A person wearing a white shirt stained with ketchup

How to Remove Ketchup Stains from Clothes, Carpet and Upholstery

__That red stain on your clean, white shirt almost feels like the ketchup bottle was trying to say something. Red for danger! __

Leave it to Tide to show you how to get ketchup stains out of your clothes, carpets and upholstery in a few easy-to-remember steps, so you can enjoy your fries without a worry in the world!

Before You Begin

Tomato-based stains are notoriously hard to remove, and sadly, ketchup is no exception.

The most important thing to remember when dealing with a red ketchup stain is to not let it set. Otherwise, there’s a pretty big chance that you’ll have to soak your stained item in cold water with some colour-safe bleach added in before you could move on with the rest of the stain removal steps.

To make sure you get every last particle of the popular condiment off your garments, carpet, and upholstery, you will need to:

act fast
have a dull knife or a spoon at hand
use a high-quality laundry detergent.

Below, we’ll tell you how to remove ketchup stains from your washable and non-washable fabrics, your carpet, and your upholstery, in a few easy-to-remember steps.

How to Remove Ketchup Stains from Clothes

Whether it’s a white shirt or a coloured dress you want to remove ketchup stains from, you can follow the same tried-and-true steps:You start by removing excess ketchup stain from your garments, you pre-treat the stain with some liquid laundry detergent, add the detergent and the clothes to your washing machine, press start, and at the end of the cycle, unload your garments.

Hungryfor more details? Then here is our step-by-step guide on removing ketchup stains:

Step 1

Remove Excess Ketchup Stain.

Blot the fresh stain with a paper towel. On dried ketchup stains, scrape with a fork, a dull knife, or a spoon. Turn the piece of garment inside out and rinse with cold water.

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How to Remove Old, Dried Ketchup Stains from Clothes

The best way to get old ketchup stains out of your clothes is to first remove any excess you find on the garment, then soak the stain in cold water. Next, pour some Tide Ultra OXI High Efficiency Liquid and evenly spread it on the stain. After letting it sit for 10 minutes, rinse the treated area thoroughly with warm water, and then wash your garment as you normally would.

How to Remove Ketchup Stains from Carpet and Upholstery

Whether it’s golden fries, a sizzling hot dog, or a juicy hamburger you’re munching on, chances are it’s dripping in ketchup. It doesn’t take too much of an imagination to grasp that ketchup stains can easily end up on the most unexpected surfaces. If you notice dribbles of the king of condiments spotting your carpet or couch, simply follow our handy little ketchup removal guide, and soon you’ll be left with nothing else than a spotless carpet and impeccably clean upholstery.

Step 1. Lift away excess. Use a dull knife or a spoon to remove excess ketchup from the fabric. If the stain has already dried, add a dollop of fresh tomato sauce onto the stain and let it sit for a few minutes, thus speeding up the stain removal.
Step 2. Prepare a solution. Mix 1 tablespoon of Tide Ultra OXI High Efficiency Liquid in 2 cups of warm water. Using a clean white cloth, blot the stain with the solution, and let the mixture sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 3. Blot away moisture. Grab a paper towel and soak up any excess moisture on the stained area. If the stain is still visible, dip another clean white cloth into the detergent solution and continue blotting the stain until it is completely gone, taking care not to spread it further.
Step 4. Rinse. Using a clean cloth and a bit of water, absorb and blot away any remaining detergent suds from the treated area.
Step 5. Dry. Allow your carpet or upholstery to air dry, then bust out your vacuum cleaner and collect any stray fibres.

How Do You Get Ketchup Stains Out of a Pillow Cover?

What a curious question! Luckily, the answer is rather simple: If the stain is still fresh, just grab a clean, white towel, and apply a little bit of Tide Ultra OXI High Efficiency Liquid on one of its corners. Using the towel, blot the stain until it is completely gone. In case the stain doesn’t seem to fade away, we recommend either running your pillow cover through the wash with the detergent or seeking professional help by turning to your dry cleaners.

Effective Stain Removal for a Variety of Stain

The kitchen is ground zero for acquiring stains and getting messy. Whether you’re dealing with ketchup stains or other saucy stains, like mayonnaise or mustard, Tide can help you clean up your chef’s outfit.

For ketchup stain removal, or any other cooking stain, Tide can make your favorites clean and pristine again. Use Tide to help with tough stain removal, and although it can’t make you a master chef, Tide can get your clothes looking and smelling their best.

Products to treat ketchup stains