Whether you are doing your laundry or laundry for the whole household, you know that everyone has underwear problems every once in a while.
One of the hardest to deal with is poop stains on the underwear.
They are usually set into the fabric when they are noticed, so removing them can seem tricky.
Luckily, we’ve done the research, and learning how to get poop stains out of underwear is easy as long as you have some everyday household cleaning items and a little time.
By following this advice, you’ll be able to return the clean underwear to its drawer free from any off-putting stains.
What You’ll Need
You’ll need a few household cleaning items to get poop stains out of underwear successfully.
- Water
- Bleach
- Laundry detergent
Now that you have everything you need, read below to learn how to remove poop stains from underwear.
1. Soak the underwear in cold water
Once you realize poop stains on the underwear, you will wash and fill your laundry sink or a bucket with cold water.
Place the affected underwear in the cold water and allow it to soak for a least ten minutes.
The cold water will start to work out some of the potency of the stain, and it should also help remove any solid matter that may still be clinging to the underwear.
You will need to make sure that any such solid matter is removed before proceeding to the next step.
Pro tip: Do not soak the poop-stained underwear in warm water; it will set the stain deeper into the fabric, making it more difficult to remove.
2. Make a water and bleach mixture and soak
Mix a solution of one part bleach and six parts water.
Allow the stained underwear to soak for a few minutes.
Also, rub some of the solution into the stain.
Doing this will help to reduce and remove the poop stain.
We recommend wearing gloves whenever you are handling bleach to prevent the bleach from coming into direct contact with your skin.
Pro tip: The above solution works best for white underwear. If the underwear is colored in any way, that solution can damage the color of the fabric. If the underwear is colored, you can either reduce the amount of bleach you use or use Oxiclean instead.
3. Rinse And Wash the underwear
You should notice that the poop stain is gone by this point.
Rinse the underwear again in cold water to remove any remaining sediment or bleach, and then immediately wash it according to the washing instructions.
Before putting the underwear in the dryer, though, check to make sure the stain is completely gone.
If it is not, repeat steps two and three again to get the poop stain out ultimately.
If the 3-step method above has successfully removed the poop stains from the underwear, excellent.
If not, watch the video below for a slightly different approach using Oxiclean and liquid stain remover.
The video demonstrates how to get poop stains out of underwear with Oxiclean and liquid stain remover.
Step 1-0:42—Rinse the affected area in cold water. Get as much off as possible.
Step 2-0:49—Combine Oxiclean powder with enough warm water to make a thick paste.
Step 3-0:58—Apply the Oxiclean paste to the poop stain.
Step 4-1:03—Apply the paste to sit on the stain for at least one hour.
Step 5-1:09—Put the stained garment in your washer. Soak it in warm water, Oxiclean, and some liquid stain remover for 30 minutes to one hour.
Step 6-1:16—Wash the affected garment according to the washing instructions.
Step 7-1:21—Double check the stain to ensure it is completely gone before putting it in the dryer.
If the steps above have helped to remove poop stains from underwear, check out our related article that’s dedicated to showing you how to clean poop stains from your toilet bowl.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use Vinegar to get poop stains out of underwear?
If you are leery of using bleach—or you have run out—there is another method you can use to remove poop stains from underwear.
While not consistently as effective, you can use it in a pinch.
White vinegar is a natural stain fighter, and it works well against stains that are soluble in water.
Mix one tablespoon of white vinegar and four cups of water and spray this mixture liberally on the poop stain.
Allow it to sit for a few minutes before washing the underwear according to the washing instructions.
This method works well with both distilled white vinegar and with apple cider vinegar.
Will Baking Soda Remove Poop Stains From Underwear?
If the poop stain is fresh, you can use baking soda to remove it.
Baking soda is a natural stain remover, and it works well against stains that are still wet because the baking soda will absorb the staining liquids before they can stain your fabric.
First, rinse off as much of the stain as possible using cold water.
Then, while the underwear is still wet, sprinkle baking soda onto the affected area.
Use a soft brush to scrub the baking soda into the stain.
Once the stain has been thoroughly scrubbed, apply your favorite stain remover product to the poop stain, allow it to sit according to the manufacture’s instructions, and then wash the underwear.
Although you can use a little bleach in your washing machine when you wash the underwear, it is not necessary to remove the poop stain successfully.
How can I get the poop smell out of the underwear?
If the bleach does not entirely remove the poop smell from the underwear (or you are using an alternate method), you can spray the area with vodka.
Doing this will not help you remove poop stains, but it can help to remove any lingering smell after removing the stain. Simply spray the affected area with vodka and allow it to evaporate.
Don’t wash the vodka away; adding water to the situation will dilute the vodka’s smell fighting power.
The alcohol will help break up the compounds that make the smell, and because vodka does not have a scent of its own, the underwear will not take on a new scent.
Just make sure that you do not use colored or flavored vodka, as these may react with the fabric.
Another way to remove the poop smell from your underwear is to add lemon-scented ammonia to your wash.
Please ensure that you don’t mix the ammonia with bleach.
If you don’t have any lemon-scented ammonia, you can use a lemon.
Squeeze the lemon to extract the lemon juice into a bowl with your smelly underwear and warm water.
Let them soak for 10-15 minutes before you wash them in your regular wash cycle.
The acidity of the lemon juice will cut into and fight against bacteria that’s resulted in the poop smell.
