White Bar Soap To Pretreat Laundry Stains - Easy Peasy!

On this page I've gathered many uses for bar soap for cleaning, laundry stain removal, and more.

This first started with a single tip from a reader, but has since expanded as I've learned more uses personally, plus from readers telling me even more!

Use Bar Soap To Pretreat Laundry Stains

This tip first came from a reader, Jessica, who said:

"I've totally dumped my spray and wash pretreater/stain stuff for a bar of white soap.

So far, any bar I've used has worked on serious stains like berries and chocolate and mud.

My kids are rough on clothes and they've ruined so many things with stains I couldn't get out. I just rub on some wet white soap, rub it in good, rinse it and put it in the laundry.

The berry incident kept fading up till I washed and then it was gone. Wish I'd figured this out years ago."

While white bar soap can be a great general pretreater, the soap works especially well on a couple of stains, which will be mentioned in more depth below.

In addition, although Jessica's tip is specifically about white bar soap, you could use just about any laundry bar soap as an easy and cheap pretreater as well.

For example, I've gotten several reviews of Fels Naptha soap which say it has worked well for removing laundry stains in much the same way.

You may also be wondering which brand of white bar soap works best, and I'll tell you below what many readers believe!

Top photo by lisamurray

I've Used Ivory Soap As Backup For Pretreating Stains & For Hand Washing Garments

Many bar soaps will work for the tips provided here on the page, but there are some readers with a strong opinion of which brand or type works best for a variety of things.

Of the non-laundry types of bar soaps that is most often recommended by readers the highest number of votes goes to Ivory for pretreating, and for other uses listed below as well.

Here's just an example of what SR101 reader said:

"I try not to run out of laundry supplies, but occasionally it happens.

I have used Ivory soap to pretreat stains.

In addition, Ivory soap is great for hand washing garments.

I have also used it to pretreat shirt collars and cuffs before washing a load of clothes."

Ivory Removed Baseball Pants Stains Like A Champ!

Bar soap, as I mentioned, works better for removing certain laundry stains than others.

It tends to work well on mud and dirt stains.

For example, one reader said: "I just tried a bar of Ivory soap and rubbed it into some VERY stubborn stains on my baseball pants. Stains that hadn't come out with bleach!! I wet the soap, rubbed it into the stain for a few seconds and it literally came out! I was amazed! Best "secret" on the market!"

Photo courtesy of betsyweber

Remove Blood Stains With The Soap Bar Method

Another stain that responds especially well to pretreating with bar soap is blood stains.

One reader said, "The way my mom taught me to remove blood stains from clothing is simply to hand wash the item in the sink with cold water and bar soap.

This always works for me, whether the stain is wet or dry.

Rinse out the most you can with the water, being careful not to transfer the stain to another part of the fabric, and then just scrub with the bar soap, rinse, and then repeat as necessary.

Then I just throw it it in the wash and no more stain."

What Types Of Soap Works Best For Blood Stains?

While lots of readers agree bar soap works wonders for blood stains, there is some disagreement about the best brand to use for this stain.

Along with Ivory two of the ones with the most votes include:

Lava: My grandma was a dressmaker and she liked Lava. Once in awhile she'd accidentally prick her finger or something would have a spot on it. Lava was her lifesaver.

Dove: My Grandmother used Dove beauty bar. It is good for blood and oil stains.

Use Bar Soap To Make Homemade Laundry Soap

Another use for bar soap is as an ingredient in homemade laundry soap.

While some people use laundry bar soaps (such as Fels Naptha, Zote, or Sunlight) for this purpose others use soaps they can find right in the aisle at the store for hand washing.

The most common for this purpose are Ivory and Dove. Some prefer these soaps which have milder or even no scents, instead some of the more scented laundry bar soaps, because of allergies or other reasons.

You can find lots of homemade laundry soap recipes here, including quite a few which use one of these soap bars.

Even More Household & Cleaning Uses For Soap Bars

Finally, here are even more cleaning and household uses for this common item.

• Clean your sliding door tracks with a bar of soap, by rubbing the soap bar in the track and then wiping clean with a rag


• Unstick furniture drawers by rubbing both the bottom of the drawer and supports lightly, and then they will slide much more easily


• Unstick a stuck zipper by rubbing the soap bar along the teeth of the zipper


• Mark a hem with a sliver of soap, instead of using marking chalk. Because it is soap it will wash right out when you're done!


• Save your soap slivers and add them to your loofah or inside a sponge and have your own practically free foaming body soap

Do you have any more ways you use a soap bar around your home beside for washing your hands? If so, be sure to tell me below in the comments.

Also, I'd love to hear your opinion about what brand or type of bar works the best for any of these uses.

Related Pages You May Enjoy

{A-M} Stain Remover Reviews

Laundry Tips & Tricks For Busy Moms

Lots Of Homemade Cleaners Recipes

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