Tips On How To Get Rid Of Cologne And Perfume Stains On Laundry

Smelling like your favorite cologne or perfume is great, but the stains they often leave on your laundry are less than spectacular. Some fragrances can cause the toughest laundry stains, thanks to their oil-based composition. Fortunately, if you find yourself with an accidental fragrance spill or tend to spray your scent repeatedly on the same article of clothing, there are a few things you can do to help remove these stains. Pretreating stains with your regular laundry detergent will help lift the oil residue, but if that doesn't work, dabbing the stain with rubbing alcohol followed by rubbing with a bar of white soap should do the trick. You can also soak your clothing in a mixture of warm water, laundry detergent, and white vinegar to remove the fragrance oils.

Perfume stains are most likely to happen to delicate fabrics like silk and satin but can also appear noticeably on white or light-colored clothes. Most fragrance stains occur when the scent is sprayed onto the clothing rather than the skin. To avoid future cologne or perfume stains on laundry, you can apply your fragrance before getting dressed, allowing it to completely dry on your skin before putting your top on. Additionally, make sure you spray your scent from a distance — six to eight inches is the recommended distance to avoid staining clothes and having a concentration of scent in one place. 

If you have a fragrance stain, your first line of defense should be to pretreat it by first soaking it in cool water and then applying your regular laundry detergent to it. That's right — in most cases, you can ditch stain removers and use this laundry room staple to pretreat fabric instead. Rub gently, then launder as usual.

If the pretreating method doesn't work to fight fragrance stains, check the care label on the item (one of the important steps you shouldn't skip before starting a load of laundry), since you don't want to use any techniques that might further damage the item. If it's safe to do so, dab (don't pour) rubbing alcohol on the fragrance stain using a clean cloth or cotton ball, then blot it with another cloth to remove excess residue. Then, rub the stain with a bar of white (not colored) soap to lift the remaining oils from the clothing. Rinse fully, then launder as usual.

Another method involves soaking your stained laundry in a mixture of warm water, white vinegar, and laundry detergent. Mix one quart of warm water with ½ teaspoon of your regular detergent. Add one tablespoon of white vinegar, give it a stir, and then soak your clothing for 15 minutes. Thoroughly rinse with water and launder like normal. If you're not sure that the stain is 100% removed, air dry (as opposed to placing it in the dryer), then try again if the stain is still present.