There’s no better way to start the day than by grabbing a cuppa and a jar of fruit and nut yoghurt. The treat will keep you going until lunchtime, and it’s healthy as a bonus!
But then you go and ruin the idyllic image by sloshing a heaped teaspoon of the gloopy fermented milk down your uniform before you leave for work!
Like other dairy-related products, yoghurt is a protein-based stain that leaves unsightly blemishes on fabric surfaces. You can, however, remove the eyesore with ease. Follow the steps below.
How to Get Rid of Yoghurt Stains
Tips to remember
- Don’t use hot water. Stick to using cold water unless stipulated otherwise.
- Don’t dry the item of clothing until it’s free from yoghurt. Heat sets stains, and if a blemish is ‘set’, it becomes harder to remove from a piece.
- Test your chosen cleaning solution out first. A quick patch test will tell you if the product you’re about to use will damage your item. If you see a problem, stop using the solution and find something else to use.
- Act fast. It’s easier to treat a stain as soon as it happens. Once a blemish has aged and dried, it gets trickier to remove.
- Clothes that say ‘Dry clean only’ on the care label should be taken to a dry cleaning shop where a professional can take care of them. You can find a shop by doing a quick online search.
- Never scrub a yoghurt stain. Soft movements are all you need. Scrubbing drives the protein-based stain deeper into the material’s fibres. Consequently, it becomes harder to get rid of.
- When handling protein-related stains, you must use an enzyme solution to break down the protein molecules so the blemish can be lifted off the surface.
Removing Fresh Yoghurt Stains from Clothes
The method below is for fresh yoghurt stains. In this case, the yoghurt hasn’t hardened. It has a gloopy texture instead.
Tools you need:
- Teaspoon
- Running cold water
- Soft toothbrush
- Tub
- Optional: Specialised stain remover
- Laundering method: Washing machine or hand washing tools
Steps to follow:
- Scoop up as much yoghurt as possible using a teaspoon. Try not to splatter the yoghurt around.
- Turn the item of clothing inside out.
- Flush cold water through the back of the yoghurt stain.
- Turn the item the right way around.
- Coat the yoghurt stain in a biological liquid laundry detergent like Persil Bio. Ensure the detergent contains enzymes, as these will break down the protein-based stain.
- Massage the detergent into the stain by rubbing it gently with a soft toothbrush.
- Soak the item in a tub of cold water.
- Wait 10 minutes.
- Check the garment care label and wash it accordingly.
- Add extra detergent to the wash.
- Start a cleaning cycle.
- When the washing cycle ends, check the item of clothing for yoghurt stains.
- If there aren’t any blemishes present, dry the item. If there is yoghurt on the garment, continue with the steps below.
- Grab a specialised stain remover and apply it to the stain as per the instructions on the packaging.
- Launder your garment after it has been treated.
Tip: Add a laundry booster like Vanish Gold Oxi Action to your washing cycle to banish those unattractive yoghurt marks.
How to Remove Dried Yoghurt from Clothes
The method below is suitable for yoghurt stains that have set throughout the day. For example, you dropped yoghurt on your work uniform and couldn’t treat it until you got home.
Tools you need:
- Credit card
- Biological laundry detergent
- Shallow dish
- Soft toothbrush
- Neutral-coloured cloths
- Running cold water
- Laundering method: Washing machine or hand washing tools
Steps to follow:
- If possible, scrape the dried yoghurt off the surface using a credit card. Don’t worry if you can’t do this.
- Dip a clean, neutral-coloured cloth in cold water, wring it out and blot the stained patch.
- Pour biological laundry detergent into a shallow dish.
- Dip a soft toothbrush into the detergent.
- Work the liquid laundry detergent into the dried yoghurt stain using the toothbrush.
- Wait 30 minutes.
- Grab a clean, neutral-coloured cloth. Soak the cloth in cold water and wring it out.
- Repeatedly blot the yoghurt stain.
- Add more detergent to the blemish if need be.
- Flush cold water through the back of the yoghurt stain.
- Launder the item of clothing as instructed.
- When the washing cycle ends, check the item of clothing for yoghurt stains.
- If there aren’t any blemishes, dry the item. If there is yoghurt on the garment, continue with the steps below.
- Use an off-the-shelf stain remover to treat the mark – how well it’ll work depends on the age and size of the yoghurt stain.
- Launder your garment after it has been treated.
Tip: For tough yoghurt stains, use Vanish Gold Oxi Action Advance. It can be used as a pre-wash, soaking and in-wash treatment. Those unsightly yoghurt marks won’t stand a chance against it.
How to Get Rid of Yoghurt Stains from Carpets and Upholstery
When treating yoghurt stains on carpets and upholstery, it’s vital that you keep everyone out of the room, or certainly away from the splatter area!
Yoghurt can be squished and traipsed around very quickly, so keep it contained to one region.
The more surfaces the yoghurt touches, the more cleaning solutions and tools you’ll need to source to sort the problem out – this wastes your time and money.
Tools you need:
- Teaspoon
- Neutral-coloured cloths
- Running cold water
- Washing up liquid
- Toothbrush
- Shallow dish
- Optional: Fan
Steps to follow:
- Use a teaspoon to scoop up as much yoghurt as you can from the surface.
- Grab a clean, neutral-coloured cloth.
- Soak the cloth in cold water.
- Wring the cloth out – you don’t want to soak the carpet or upholstered surface.
- Repeatedly blot the yoghurt stain.
- Pop a few blobs of washing up liquid in a shallow dish.
- Dip a toothbrush into the soap.
- Work the washing up liquid into the stain using the soft toothbrush.
- Wait five minutes.
- Grab a second neutral-coloured cloth, soak it in cold water, and wring it out.
- Repeatedly blot the yoghurt stain.
- Repeat the steps above until the whole yoghurt stain has been removed.
- Blot the treated area with a dry, neutral-coloured cloth to remove excess moisture from the surface.
- Allow the surface to dry before you walk or sit on it – open a window and use fans to get the air circulating.
In addition to the above, you could use an off-the-shelf carpet and upholstery stain remover to treat the areas. However, keep in mind that specialised stain removers get mixed results.
For carpets only:
If you can’t remove the yoghurt stain using the steps above, mix a tablespoon of ammonia with two cups of lukewarm water in a bowl.
Pop some gloves on, dip a clean cloth into the water, wring it out and repeatedly blot the yoghurt blemish. Then, rinse the area clean by blotting it with a damp cloth and allow it to dry.
Do Yoghurt Stains Come Out?
Most yoghurt stains can be removed from fabric surfaces if treated quickly and with an enzyme-based cleaning solution.
On the other hand, old, dried yoghurt stains can be trickier to remove, especially if the yoghurt is colourful (hint of blueberry or strawberry, for example).
In this case, you may have to spend more time treating the blemish to remove it effectively. In the worst case, you may be left with a slight stain.
Bethan has a passion for exploring, reading, cooking and gardening! When she’s not creating culinary delights for her family, she’s concocting potions to keep her house clean!
