How To Remove Yogurt Stains

Yogurt stains are all too common, especially when you give kids yogurt as a snack.

Below are instructions for removing stains caused by yogurt, including red yogurt stains, from carpet, fabric and upholstery.

Please note that stains caused by yogurt are known as "combination stains." This means that there is the part of the stain caused by the yogurt itself, which is a cream or protein stain, but also part of the stain that can be caused by the fruit or other items that have been put into the yogurt.

If the techniques below are not getting all of the stain caused by the yogurt out, I suggest also reviewing the A-Z Removal Guide for the fruit or other ingredient contained in the yogurt that is causing such a persistent stain.

Some of the most common culprits include:

• Blackberry stains
• Blueberry stains
• Cherry stains
• Lemon stains
• Lime stains
• Mango stains
• Peach stains
• Pomegranate stains
• Rasberry stains
• Strawberry stains

Removing Yogurt Stains From Fabric And Clothing

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

Step 2: Run the fabric under cold running water.

Step 3: Pretreat the stain with liquid enzyme laundry detergent, soaking for 30 minutes, or in the alternative pretreat with an enzyme pretreater.

Hint: If the stain is older, you may want to pretreat for longer, say a couple of hours.

Step 4: Launder the item.

Hint: Make sure the stain is gone after washing, but before you place in the dryer or you may set the stain. If the stain is not gone let the item air dry and pretreat again with a prewash laundry stain remover. Repeat laundering if necessary.

In addition, here is a story from a reader about how she removed a stain caused by blueberry yogurt from her quilt that you may find helpful.

Yogurt Stain Removal For Upholstery

Step 1: Scrape off any excess yogurt from the upholstery.

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

Step 3: Using this solution sponge the stain caused by the yogurt 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 stains are 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.

You can also try a dry cleaning solvent for removing stains caused by yogurt, but be careful on upholstery to test first in an inconspicuous location to make sure the solvent will not discolor the upholstery fabric.

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

How To Remove Stains Caused By Yogurt From Carpet

The instructions for removing stains caused by yogurt from carpet are the same as the dishwashing liquid solution stain removal technique listed above for upholstery.

However, if you don't have luck with the dishwashing liquid method 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.

I do not suggest using a dry cleaning solvent on the carpeting to remove stains caused by yogurt.

Recommended Yogurt Stain Removers

Perhaps you don't want to make your own stain remover, but instead want to use something designed to remove yogurt stains. The key is to find products which contain enzymes, since this is one of the best ways to remove protein stains, but also to find products that will remove the other part of the stain, like berry stains if that is what is in your yogurt.

Here are some articles and reviews on this site which discuss various products that are designed to remove these stains:

Carbona Stain Devil #4

Dry Cleaning Solvent

Shout Free Pretreater

Ivory Snow

Presoak With BIZ Or Oxiclean {Worked On 4 Day Old Spot}

BIZ Stain Remover Powder

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

Do You Have Any Tips To Share For Removing These Stains?

I'm always looking for more tips and ideas for how to remove stains. You can share your stain removal tip here, for removing stains caused by yogurt or anything else.

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.

Third photo by smoorenburg and fourth photo by hfb

Related Pages You May Enjoy

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

Go From Removing Yogurt Stains To Home Page

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.