Stain-Stopping Toolkit for Household Messes

Keep these essentials at the ready to mop up spills and spots fast

By Janet Siroto

Updated April 15, 2025

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Still life of Vinegar, baking soda, pile of towels, and a toothbrush on light teal background. — Things you may already have at home, such as vinegar and baking soda, can come in handy when you're trying to stop a stain.

Speedy treatment can help prevent stains from becoming permanent. But it’s hard to be quick if you don’t have the right supplies. The cleaners, cloths, and more, listed alphabetically below, will come in handy whenever a spill or splash threatens to ruin your clothing, countertops, carpeting, or furniture. You’re likely to use some tools—like paper towels and the cleaning solution—more than others. Just be sure to stash them where you can access them easily.

For how-to’s on tackling a variety of stains—from coffee and wine to tomato sauce and blood stains—on a range of surfaces using this toolkit, see The Ultimate Stain-Removal Guide.

Toolkit Supplies

Acetone Nail Polish Remover
This solvent does a remarkable job on some mishaps—like makeup and super glue. (But don’t use it on synthetic fabrics; it could damage them.)

Ammonia, Bleach, and Distilled White Vinegar
These liquids can be useful in a few stain emergencies, but do not mix them.

Baking Soda and Cornstarch
Each of these absorbent materials is excellent at soaking up a greasy spill.

Cleaning Solution
Mix ¼ teaspoon of a mild white or clear dishwashing liquid (Dawn is often recommended)—no bleach—in 1 cup of lukewarm water.

Cotton Swabs
These are great for testing the safety of a stain remover on fabric. Use a swab to dab the product on a small or hard-to-reach area of upholstery or an inside seam of an article of clothing.

Enzymatic Laundry Pretreat
“These make a huge difference. They really break down organic stains,” says Jessica Ek, associate vice president, strategic communications, at the American Cleaning Institute. See below for CR’s top pick.

Plain White Paper Towels or Cloths
Paper towels or cloths are perfect for blotting up spills. If you use a cloth, choose cotton or microfiber and make sure it’s clean. Using white cloths or paper towels means there’s no worry that a dye will transfer from fabric or paper and make an already bad situation worse.

Plastic Wrap
When you apply a baking soda paste to a spot on a hard surface, such as a natural stone countertop, covering the area with plastic wrap will help keep it moist as the paste soaks up the stain.

Regular Mayonnaise
Regular mayo contains no less than 65 percent vegetable oil by weight (vs. reduced-fat products) and the experts at Molly Maid cleaning service recommend using it if you have a water ring on wood furniture. Put a layer over the ring, let it sit overnight, and wipe it clean in the morning.

Toothbrush
This tool can come in handy when you need to clean dirt or food spills from ceramic tile grout. Use it to apply a little white vinegar to the grout. Let it fizz and wipe up after a minute or so.

Upholstery Cleaner
Because you can’t throw your sofa or dining-chair seats in the washer, a targeted stain-lifter such as Resolve Upholstery & Multi-Fabric Spot & Stain Remover may save the day if you have an oil, food grease, or salad dressing spill. Be sure to check the fabric care label before you apply it to make sure you can use liquids.

3% Hydrogen Peroxide
Dabbing a little on spills of coffee, tea, wine, or fruit juice, or tomato-based or yellow spice–based foods, will often lift them off older vinyl flooring, which may be more vulnerable to staining. A stubborn muddy carpet stain may also come clean if your cleaning solution hasn’t completely erased it; moisten the area with 3% hydrogen peroxide, wait an hour, and then blot.

The Pros' Secret Cleaning Tool

Laundry experts use a dry cleaner’s spotting bone ($3.98 on wawak.com) to get stains out without spreading them. Use this simple device, about 4 inches long, to work a cleaning solution into a washable fabric and press the stain out. Layer a towel behind the soiled item to wick away whatever was spilled, says cleaning expert Melissa Dilkes Pateras.

Editor’s Note: This article also appeared in the May/June 2025 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.

Janet Siroto

Janet Siroto is a writer and content strategist specializing in lifestyle and wellness topics. She's held senior editorial positions at Good Housekeeping, Vogue, and Cosmopolitan, and contributes to Real Simple, Next Avenue, and other titles. She is also a trend tracker whose work has been presented at South by Southwest, the Wall Street Journal's The Future of Everything, Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and other summits.