Tannin family: detergent, then oxygen
How to get fruit purée out
Prune, blueberry, apple and pear purées. Fruit tannins and sugars brown with heat.
Do this first
Rinse cold right away
Fresh stain
- Rinse cold right away
- Gently work in detergent (not bar soap)
- Soak in oxygen bleach
- Wash warm
Dried or old
- Oxygen bleach overnight
- On white cotton, a diluted chlorine soak after testing
- Fabric care
- No soap bars on fruit; they can set it.
- Time
- 30 min to overnight
- How to tell
- Look: purple, brown or tan; Feel: sticky; Smell: sweet
Where this fix comes from
We check every fix against these published guides. We do not run a test lab of our own.
Before you start
- Test on a hidden seam first.
- Never mix cleaners.
- Keep it out of the dryer until the stain is gone.