Especially with kids those ketchup stains can happen fast, like if a child drops one of their french fries dipped in ketchup on their shirt, the couch or the carpet.

The longer the ketchup stays on the carpet, upholstery or clothing the more likely it is to set in, and the more work and effort it will take to remove it.
Below are step by step instructions for how to remove a ketchup stain from clothing, upholstery and carpet.
Step 1: Scrape off any excess ketchup from the fabric.
Step 2: Run the fabric, inside out, under the cold water to flush out as much of the ketchup as possible.
Step 3: Apply liquid laundry detergent to the ketchup stained area and let it soak in cold water for 15-30 minutes.
Step 4: Rinse the fabric with cold water.
Step 5: Next, sponge the stained area with white vinegar, applying the vinegar with a clean white cloth.
Step 6: Rinse with cold water, again.
Step 7: Pretreat the stain with a laundry prewash stain remover.
Step 8: Launder in the hottest water the fabric will allow to get out the stain, and either chlorine bleach if the fabric will allow it, or color bleach if not.
Hint: Make sure the stain is gone after washing, but before you place it in the dryer or you may set the stain. Repeat if necessary.
You may also find this video about how to remove ketchup stains from clothes helpful, which provides alternative ketchup stain removal techniques for clothing, including using dishwashing liquid, ammonia or unseasoned meat tenderizer.
Step 1: Scrape off any excess ketchup from the upholstery, being careful not to spread the stain further.
Step 2: Mix a solution of two cups cool water and one tablespoon dishwashing liquid.
Step 3: Using this solution, sponge the stain from the ketchup 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 ketchup stain is 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 from the ketchup.
You can get more information on how to clean upholstery here.
The instructions for removal of stains caused by ketchup from carpet is the same as for upholstery.
However, if you don't have luck with this stain removal method above 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.
You may also find this video for removal of ketchup stains from carpet helpful. It shows some good techniques for ketchup carpet stain removal.
Perhaps you don't want to make your own stain remover, but instead want to use something designed for ketchup stain removal.
Here are some articles and reviews on this site which discuss various products that are designed to remove these stains, or where readers have commented that the remover worked on ketchup stains:
You can also share your own stain remover reviews here for other removers that work on ketchup, or any other stain.
Do you have your own stain removal tip for removing stains from ketchup? If so, submit your tip about removing stains caused by ketchup here, or read other tips that have already been submitted.
This page is devoted to ketchup stain removal, so you may be surprised to find that some people use ketchup to clean and remove stains from copper.
You can learn more about this homemade copper cleaner here, and also why I don't recommend it for this purpose, although you could use it in a pinch.
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.
Below are examples of the most common stains discussed in the Guide.

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CAUTION: This website is provided for informational purposes only, and Stain-Removal-101.com provides it as is, without warranties or guarantees. Some stains just won't come out, and are permanent. Further, some stain removal methods can harm your item, so if the stained item is sentimental or expensive call a professional. See disclaimer of liability for more information.
See the A-Z Stain Removal Guide for even more types of stains.
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