Dairy Stains: How to Remove Milk, Ice Cream and Yogurt Stains Out of Clothes and Carpets

Dairy might be good for your bones, but not for your clothes!

Popular dairy products like milk, ice cream and yogurt are found in virtually all households, but their stains don’t have to be a hassle in your laundry room. Read our comprehensive guide to learn everything from how to get chocolate ice cream out of your clothes to how to get milk out of your carpet.

How to Remove Dairy Products Stains

Have you ever pondered the question, “How does milk stain my fabrics?” At first, it may look like an easy stain to remove based on its colour and consistency, but not treating the stain right away can cause it to dry, sour, and start to smell. The reason? Milk, like other dairy products such as ice cream and yogurt, contains protein and fat, which are notorious for their fabric-adhering properties. With a little help from Tide, however, you can get rid of dairy product stains from your clothes with minimal effort.

Step 1

Remove Excess

Scrape off any excess dairy product from the garment before rinsing under cold, running water. The higher the water pressure, the easier the stain will be to remove.

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How to Remove Milk Stains

No need to cry over spilled milk, especially where stains are concerned. Milk stains can be easily removed if you just act fast and follow the steps in the previous section, save for the very first one. In case of afresh milk stains, instead of scraping off excess, gently blot the stained area with a clean cloth, sponge, or a few sheets of paper towels, removing as much of the liquid as you can. Once that’s done, rinse the garment with cold water and proceed with the rest of the steps.

How to Remove Ice Cream Stains

Whether it’s vanilla, strawberry, rum raisin, or chocolate fudge brownie with extra sprinkles, ice cream seems to always find its way onto your t-shirt. For clothing with ice cream stains, simply following the general stain removal steps laid out above will do the trick most of the time.

If, however, the stained area still has a yellowish-brownish colour to it after running the piece of clothing through the wash, you’ll want to repeat the stain removal steps until the stain is no longer visible, before putting the garment in your dryer.

How to Remove Yogurt Stains

Yogurt might be a tasty snack, but there is no point in feeding it to your clothes. Yogurt stains are unsightly and might be a pain to remove, but fortunately, with these easy steps your garments will be completely free from dairy disasters in no time.

Fresh Yogurt Stains

Start by gently scraping off excess yogurt from the garment with a spoon.
Next, soak the clothing in cold water (as warm or hot water can easily set protein-based stains like yogurt), and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
Remove the garment from the water and apply a bit of Tide Ultra OXI High Efficiency Liquid detergent on the stain, working it into the fabric gently.
Rinse off the detergent after about 10 minutes, and wash the item inside your washing machine on the hottest wash temperature indicated on the garment’s care label.

Dried Yogurt Stains

Apply a bit of laundry detergent on the stained area, gently rub it into the fabric, then let it soak for 30 minutes.
Every 3-5 minutes give it a gentle blotting with a damp cloth.
After the 30 minutes has elapsed, rinse off the garment with cold water and run it through your washer.

How to Get Milk and Ice Cream Out of Carpet and Upholstery

Milk and ice cream have a way of escaping whatever vessel they’re contained within, and when that happens, neither your carpet, nor your upholstery are free from danger. Getting milk and ice cream stains out of your carpet and couch is easy – when you know how, that is. Follow our quick guide and learn how to get rid of milk stains from your carpet and upholstery!

Step 1. Before you begin: Check the care label of your carpet and upholstery to see if it’s safe to use detergent and water on them. If so, move on to the next step.
Step 2. Remove excess: Gently blot the excess milk or ice cream stain from the fabric.
Step 3. Prepare a solution: Prepare a solution by mixing together 1 teaspoon of Tide Ultra OXI High Efficiency liquid with 1 cup of cold water.
Step 4. Apply solution: Dip a clean cloth in the solution, and gently blot the stained area moving inward.
Step 5. Wipe away solution: Clean away the detergent residue with a dampened cloth, then blot the area dry with a towel.

If the stain is still visible, repeat the above process until the stain is completely gone.

Effective Stain Removal on a Variety of Stains

Milk, ice cream and yogurt stains may have other friends. Whether it’s the sauce from an earlier meal or the drink that went with it, Tide knows how to remove those stains, too. From chocolate to gravy stains, Tide can help you with the cleaning, and not only by making your whites whiter, but also by getting your clothes smelling and looking their best.

Products to treat dairy products stains