Dye family: alcohol or a long oxygen soak
How to get mustard out
Yellow mustard is turmeric dye in vinegar. Hot water and soap make it worse.
Do this first
Scrape
Fresh stain
- Scrape
- Flush cold
- Gently work in detergent or glycerin
- Dab white vinegar
- Oxygen soak
- Wash and sun-dry
Dried or old
- Glycerin, oxygen soak overnight, sun
- Fabric care
- No hot water and no ammonia at first.
- Time
- 1 h plus sun
- How to tell
- Look: bright yellow; Feel: pasty; Smell: vinegar
Where this fix comes from
- University of Illinois Extension, Stain Solutions
- American Cleaning Institute, Stain Removal Chart
- Persil Stain Advisor, Food
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.