First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Stop heating the item and let it cool before you touch the mark.
- Check whether it's light browning or charred, since only light browning can be bleached out.
- Hold off on any bleach until you've judged the damage and tested a hidden spot.
- Wear rubber gloves and ventilate the room when you use strong chemicals.
A scorch is heat damage to the material itself, so it behaves nothing like a stain that sits on top. The depth of the discoloration is the first question, since that decides whether any treatment is worth trying. Light marks may fade over several gentle rounds, but deep ones leave permanent discoloration no matter what you use.
Figure out what the burn sits on first, because a fabric treatment is the wrong tool for wood or tile. Fresh marks on fabric are a good match for an enzyme laundry pretreater, while burnt gum needs its own approach. Old burn marks rarely clear in one go, so expect several rounds and stop once the color stops changing.
8 items
What you'll need
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- 3% hydrogen peroxideDampens and lightens light scorch on fabric and wood. Use the drugstore strength only. (opens Amazon)
- Liquid laundry detergentFor the hot wash after the peroxide. (opens Amazon)
- Oxygen bleachFor a soak when a faint mark stays on colorfast fabric. (opens Amazon)
- Chlorine bleachLast-step bleach for white cotton and similar fabrics only. (opens Amazon)
- Clean white cloths and a dry clothTo hold peroxide on the spot and to press over it. (opens Amazon)
- IronFor pressing a heavy scorch under a damp cloth, on fabric that can take the heat. (opens Amazon)
- Superfine (#0000) steel woolFor rubbing light scorch on wood. (opens Amazon)
- Rubber glovesProtects your hands from strong chemicals, including oxalic acid. (opens Amazon)
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6 steps
Step by step
Step 1 of 6
Judge the damage before anything else
Light browning can often be bleached out, and on wood and carpet it can be sanded or rubbed away. Charred or deep burns usually can't be removed at home, and treating them further can weaken the material.
Tip. Press the edge gently with a fingertip; if it feels stiff, brittle or thin, the damage has gone deeper than the color.
Step 2 of 6
Test on a hidden spot first
Put a drop of 3% hydrogen peroxide on an inside seam, a hem or the underside of the surface, then check the color once it dries. Do the same test before any oxygen or chlorine bleach.
Careful. Colored fabric that isn't colorfast can lose its color, so stop if the test spot changes.
Step 3 of 6
Dampen the scorch with peroxide
Wet a clean white cloth with 3% hydrogen peroxide and lay it over the scorch. Keep the spot moist for several minutes, adding more peroxide so it doesn't dry out.
Tip. Work from the edge toward the center so the mark doesn't spread.
Step 4 of 6
Rinse, then wash in hot water
Rinse the peroxide out thoroughly with cool water. Launder the item in hot water with a liquid detergent, and check the mark before it goes in the dryer.
Tip. If the mark is still there after the wash, move on to the oxygen bleach soak rather than repeating the peroxide.
Step 5 of 6
Soak in oxygen bleach if a mark stays
If a faint mark is left, soak the colorfast item in oxygen bleach and hot water, then launder it as usual. Rinse the soak out completely before anything else goes in.
Careful. Oxygen bleach isn't safe on wool, silk, leather, or colored fabric that isn't colorfast.
Step 6 of 6
Finish with chlorine bleach last
Once everything is rinsed out, add chlorine bleach to a hot wash, but only on white cotton or another fabric that tolerates it. Then rinse thoroughly and dry as usual.
Tip. Check the care label first; if it's missing or unclear, skip the bleach.
Careful. Chlorine bleach isn't safe on wool, silk or spandex.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for scorch
Pick the drugstore 3% hydrogen peroxide sold as a mild antiseptic, and skip the stronger bottles sold for bleaching hair.
Amazon Basics Microfiber Cleaning Cloths
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on these surfaces, 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. 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.
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
Scorch on every material
Kitchen & bath9
Carpet & rugs1
Clothes & laundry1
Walls1
Furniture & upholstery1
Other4
No match. Try the main search for anything else.
How to tell it's working
A light scorch should fade a little with each step, and you can stop once the mark stops getting lighter. If the color is gone but the fabric feels thin, stiff or brittle, stop treating it, because the damage is in the fibers.
What changes for yours
Adjust for where the stain is
Cookware, baking trays, and stovetops
Burnt-on food on pots and trays is a deposit rather than a scorch, so soak it in hot water with detergent and loosen it with a nylon brush, never steel wool. Cast iron and enameled pieces have their own soaks in the cast-iron guide, and the Pots, Pans & Bakeware guide covers the rest of the cookware.
On a glass-ceramic stovetop, turn the controls off and let the cooktop cool. Scrape the residue with a new, sharp single-edge razor scraper held at about a 45-degree angle, then rub a few drops of cooktop cleaner into it with a cooktop cleaning pad. Polish with a dry cloth, and clean up black marks from an aluminum or copper pot that boiled dry before you heat the cooktop again.
Iron burns on clothing and fabric
Iron scorch is the most common case, and the peroxide steps above handle a light one. If the fabric has turned brown and stiff, stop after the first wash, since repeated treatment can weaken it further.
For a heavy scorch, the pressed cloth in the set-in section is the next option, and it should only go on fabric that can take the heat of an iron. Check the care label before you press, and if it's missing or unclear, don't press the fabric at all.
Wood, leather, tile, and painted surfaces
On wood, a light scorch responds to rubbing with superfine (#0000) steel wool. The remaining brown can then be bleached with chlorine laundry bleach on a cotton swab, sponged with water, and dried, after which you restore the oil and finish. Dark burns are handled in the set-in section below.
Leather is best left to a leather professional, since oxygen bleach and rubbing alcohol are both unsafe on it. On tile, test any cleaner on a hidden spot first, and for painted walls, use the Walls guide instead.
Burnt gum and other residue
Burnt gum is a residue rather than a scorch, so the peroxide and bleach steps don't dissolve it. For gum on carpet, use the Carpet & Rugs guide instead.
On a glass-ceramic stovetop, burned-on residue comes off with careful scraping and then a cleaner. Any other residue should be tested on a hidden spot before you try anything stronger.
Old or dried scorch
Old scorch has had time to set, so the peroxide and wash steps will usually lighten it less than a fresh mark. Start with the hidden-spot test and expect only partial results.
Dried marks that have been through a dryer are the hardest, and the set-in section explains what's realistic for them. If the mark is deep, don't keep retreating it past the point where it stops changing.
Tubs, acrylic, fireplaces, and couches
On acrylic, including an acrylic tub, sand gently with #0000 steel wool or fine sandpaper, then bleach with chlorine or perborate laundry bleach. Wash with soapy water, rinse, and dry, and the same method works for acrylic and solid-surface counters. Test a hidden spot first, because sanding can remove the finish.
Couches are upholstery, so the Chairs & Upholstery guide covers them. For a fireplace, the material decides the method, so if it's brick or masonry, check the Concrete, Brick & Driveways guide.
Old, dried or set-in stains
When a heavy scorch hasn't come out with the steps above, the next option is a pressed cloth. Dampen a clean cloth with 3% hydrogen peroxide, lay it over the mark, top it with a dry cloth, and press with an iron as hot as is safe for the fabric. Rinse well and launder afterward.
A mark that has gone through a dryer has usually been locked in by the heat, which makes it harder still. Deep scorch cannot be reversed, so a mark that still looks charred after pressing is probably as good as it will get.
Light marks often come out with these steps, while deep ones leave permanent discoloration. On wood, dark burns can be lightened with 1 tablespoon oxalic acid crystals in 1 cup warm water, applied on a swab, neutralized with borax and rinsed; oxalic acid is poisonous, so wear rubber gloves. On carpet and wood, what's left after that is sanding and refinishing or a professional repair.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on scorch?
Most household remedies you'll find online don't touch a scorch, because the damage is to the material itself. Baking soda is the one people ask about most, and it won't lift a burn either. Only peroxide, oxygen bleach and chlorine bleach act on this kind of damage, so the rest aren't worth trying.
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Chemical safety
Never mix these
Some products in this guide react dangerously with each other. Use them one at a time and rinse with water in between.
Chlorine bleach + Oxygen bleach (OxiClean)
Both makers advise against combining them: OxiClean says not to mix it with chlorine bleach, and Clorox says the two bleaches cancel each other out.
Chlorine bleach + Hydrogen peroxide (3%)
Washington State's health department says bleach reacts with hydrogen peroxide, and Clorox says not to mix bleach with other household chemicals.
Hydrogen peroxide (3%) + Oxygen bleach (OxiClean)
OxiClean's maker says it should not be mixed with household chemicals other than detergent in the wash.
If they mix by accident: Don't use the mixture; ventilate the room and avoid breathing fumes or touching it; call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for disposal advice or if anyone feels unwell.
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't skip rinsing the iron after peroxide
Peroxide left on a hot iron's soleplate can cause rust. After pressing over the peroxide cloth, rinse the soleplate before you use the iron again.
Don't follow vinegar or ammonia with chlorine bleach
Chlorine bleach must never go onto a spot that still holds ammonia, lemon juice or vinegar from another method. Rinse and wash in between, and keep ammonia out of these steps altogether.
Don't scrub a glass cooktop with steel wool
Steel wool, abrasive powder cleansers and chlorine bleach all damage a glass-ceramic cooktop. Use only a new, sharp single-edge razor scraper, since a dull or nicked blade is the wrong tool. Don't turn the burners back on until every bit of residue is gone.
Don't use chlorine bleach on stainless steel
Chlorine bleach and chloride cleaners stain and pit stainless steel, and so does an overnight soak in dilute bleach. Steel wool leaves particles that rust, so use a nylon pad instead. The Stainless Steel & Appliances guide covers stainless cookware and sinks in full.
Don't try home fixes on burned quartz
A quartz counter with a burn has no home removal method that's safe to recommend, so don't try sanding or bleach on it. Avoid oven or grill cleaners, strong solvents, and strong acids or alkalis on quartz, and keep hot cookware on a trivet. The Quartz guide covers care in more detail.
When to call a professional
If a burn is charred, deep, or has taken off a finish on furniture or a counter, a professional repair is the realistic fix. Deeper charring on furniture is cut out and filled with a matching lacquer stick, a job for a repair specialist.
Questions
Does heat set stains?
Heat can make some marks harder to remove, which is why you should check a mark before you dry or iron the item. A scorch is already heat damage, though, and once it's deep it cannot be reversed.
Can a burn come out of clothes completely?
Light scorch often fades completely with the peroxide and wash steps. Deep or charred burns usually stay, and the fabric may be weakened, so stop treating it rather than keep going.
Can burns be removed from wood?
Light scorch on wood can be rubbed with superfine steel wool and bleached, then the oil and finish restored. Dark burns need the oxalic acid method in the set-in section, and deep charring usually needs a repair.
Is a burnt pot ruined?
Usually not. Burnt-on food loosens with a hot soak and a nylon brush, and cast iron and enameled pieces have their own care in their guides.
Can an acrylic tub burn be fixed at home?
Light burns on acrylic often respond to the sanding and bleaching method in the tubs card. Deep burns usually stay, so test a hidden spot first.
Can you remove old scorch marks?
Old scorch can be lightened, but it responds less than a fresh mark, so expect only partial results. Start with the hidden-spot test, and try the pressed cloth from the set-in section only if the mark is heavy.
Odor guides
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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.