First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Blot away excess, then rinse from the back with cold water.
- Act fast, since a fresh drink stain can often come out with just a blot and rinse.
- Blot, don't rub.
Sports and energy drinks are sugary and colored with artificial dye, so a spill leaves two problems to solve, the sugar and the color. The color is the stubborn part, and on some fabrics it may not show up until later, so check carefully before the item is dried.
If the energy drink is still wet on your clothes, rinse it cold from the back of the fabric. Keep the item out of a hot dryer, since heat can lock in whatever color is left. A pretreater usually handles a red sports drink on white clothes, and a dry cleaner is worth calling if the color stays.
6 items
What you'll need
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- Cold running waterFlushes out loose color before it can spread or set.
- Commercial pre-wash spotLoosens the dye so the detergent can lift it. (opens Amazon)
- Stain remover (opens Amazon)
- Heavy-duty liquid detergentWorks into the stain as a pretreat and goes into the wash. (opens Amazon)
- Oxygen bleach powderLifts the color left after the pretreat, applied as a paste. (opens Amazon)
- Clean white cloth or towelBlots the stain and shows you when color stops lifting. (opens Amazon)
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6 steps
How to get sports drink out of clothes
Step 1 of 6
Flush the stain with cold water
Turn the garment inside out and hold the stained area under cold running water, working from the back so the color rinses out rather than through to the front. Keep flushing until the water runs mostly clear. Blot with a clean cloth instead of rubbing.
Tip. Slip a clean white towel under the stain to catch the color as it lifts.
Careful. Pretest a hidden seam for colorfastness before using pre-wash or oxygen bleach on colored fabric.
Step 2 of 615 minutes
Pre-treat with stain remover
Spray the stain with a commercial pre-wash spot and stain remover, and let it stand for 15 minutes. Flush with cold water afterward until the spot looks lighter.
Tip. Keep the spot damp while it stands, but don't let the spray soak into the surrounding fabric.
Step 3 of 65 minutes
Work in heavy-duty detergent
Apply heavy-duty liquid detergent directly to the stain and let it stand for 5 minutes. Then flush with cold water.
Tip. Work the detergent in gently with your fingertips before the 5 minutes are up.
Step 4 of 615 minutes
Treat leftover color with oxygen bleach
Spray the pre-wash on again, then cover the spot with a paste of oxygen bleach and water and leave it for 15 minutes. Flush with cold water, and repeat the paste if color is still lifting onto the cloth.
Tip. Mix the bleach to a thick paste so it stays where you put it.
Careful. Oxygen bleach is not for wool or silk; those fibers cannot take it.
Step 5 of 6
Wash in warm water
Launder the item in warm water with heavy-duty liquid detergent and the oxygen bleach, or in the hottest water the care label allows. Keep it separate from the rest of the load until you have seen the result.
Step 6 of 6
Air dry and check
Hang the item to air dry, then check the spot carefully. If any color remains, repeat the pre-wash and paste before the item goes anywhere near heat.
Tip. Check in daylight or under a bright lamp, since faint color is easy to miss indoors.
Careful. Keep the item out of a hot dryer until the stain is gone, because heat sets it.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for sports drink
Look for a commercial pre-wash spot and stain remover, a heavy-duty liquid detergent and an oxygen bleach. For silk and wool, choose a color-safe remover whose label names those fibers.
Clorox 2 Laundry Stain Remover and Color Booster Powder, 49.2 Ounces
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on this fabric, and its directions fit the steps above.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light before using any heat. Here is what done looks like:
How to tell it's really gone →A faint mark usually needs one more round, not a stronger product.
See what to do for what you're seeing →If the stain was already dried or set, the method changes.
Old, dried or set-in stains →When to call a professional →Pick what it is on
Sports Drink on every material
No match. Try the main search for anything else.
How to tell it's working
You will know it is working when the water runs clearer with each flush and the cloth you blot with picks up less color. If the spot still looks the same after the wash, repeat the pretreat before the item sees a dryer.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your fabric
Whites and white shirts
White cotton and other bleach-safe whites can take the full set of steps, and they are the only items that can take chlorine bleach. Use chlorine only as the very last treatment, after the item has been rinsed out completely, and only if the care label allows bleach.
For a stubborn white, pretreat with 1/4 cup chlorine bleach mixed into 3/4 cup water, then machine wash right away with detergent and 1/3 cup bleach. Never pour bleach straight onto the stain at full strength, because undiluted bleach can weaken fabric so it tears or wears out sooner. Overuse can leave yellow marks that cannot be removed.
Colors and denim
Colored cotton and denim follow the same steps, but dye is the risk. Check the care label before you start, and skip chlorine bleach unless the color is known to be colorfast.
Keep the wash warm, and use hot water only if the care label allows it. The oxygen bleach paste is fine for most colored fabric once it has passed a test, so it stays in the steps.
Silk, wool and delicates
Silk, wool and other delicates cannot take most of the steps. Use cool water for every flush and wash, skip the oxygen paste, and never use chlorine bleach, because those fibers can be damaged by heat, bleach and rubbing.
Don't rub or brush the stain, since rubbing damages silk and agitation makes wool felt and shrink. Choose a plain detergent without enzymes, because enzyme detergents are a risk on silk and wool. Air dry only, and keep heat well away from the item.
Dry-clean-only items
Dry-clean-only items should not go through water or oxygen bleach at home, even as a test. Take the item to a dry cleaner as soon as you can and say it is a drink stain, so they can choose a solvent-based treatment.
Velvet marked S-coded can only take dry-cleaning or solvent-based cleaners, and heirloom textiles should never go in a washing machine or see chlorine bleach. If you are unsure which applies, leave the stain alone and ask the cleaner.
Old, dried or set-in stains
An old stain that has sat for days needs more time rather than harsher products. Repeat the pre-wash and oxygen bleach paste, and keep going until no more color lifts onto the cloth.
If the stain has dried, soak the item in the vinegar mix for 15 minutes before the wash. Rinse it thoroughly afterward so no vinegar is left in the fabric, then launder as usual. Expect it to take more than one round.
If the stain is still there after the dryer, the heat has set it, and it may not come out completely. Stop before the fabric starts to thin from repeated scrubbing, and accept a faint tint on a colored item if that is all that is left. Then judge the result in daylight before you decide it is finished.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on sports drink?
Many home remedies float around for drink stains, but most are either unnecessary here or unsafe on some fabrics. Below is where each one stands. An oxygen bleach paste does the heavy lifting, and most kitchen fixes add little or risk the fabric.
Works1Skip4Avoid1
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't mix chlorine bleach with vinegar, alcohol or ammonia
Never let chlorine bleach touch vinegar, alcohol or ammonia, because the mix is dangerous. Rinse the item completely before it gets anywhere near one of those.
Don't use chlorine bleach on wool, silk, mohair, leather or spandex
Those fibers can be damaged by chlorine bleach, so it is off limits even as a spot test. Check the care label before using bleach on any stretchy or protein-based fabric.
Don't rub a fresh stain with bar soap
Soap sets many stains, so a bar of soap can turn a fresh drink stain into a permanent one. Stick to liquid detergent for pretreating.
Don't use anything the care label prohibits
Some stain removers and bleaches are not safe on every fabric. If the label rules out a product, pick a gentler method for that fabric instead.
Troubleshooting
If the stain is still there
Pick what you're seeing:
A faint colored ring remains after washing.
Don't dry it. Repeat the pre-wash and oxygen bleach paste cycle, flushing with cold water each time.
A stain appeared after the shirt looked clean.
Sugary drink spills can be invisible until later. Treat it like a fresh stain, starting with a cold-water flush and pre-wash.
The fabric can't take chlorine bleach.
Use a color-safe remover, and keep repeating the oxygen bleach paste rounds if the fabric tolerates them.
When to call a professional
If the stain is still visible after a full second round, or the item is silk, wool, velvet or dry-clean only, take it to a professional cleaner. Tell them it is a sugary energy or sports drink with artificial dye, so they know what they are treating.
Questions
Does Gatorade stain clothes—and will red Gatorade come out?
Yes. Gatorade is a sugary drink colored with artificial dye, and that dye is what makes fruit-flavored stains difficult to remove.
A fresh spill often comes out with cold water, a pretreat and a warm wash. A dried-on stain needs the full steps and sometimes the set-in treatment.
Do Red Bull and Monster energy drinks stain clothes?
Yes, energy drinks are sugary and colored with artificial dye, so they can stain clothes. Treat them the same way as any drink stain, starting with a cold water flush and a stain remover. If you get to it fast, a blot and rinse may be all it needs.
Does Powerade stain clothes?
Yes. Powerade is a sports drink, and like the others it is sugary and colored with artificial dye. The same steps work for it, from the cold water flush through the warm wash, with no dryer until the stain is gone.
Can you use bleach on an energy drink stain on white clothes?
Yes, but only on whites that the care label says can take bleach, and only as the very last treatment after the item has been fully rinsed. Dilute it first, and never use it at full strength.
What if the energy drink stain has already dried?
It can still come out, but it is harder and the steps may need a second round. Drying sets the stain, so repeat the pretreat and paste before any heat touches the item. If you are unsure about the fabric, the set-in section covers the stronger options.
Will an energy drink stain come out of carpet?
A faint tint can stay on carpet even after a good clean, so the steps here are not the whole answer for that surface. For carpet, use the Carpet & Rugs guide, which covers the cleaning steps for that surface.
Related
How we know this
Every method, amount and warning here comes from university extension services, industry bodies and product makers. We read them, check every step for unsafe combinations and changed amounts, and write it up so you can follow it.