Protein family: cold water first
How to get meconium out
A newborn's first poop: thick, sticky, black-green and tar-like, made of mucus, bile and cells.
Do this first
Scrape off as much as you can
Fresh stain
- Scrape off as much as you can
- Flush cold from the back
- Gently work in enzyme remover or a laundry bar
- Soak in cold enzyme water an hour
- Wash warm and sun-dry
Dried or old
- Scrape or brush off any crust
- Soak in cold water with enzyme detergent for 1 to 8 hours
- Then soak in oxygen bleach if a yellow mark is left
- Wash warm and dry in the sun if white
- Fabric care
- Hospital-type cotton handles it well.
- Time
- 1 h plus soak
- How to tell
- Look: black or very dark green; Feel: tacky like tar; Smell: almost none
Where this fix comes from
- Household folk practice, checked against the guides above
- American Cleaning Institute, Stain Removal Chart
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.