Stains are sneaky. You notice them the moment they appear, but they often hide (or are forgotten) when it's finally time to tackle the laundry. So, what do you do when a stain makes its way through the laundry process and doesn't disappear? Read on for some tips on how to remove stains that have been through the wringer.

The right stuff

First, it's important to understand how clothes come clean in the laundry. Detergents are attracted to both soils and water. The opposing forces in the detergents (called surfactants) loosen the soil and suspend it in the water, which helps dissolve it. The agitation from the washing machine forces the soil free.

Using the right amount of detergent helps your clothes come clean by ensuring that soils are not redeposited. So, be sure to read the dosage instructions on your favorite formula of Tide® to find out just how much detergent you should use.

Remember, one dose of Tide Liquid has 3X the stain removal power versus three doses of the next leading detergent!* That means those hidden and forgotten stains may come out all on their own — when you use Tide.

Note: For all of the recommendations below, always check the garment label for the manufacturer's laundry recommendations.

Special treatment

Really tough stains, though, usually need a little extra attention. That's why you should try to remember to pretreat stained garments before you toss them into the washer. To pretreat fabrics such as cotton, acrylic, nylon, polyester and linen, either rub a small amount of Tide onto the stained area, or if you have more time:

1.Using a plastic bucket, create a soak solution by adding 1/2 use Tide per gallon of water. Allow the garment to soak for up to 30 minutes, weighting the item with a white towel to keep it totally submerged.
2.Wash in warm water with one dose of Tide.
3.Let line or air dry. Repeat procedure, if necessary.

For more delicate fabrics, like washable silk and wool, you can pretreat using the steps above except be sure to hand wash the garment.

If at first you don't succeed...

If a stained white garment goes through the washer and dryer and some or all of the stain still remains, try this:

1.Wash in warm water using 1 use of Tide with Bleach.
2.Treat matching pieces of an outfit.
3.Air dry. Repeat procedure, if necessary.

If the garment is colored, rewash it. But this time, pretreat the stained area first by soaking the garment in a plastic bucket with 1/2 use Tide per gallon of water for at least 30 minutes.

Come out, come out wherever you are

Keep Tide to Go® handy and you might not have to worry about hidden or forgotten stains. This instant stain remover helps eliminate many fresh food and drink stains — whenever, wherever. Keep one in your briefcase, car, purse and kitchen, and get rid of stains right when they happen, long before laundry day.

*based on (1) one dose of Tide vs. (3) three doses of the next leading regular detergent in volume sales.