Those who love adding soy sauce to our food know how easy it is to splatter everywhere, including our clothes. Unfortunately, we also know how difficult getting soy sauce out of clothes can be, especially if it dries. So how do you get soy sauce out of clothes?
Soy sauce can be removed from clothes using various household products such as vinegar, dish soap, laundry detergent, hydrogen peroxide, stain remover, and bleach. You’ll want to pre-treat the stain using one or more of these products before washing and drying the clothing.
When removing soy sauce from clothes, you’ll want to act quickly. If you let the stain dry, it will be harder to get out. I’ll explain everything you need to know about getting soy sauce out of clothes, and even carpet and upholstery, in this article.
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Does Soy Sauce Stain Clothes?
Due to how thin and liquidy it is, soy sauce is very common to get on clothes. And once it does get on your clothes, it can stain rather easily. Unlike other foods that can stain due to oil or other ingredients found in them, soy sauce mostly stains clothing due to its color.
The source of the color of soy sauce and, as a result, the stain is due to chemicals called tannins. Tannins are naturally occurring in the ingredients used to make soy sauce, but they’re also found in wine and tea, and we all know how well those can also stain.
It also makes sense that you’re more likely to notice soy sauce stains on light-colored clothing. If you spill soy sauce on dark clothing, you may not even notice, depending on how dark the clothing is. In addition to being more easily noticeable on light-colored clothing, soy sauce will be harder to remove from light-colored clothing. Even if you get the soy sauce out, it can still leave behind an unsightly brown stain.
Are Soy Sauce Stains Permanent?
Soy sauce stains are usually not permanent. However, whether or not the stain becomes permanent depends on how quickly and effectively you can remove them. And unless you avoid treating the stain altogether before putting the clothing in the washer and dryer, you can usually get it to come out.
I say that because the washing machine may remove some of the soy sauce, but it may not remove all of it. If it doesn’t remove all of it and you put the clothing in the dryer with the stain still on it, the heat from the dryer can set the stain. If that happens, you likely won’t be able to get it out at all and the stain will be permanent.
Does Soy Sauce Come Out Of Clothes?
As long as you don’t put the stained clothing in the dryer, even after washing it, the soy sauce should come out of your clothes as long as you take the measures to pre-treat it. You can try washing the clothing several times, but unless you treat the stain directly, it’s likely not going to come out completely.
The best option for getting soy sauce out of clothes completely is to treat the stain as soon as possible after spilling it on your clothes. Treating the stain while it is fresh will increase the chances of it coming out because it won’t have time to get set into the fibers well. Even if you’re out somewhere and can’t treat the stain right away, you should blot as much of the stain as you can and treat it as soon as you get home for the best results.
How to Get Soy Sauce Out of Clothes
The methods below are the most effective ways to get soy sauce out of clothing. The first two methods are essential, regardless of what products you choose to use afterward. But as far as the rest of the methods go, you can use as few or as many as you need to effectively remove the soy sauce stain.
1. Blot the Excess
The first thing you’ll want to do is blot as much of the soy sauce from the clothing as possible. Do this as soon as possible after spilling soy sauce on your clothing (even if you’re out somewhere) to prevent the stain from setting further into the fabric.
You also need to make sure that you are only blotting the stain. Do not rub the stain. If you rub it, you could push the soy sauce farther into the fabric or cause the stain to spread. If either of those things happens, the stain will be harder to remove.
2. Rinse with Cold Water
After blotting the stain, the next thing you want to do is to turn the clothing inside out. Then, run cold water over the back of the stain. The purpose of this is to try to flush out the stain as much as possible to keep it from moving deeper into the fabric.
Even if you were out somewhere when you spilled soy sauce on your clothing, it’s still a good idea to do this immediately after getting home. Wetting the shirt first will also help the following products work more effectively at removing the stain.
3. Vinegar
In most cases, a little vinegar is needed to remove soy sauce from clothing, especially if the stain is fresh. To use it, you’ll want to create a vinegar and water solution. In a bowl, mix one tablespoon of vinegar and one cup of warm water.
Then, take a clean cloth and soak it in the solution. Use the soaked cloth to dab at the stain. The acid in the vinegar will help to break down the stain. Once you’ve gotten as much soy sauce out of the clothing as possible, rinse the clothing with water afterward to remove the vinegar.
4. Dish Soap
If you don’t have vinegar or the vinegar didn’t remove the stain completely, then the next best thing you should try is dish soap. Dish soap is perfect for removing food-based stains because it contains enzymes and grease-fighting cleaning agents.
You’ll use it similarly to vinegar. In a small bowl, create a solution of one tablespoon of dish soap and one cup of warm water. Dip a clean cloth into the dish soap and water solution and use the cloth to blot at the stain. When you’ve removed as much of the stain as possible, rinse off the dish soap.
5. Liquid Laundry Detergent
Even though the washing machine by itself won’t usually be enough to remove soy sauce from clothing, you can use liquid laundry detergent directly on the stain and have better success. The reason why this works is that laundry detergent in the washing machine is often diluted, but you’ll be applying undiluted laundry detergent directly onto the stain, so the cleaning power will be stronger.
To use it, just apply a small amount of laundry detergent to the stain. Then, use your finger to rub the detergent into the stain. Let the detergent sit on the stain for about 5 minutes. Afterward, rinse the stain with water and, hopefully, the stain will have started to come off. You can repeat this method until you’ve removed as much of the stain as possible.
6. Hydrogen Peroxide
Another option for removing soy sauce from clothes is to use 3% hydrogen peroxide. But, you’ll want to be careful doing this because even 3% hydrogen peroxide can act as a mild bleaching agent and may take the color out of clothes that aren’t color-safe.
First, check to make sure that hydrogen peroxide is safe to use by doing a spot test. Take a cotton swab and soak the end of it in 3% hydrogen peroxide. Dab it on a hidden clothing area, such as an interior seam, and let it sit on the clothing for about 5 to 10 minutes. Afterward, check to see if any color was removed. If not, the hydrogen peroxide is safe to use. If the color was removed, try a different method instead.
Soak a cotton ball or the corner of a clean rag in hydrogen peroxide. Then, use it to dab at the stain. Let the peroxide sit on the stain for about 5 minutes, then rinse it off with water. If the stain is still there, repeat with the hydrogen peroxide or use a different method.
7. Laundry Stain Remover
If none of the above methods work, you may have to try a laundry stain remover. These products are often stronger and designed for breaking down tougher stains, especially those that come from food.
Each laundry stain remover is different, so whichever one you have, you’ll just need to apply it to the stain according to the instructions on the packaging. Let it sit on the stain for the suggested amount of time. Then, check to see if you need to rinse the product off before washing the clothing in the washing machine.
8. Bleach
You can also use bleach to remove the stain, but depending on the type and color of the fabric, you may want to use it only as a last resort. Check the clothing’s care tag to see what type of bleach (if any) is safe to use.
If the fabric is colored, use only oxygen bleach since chlorine bleach can remove the dye from clothing. If the clothing is white and bleach is safe to use on the fabric, then chlorine bleach should remove the soy stain effectively. Bleach can be a dangerous chemical, so it’s important that you follow the instructions on the packaging very carefully when using it.
9. Wash and Dry
After pre-treating the stain and removing as much of it from the clothing as possible, you can wash the clothing. Check the care tag to see what water temperature is safe to use on the fabric, and wash the clothing using that temperature. Add your regular laundry detergent.
After washing the clothing, check to see if the stain has been removed before putting it in the dryer. If the stain didn’t come out, repeat the pretreatment process before washing the clothing again. Once the stain has been removed, you can put the clothing in the dryer.
How To Get Soy Sauce Out Of White Shirt
If you get soy sauce on a white shirt, it will be harder to remove completely, even if the stain is still wet. Even if you get most of the soy sauce out, you could still be left with a light brown stain on your shirt. The good news is that with white clothing, you generally don’t have to worry as much about what products you use since you won’t risk removing the dye from the clothing.
With that being said, you will still want to blot and rinse away as much of the soy sauce from the clothing as you can. If you want a milder cleaning agent, you can still use vinegar or dish soap as your first step. But, you may find it even more effective to skip straight to a stronger cleaning agent, such as liquid laundry detergent or even hydrogen peroxide or bleach, since you won’t have to worry about discoloring the clothing.
Be careful using laundry detergent if it’s colored, though, since the dye used in some detergents may leave a stain behind on your white clothing as well. Whichever method you choose above, just know that with the shirt being white, you may have to repeat the process multiple times to get the stain completely out.
How To Remove Dried Soy Sauce Stain
Before I explain how to remove a dried soy sauce stain, be aware that there’s going to be a huge difference in the success you’ll have with removing a soy sauce stain that dried because you haven’t had a chance to remove it yet and a stain that dried because you put it in the dryer.
If the stain dried just because you weren’t able to remove it quickly, then you should be able to get it out using a series of steps. First, you’ll want to dampen the stain and then use either the vinegar or dish soap method to remove some of the stain, but neither of these methods may get the stain out completely.
Next, depending on whether the fabric is colorfast or not, you can use either laundry detergent or hydrogen peroxide directly on the stain. If you’re unsure whether the fabric is colorfast or not, just use the laundry detergent method or do a spot test before using hydrogen peroxide.
Finally, wash the clothing, adding either oxygen bleach or chlorine bleach to the machine depending on the type and color of the fabric. All of these things should get a dried soy sauce stain out. However, if the stain dried due to putting the clothing in the dryer with the stain on it, you may have to go straight to using bleach. If bleach doesn’t work, then you may just have to accept that the stain is going to be permanent.
How to Get Soy Sauce Out of Upholstery and Carpet
Getting soy sauce on your carpet or upholstery may not be as common as getting it on your clothes, but it can happen. If it does happen, unfortunately, you can’t usually wash upholstery or carpet in the washing machine. You’ll need to spot treat the stain.
To get soy sauce out of upholstery and carpet, you’ll first want to blot as much soy sauce as possible. Then, wet a cloth and use it to dampen the stain, then use the dish soap or vinegar method, or both to treat the stain. You can also use hydrogen peroxide as long as you do a color test first. But, you don’t want to use laundry detergent or bleach since they’ll be harder to rinse out of the fabric.
After treating the stain, rinse the area with water to remove the vinegar, dish soap, or hydrogen peroxide. Repeat the process, if necessary, if the stain isn’t removed completely. If nothing else works, you may have to steam clean the upholstery or carpet to remove the stain.
Conclusion
Getting soy sauce on your clothes is a common occurrence, but as long as you treat the stain quickly, you should be able to get it out. There are various products that you can use, but which one works best will just depend on the size of the stain, how long it’s been there, and the type of clothing. Just make sure to avoid putting the clothing in the dryer until the stain has been removed or else it could be permanent. If you found this article helpful, share it with others and leave a comment. Thanks for reading!