Downy Unstopables Caused Stains On My Washables

Many people love Downy Unstopables, which is a laundry scent booster product, but this page has to do with complaints of staining caused by this product.


These scent beads are added to the washing machine, to be dissolved during the wash cycle, while the clothes are being cleaned, to impart additional scent to the washing clothes or other fabrics.

You can learn more about Downy Unstopables, in general, in my article all about them here.



However, whenever you throw anything into your washing machine to dissolve and wash alongside fabrics, there is a chance of staining, and unfortunately I've gotten LOTS of complains about staining caused by this laundry scent booster.

What follows are quite a number of experiences from readers about this problem. You can see the extent of it not only from the comments I've highlighted and published, but also from the extremely long comments section where even more people have chimed in about this problem.

SR101 Reader says:

Twice now I've had stains left by these scent beads.

I put them in the washing machine first, but I'm not sure they are always totally dissolved before my clothes go in, especially when using cold water.

I've rewashed and rewashed and the stains are still there.

I have a washable winter coat and it now looks terrible.

I also feel that this product is expensive and you shouldn't have to worry about destroying your good clothing.

I won't buy again.

Audra says:

I recently bought three new shirts, one from Victoria's Secret and the two others are Juicy Couture. It stained only those three shirts.

It worked well on everything else.

I'm very disappointed because it ruined the most expensive clothes that I had. Any ideas on how to get the stains out?

Downy Unstopables {Referral Links}

Taylor says:

I'm sorry both of you are having this trouble with this product.

I've collected several additional reader complaints similar to this below, along with some suggestions of what to do about it, so keep scrolling down for more information.

Lush Scent Left Dots On Clothes

by Sammantha Wilhite
(Monroe LA)

Sammantha shared her experience with this product, which unfortunately was not very good.

Sammantha says:

I have used the Downy Unstopables several times. They left dots on our clothes and ruined several garments.

I now use what I have left in the bottom of my trash cans as a deodorizer.

I do not like this product and was very unpleased with the results.

The types of clothing were cotton fabrics, our towels and shirts.

I love for my clothes to smell clean so I always use dryer sheets. I even put them in our suitcases when we go on a trip.

Suggestions For Adding Product To Wash & Removing Stains If They Occur From Taylor

Sammantha, thanks for sharing your experience with this product with me.

You aren't the first person to mention that this product caused staining and spotting to your clothing, for this brand.

I've actually discussed a similar issue more, though, with another laundry scent booster. I've gotten similar complains along these lines with Gain Fireworks as well.



The consensus over on that page from other readers who've also used the product is that you've got to add the water, then the scent booster crystals or beads (and detergent), let it dissolve a bit, and then add the clothes.

When this product was first advertised there was even some confusion about what order you should add them in, since that wasn't very clear on the packaging or anywhere else.

I have noticed, however, that recently even in their commercials for them they now explicitly say to add the beads before you add the clothes, so my guess is that they got a lot of complaints about this issue!

As mentioned above, making sure they are added first, and are dissolved before the addition of clothes doesn't always seem to prevent the problem though.

In addition, using a different method for adding them to the wash doesn't help you with the clothes that are already stained or ruined.

If they've been run through the dryer it may be too late to salvage them, but if you caught it after the wash, but before you dried them with heat you may still have a chance to remove the stains.

I would suggest a long presoak in a color safe bleach solution, such as Oxiclean. Tell me if that helps if you try it!

In addition, another reader from the Gain Fireworks review page suggested using ammonia to try to remove the stains. If you do this, check out the tip on the page first, and follow all precautions necessary to make sure you don't ruin the garment!

***Update #1: Another reader, Kelli, commented sharing that she also had some problems with staining from this product.

She stated:

I have had several garments stained by the purple unstoppables, too. It smells great, but I have had way too many things ruined already. :(

***End Update

***Update #2: Here's another similar comment I received:

I recently used this product and it left stains on two of my work shirts and a hoodie. I rewashed them to no avail. Stay away from this product. I contacted the company and they stated they would reimburse me for my clothes and I haven't received anything yet.

***End Update

Love The Scent But It Has Stained My Dark Clothes

Sandra says:

I absolutely love the smell of the Blue Downy Unstoppables.

However the only complaint I have is that they have ruined several pieces of my dark clothing by leaving a round stain, like a slight purple color.

It will not come off.

I have a front loading washer, so there is no way I can add water first and then the clothes.

CParker says:

I've noticed stains on our towels and light colored cotton shirts and tan pants.

Love the scent that it leaves on clothing and towels but not worth the stains it leaves behind. Disappointed.

Taylor says:

Sorry to hear about the staining problems this product has been causing you.

I've provided some suggestions above, from myself and linked to pages with suggestions from other readers, of how to remove these stains from similar products.

However, I'd love to hear from even more readers with ideas and tips you've used to get rid of spots from these types of laundry products.

If you've either experienced this problem or have a way to fix it, I'd love to hear from you. You can share your tips here, or in the comments below.

In addition, make sure to check out this large round up of laundry product and supplies reviews here.

Related Pages You May Enjoy

Downy Unstopables Causes Allergic Reactions In Some People

Laundry Tips & Tricks For Busy Moms

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