Backyard BBQ Laundry Stain Guide!

Family on vacation having barbecue sitting a deck near the beach

How To Get Ketchup, BBQ Sauce, and Mustard Stains Out of Clothing

Summer is here, and that means it’s BBQ time! Hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs – yum, yum, yum!

But for every delicious dish served up, there’s always the chance it’ll end up on your kids’ clothes and not on their plates.

Oxi Fresh is here to help you with these summer spills and spots, here’s a guide on how to clean ketchup stains on clothes, BBQ stains on clothes, spaghetti sauce and mustard stains on clothes.

Quick Note: When using any cleaning solution (white vinegar, bleaches, etc.) on a garment, always test the products first to make sure they won’t damage the article.

Ketchup & BBQ Stains

What You’ll Need

  • White Vinegar
  • Liquid Laundry Detergent
  • Sponge
  • Spoon
  • Rubber Gloves
  • Soft Brush

– Step 1 ­–
Grab a spoon and use it to scoop up as much of the staining material as you can. Work from the outside edge of the spot towards the middle. That will help prevent the stain from spreading.

– Step 2 ­–
Flip the garment inside out and run cold water through the back of the spot. This will flush out more of the ketchup or BBQ sauce. (Make sure the dirty rinse water isn’t then hitting other parts of the garment.)

– Step 3 ­–
Put on a pair of gloves and work some liquid laundry detergent into the spot. Make sure you put a gloved hand behind the spot to prevent it from spreading around when you do this.

– Step 4 ­–
With a gloved hand behind the spot, “tamp” the top of the spot with a soft brush (a semi-vigorous tapping). This will help break up the staining material.

– Step 5 ­–
Grab your sponge and dampen it with the white vinegar. With your gloved hand behind the spot, blot the spot with the vinegar. Work from the outside edge towards the middle.

– Step 6 ­–
After letting it dwell for 5-10 minutes, rinse the spot out from behind.

Repeat these steps until you can’t get rid of any more ketchup or BBQ sauce.

Still have a spot after that? Try this:
– Step 1 ­–
Use a laundry stain pretreatment on the spot, launder it, but don’t dry it. If the spot is gone, then you can dry it. If there’s still a spot, try Step 2.

– Step 2 ­–
Work liquid laundry detergent into the spot and soak it in warm water for 30 minutes. After that, launder it but don’t dry it. Check to see if the spot is gone and, if it is, go ahead and dry it.

Thanks to Stain-Removal-101’s many great articles and Good Housekeeping for the laundry cleaning information!

Mustard Stains

What You’ll Need

  • Liquid Laundry Detergent or Laundry Stain Pretreatment (w/o Ammonia)
  • Bleach
  • Glycerin
  • Spoon
  • Rubber Gloves

– Step 1 ­–
Grab a spoon and use it to scoop up as much of the staining material as you can. Work from the outside edge of the spot to the middle.

– Step 2 ­–
Flip the garment inside out and run cold water through the back of the spot.

– Step 3 ­–
Put on a pair of gloves and, with a gloved hand behind the spot, work some liquid laundry detergent or a laundry stain pretreatment into the spot.

Make sure the product you’re using doesn’t have ammonia, as that can cause the turmeric in the mustard to set.

– Step 4 ­–
After letting it dwell for 5-10 minutes, rinse the spot out from behind.

– Step 5 ­–
Launder the garment at high heat with bleach; use a bleach appropriate for the garment. Don’t dry the item yet.

– Step 6 ­–
Check to see if the stain is gone. If most of it is, but some remains, try this process again. Once there’s no more stain, go ahead and dry the garment.

Still have a spot after all that? Try this:

– Step 1 ­–
Put on a pair of gloves and, with a gloved hand behind the spot, work some glycerin into the stain.

– Step 2 ­–
After letting it dwell for 15 minutes, rinse the spot out from behind.

– Step 4 ­–
At this point, try repeating Step 5 from above.

Thanks to Stain-Removal-101.com and wikiHow for all the top-notch laundry tips!

Carpet Cleaning Before and After Photos

What Customers Are Saying

Average 4.7 stars (Out of 5)

Based on 275,817 Carpet Cleaning Services Reviews
Techs were professional and did a great job. LF. - Rio Rancho, NM - 03/03/2024
(5.0 Out of 5 stars)
PN. - Henderson, NV - 03/01/2024
(5.0 Out of 5 stars)
BS. - Redondo Beach, CA - 03/01/2024
(5.0 Out of 5 stars)
MORE REVIEWS

Easy Online
Quotes

We make it easy for you. Get your free quote now!

Save Money
with Coupons

Checkout special deals on your area and save!

Water Savings
Calculator

We make it easy for you. Get your free quote now!

Great Customer
Service

We're standing by to help CALL
1-877-OXIFRESH

VIEW MORE ARTICLES
VIEW MORE BLOGS

Oxi Fresh Awards & Recognition