How to Remove Yogurt Stains

By Matt Oden | Comments | Food and Drink Stains → Yogurt

Yogurt is one of the most popular breakfast foods and a favorite frozen snack on a hot summer’s day, but if you don’t know how to remove yogurt stains effectively, you likely don’t have much in the way of positive things to say about this sweet dairy treat. Whether you enjoy yours whipped, creamy, or with chunks of fruit and granola, yogurt spills can be very irritating if you aren’t armed with the right cleaning methods to swiftly remove the stains.

Yogurt makes a delicious breakfast or a healthy snack, but it can also make a heck of a mess if spilled. Even once you have cleaned up the bulk of the goopy mess, you are likely to be left with a bit of residue that can quickly stain the surfaces in your home, in your car, and in the office, especially if there were pieces of fruit or even chocolate in the yogurt. Your favorite silk shirt might also fall victim to chunky peach yogurt, which certainly wouldn’t be a good look in the office! Thankfully there are several very effective methods of removing these types of stains so that you can swiftly return to enjoying your cup of yogurt.

How To Remove Yogurt Stains From Clothing

What You Will Need Before You Start

Stain pretreating gel or spray
Enzyme laundry detergent
Clean sponge
Clean white towel

Whether you are in a rush and grabbing a yogurt smoothie on the go or you are enjoying your favorite fat-free granola-infused strawberry yogurt at the kitchen table, a spill can happen within seconds! You might be tempted to just wipe it off with a dish towel and get going, but if you don’t treat the stain properly you could just find yourself with a troublesome stain that doesn’t necessarily come out when you run your clothing through the wash.

Remove as much of the excess spilled yogurt as possible, using either a butter knife or a spoon; taking care not to rub the yogurt and the clothing harshly so you don’t work the yogurt into the clothing fibers.
Lay the garment out on the white towel and spray it with your favorite pretreating gel or spray. Be sure to read the instructions on the pretreatment container and on the garment care tag so that you aren’t inadvertently damaging your clothing by using the wrong types of cleaning solutions.
Use your clean sponge or clean rag to ensure the pretreating solution completely covers the stain.
Allow the cleaning solution to work into the stain, for up to fifteen minutes and rinse thoroughly under cool water.
Run the garment through the washing machine using an enzymatic laundry detergent, using only cool water in the machine.

The stain should be completely worked out of the garment when it comes out of the washing machine, but be sure to check on it before putting it into the dryer. If the yogurt was colored or included fruit then you may have a colored stain on the garment, but you will find that the stain pretreating solution is very effective at removing the colored stains.

How To Remove Yogurt Stains From Upholstery

What You Will Need Before You Start

Liquid dish detergent
Clean white rag
Clean sponge

No matter how many times you tell your kids to be careful while eating yogurt on the sofa, the odds are that they will get excited watching their favorite Saturday morning shows or simply be careless while enjoying a yogurt smoothie. Don’t get your blood pressure rise; getting the stain out is so easy that you could even get the kids to do it.

Remove the excess spilled yogurt from the upholstered furniture.
Mix a tablespoon of liquid dish detergent with two cups of cold water; be sure to mix it carefully so you don’t create a huge sudsy mess.
Using the clean sponge, blot at the stain with your cleaning solution.
Place the white towel over the stain and press into the damp surface, taking care not to rub the stain.
Lift up the towel and observe the stain, if it still remains then apply another bit of cleaning solution and repeat the blotting and pressing steps.
Once the stain has disappeared you should sponge at the area with clean cold water to remove any soapy residue and blot it dry.

Be sure that you are aware of any cleaning restrictions with your upholstered surfaces. While the majority of pieces will be easy to clean, you may just find that antique furniture requires the professional touch.

How To Remove Yogurt Stains From Carpet

What You Will Need Before You Start

Liquid dish detergent
Clean sponge
Clean white absorbent towel

Don’t cry over spilled yogurt, even if the dog or kids stomp it into the carpet before you have the chance to get it cleaned up. With a few swift steps, you’ll soon have the carpet spotless!

Scrape up any excess spilled yogurt, using a spoon or the dull edge of a butter knife.
Mix a tablespoon of liquid dish detergent with two cups of lukewarm water.
Using your clean sponge, blot the sudsy solution into the stain, taking care not to rub at it.
Blot at the stain with the clean white towel, pressing down to absorb the liquid.
Repeat the steps until the stain has been removed from the carpet.
Sponge clean cold water onto the area to move any excess soapy residue and blot dry with another towel.
If the stain is proving to be a challenge then mix in a tablespoon of ammonia with warm water and sponge it onto the carpet, blot with a clean towel until the stain has been completely removed.

Be sure to use a carpet shampooer across your carpets and upholstered surfaces every other month so that you pull up any accumulated dirt and grime. This will make keeping your home stain-free a whole lot easier!