Ketchup Stain Removal Guide

Ketchup stain removal techniques are necessary skills to master if you or your family members love ketchup, like some of my family do.

Especially with kids these spots and spills can happen fast, like if a child drops one of their french fries dipped in ketchup on their shirt, the couch or the carpet.

One of the keys to removing ketchup stains is to act as quickly as possible to remove them, whenever possible.

The longer it stays on the carpet, upholstery or clothing the more likely it is to set in, and the more work and effort it will take to remove it.

Removal Of Ketchup Stains From Clothing

Step 1: Scrape off any excess ketchup from the fabric.

Step 2: Run the fabric, inside out, under the cold water to flush out as much of the sauce as possible.

Step 3: Apply liquid laundry detergent to the spotted area and let it soak in cold water for 15-30 minutes.

Step 4: Rinse the fabric with cold water.

Step 5: Next, sponge the stained area with white vinegar, applying the vinegar with a clean white cloth.

Step 6: Rinse with cold water, again.

Step 7: Pretreat the stain with a laundry stain remover.

Step 8: Launder in the hottest water the fabric will allow to get out the stain, and either chlorine bleach if the fabric will allow it, or color safe bleach if not.

Hint: Make sure the stain is gone after washing, but before you place it in the dryer or you may set the stain. Repeat if necessary.

You may also find this video about how to remove ketchup stains from clothes helpful, which provides alternative ketchup stain removal techniques for clothing, including using dishwashing liquid, ammonia or unseasoned meat tenderizer.

Ketchup Stain Removal From Upholstery

Step 1: Scrape off any excess ketchup from the upholstery, being careful not to spread the stain further.

Step 2: Mix a solution of two cups cool water and one tablespoon dishwashing liquid.

Step 3: Using this solution, sponge the stain from the ketchup with a clean white cloth.

Step 4: Next, blot at the stain until the liquid is absorbed.

Step 5: Repeat steps 3-4 until the ketchup stain is removed from the upholstery.

Step 6: Now that the stain is removed you should get plain cold water and a new white cloth and sponge the area to remove the cleaning solution, and then blot dry.

Hint: Be sure to get the upholstery only as wet as necessary to remove the stain from the ketchup.

You can get more information on how to clean upholstery here.

How To Remove A Ketchup Stain From Carpet

The instructions for removal of stains caused by ketchup from carpet is the same as for upholstery.

However, if you don't have luck with this stain removal method above you can also do something additional with the carpet stain, which is to mix a solution of one tablespoon of ammonia with two cups warm water, and use this as a stain removal solution.

You may also find this video for removal of ketchup stains from carpet helpful.

Recommended Ketchup Stain Removers

Perhaps you don't want to make your own stain remover, but instead want to use something designed for ketchup stain removal.

Here are some articles and reviews on this site which discuss various products that are designed to remove these stains, or where readers have commented that the remover worked on them:

Shout Laundry Stain Remover

Carbona Stain Devil #2

Swash Get It Out Pen

Charlie's Soap Laundry Powder

Shout Advanced Ultra Gel With Scrubber Head

Whink Wash Away Laundry Pretreater

Biz Detergent Made Me A Believer

Shout Advanced Ultra Gel Spray When Go Through Dryer

Zout Laundry Pretreater

Folex Carpet Spot Remover For Carpet

You can also share your own stain remover reviews here for other products that work on ketchup, or any other stain.

Submit Your Own Stain Removal Tip For Ketchup

Do you have your own stain removal tip for removing stains from ketchup? If so, submit your tip here, or read other tips that have already been submitted.

Fun Ketchup Facts: It Can Remove Stains Too!

This page is devoted to ketchup stain removal, so you may be surprised to find that some people use it to clean and remove stains from copper.

You can learn more about this homemade copper cleaner here, and also why I don't recommend it for this purpose, although you could use it in a pinch.

Get Even More Stain And Spot Removal Help Here

Are you a stain magnet like me? If so, check out the A to Z Stain Removal Guide which gives directions for how to remove over 100 types of stains from all kinds of surfaces.

Related Pages You May Enjoy

A-Z Guide: Instructions For Removing Over 100 Types Of Stains

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CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only. It is provided as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains and messes just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some cleaning methods can harm your item, so if what you want to clean or launder is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.