue, beige, light gray
- Green
The Right Wash Program Also Helps
If you don’t want to remove stains from discolored clothing in the first place, you should also pay attention to the right wash programs beforehand. Laundry should be sorted not only by colors but also by the corresponding temperature settings and programs in the washing machine. This means: If the care label says hand wash, the garment should be handled accordingly, as incorrect treatment can, in the worst case, promote bleeding or even cause the clothing to shrink.