Got Yogurt Stains? Here’s One Thing You Should Do.
Delicious and nutritious, yogurt — especially the Greek kind — has become a 21st century breakfast staple. Its tasty tanginess goes sour, however, when a glob of it lands on your shirt!
“Yogurt is what we like to call a ‘combination stain’ because it has a number of ingredients that can cause problems,” says Dan Miller, founder and president of Mulberrys Garment Care, which has locations throughout Minnesota and California. “Milk, sugar, food dyes, oils, and fruit are all ingredients in yogurt and can discolor different fabrics.”
Don’t worry — Miller’s got step-by-step yogurt-removing instructions, plus the save-the-day tip you need.
3 Steps to Cleaning a Yogurt Stain
If there’s a glob of yogurt, the first thing you want to do is scrape it up with a spoon. (Yeah, it’s kinda obvious, but it’s still the first step).
Next, blot the stain with a dry towel or napkin, getting out as much as you can, as quickly as you can — work fast and it might not even have time to soak in much. Be sure to rotate your paper so you don’t re-blot on anything you’ve already blotted up.
If you’ve got an instant stain remover in your desk, like Tide to Go or Shout Wipes, apply that — it contains enzymes that can break down the yogurt protein — and leave the stain alone until you get home.
And Now for the Surprising Tip: Lemon Juice
If your tasty treat was loaded with fruit, you’re dealing with a plant-based stain, which responds best to acids like vinegar or lemon juice. So if, once you get home, you still see discoloration on your shirt or dress, pat it with a cloth dipped in lemon juice. Wash it right away, pre-treating the spot with some laundry detergent just in case. The stain should come out as if it was never there.
Have you ever used lemon juice to get stains out?