As much as I love barbecued foods, there is nothing worse than spilled BBQ sauce. It can spill on your carpet and on your clothes.
Truth be told, trying to get BBQ sauce out of your clothes or carpet is as hard as getting BBQ grease out of concrete.
Luckily, you won’t struggle like I had to get BBQ sauce out of clothes since I will be providing you with 5 different ways to remove BBQ sauce from clothes.
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Is BBQ Sauce Hard To Get Out of Clothes?
Yes, BBQ sauce can be difficult to remove from clothes. It’s as difficult to remove as hot sauce or ketchup.
It may be even harder to remove because it usually contains some sort of grease.
Since BBQ sauce is hard to remove, it’s difficult not to notice the stain on your clothes, so it’s best to remove it as soon as possible.
Nevertheless, you can get BBQ out of clothes with a little elbow grease and a few special supplies.
How To Get BBQ Sauce Out of Clothes
Although nothing compares to the smoky, delicious flavor of BBQ, BBQ is a messy business.
You should expect your hands and clothes to be covered in BBQ by the time you are finished devouring your meal.
As you will have probably noticed, throwing your stained clothes in the laundry will not remove the BBQ sauce, so use these methods to remove BBQ sauce from your clothes.
Dishwashing Detergent
Believe it or not, dishwashing detergent is an easy way to eliminate BBQ sauce. Simply add dishwashing detergent to the stained area.
Make sure the dishwashing detergent covers the BBQ stains.
Next, rub the BBQ satin with a thin piece of cloth or your fingers.
Add 2 tablespoons of dishwashing detergent to your washing machine along with your normal amount of laundry detergent.
If you are removing BBQ sauce from a silk garment, do not use dishwashing detergent.
The dish detergent may damage the silk material, but you can do a spot test to ensure it does not ruin your silk garment.
Baking Soda and Cornstarch
Place the stained garment on a flat surface. It will make it easier for the baking soda corn starch mixture to penetrate the fabric.
Using a cloth, remove any excess BBQ sauce from the garment, then add some baking soda and cornstarch to the BBQ stain.
Let the cornstarch baking soda mixture sit for 1 hour so it can absorb the grease from the BBQ sauce.
Next, rinse the garment with cold water before adding a little liquid detergent to the BBQ sauce stain.
Let the liquid detergent sit for 10-15 minutes to set and wash the garment as you usually would.
Liquid Laundry Detergent
The first step to removing BBQ sauce from clothes is to get rid of the excess BBQ sauce. This prevents the stain from spreading all over the garment.
Gently scrape the BBQ sauce from the garment with a spoon or butter knife.
Turn the stained garment inside out and run the BBQ sauce stain under cold running water until the stain starts to fade.
Do not use hot water to rinse BBQ sauce from your garment.
Since it is a protein-based BBQ stain, hot water can cause it to set in, making it much harder to remove the stain.
Once both sides of the garment are wet, add some liquid laundry detergent to the stain and make sure it sets into both sides of the fabric.
Let the stain sit for 10 minutes. The detergent will remove the oil and grease from the stain, making it easier to remove the sauce in the wash.
After 10 minutes, toss the garment in the wash; the BBQ stain should fade away.
Hydrogen Peroxide or White Vinegar
Unfortunately, the hydrogen or white vinegar method is not compatible with colored garments as it can cause the fabric to become discolored.
Soak a sponge in a small bowl filled with hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar. Next, gently dab it over the BBQ sauce stain.
Since both substances contain bleaching properties, they will help lift the BBQ sauce from the garment.
Next, use a stain remover before tossing the clothes in the washer. Liquid or gel stick stain removers are best for getting rid of BBQ sauce.
Since the clothes have been treated with hydrogen peroxide or vinegar, it will be easier for the stain remover to penetrate the material.
Apply the liquid or gel stain remover to both sides of the stained fabric and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Wash the soiled garment using the hottest water setting on your washing machine.
After one cycle, inspect the garment to see if there are any remaining BBQ sauce stains left in the material.
If the BBQ stain still remains, soak it in warm water for 30 minutes and rewash the stained clothes.
Do not dry the clothes if there are still BBQ sauce stains on them. The dryer will set in the BBQ sauce set in, making it harder to remove.
Lemon Juice and Vinegar
Both lemon juice and vinegar contain acidic properties that can break down BBQ stains.
However, it is only designed for white clothes like the hydrogen peroxide and vinegar method.
Using vinegar and lemon juice to remove BBQ stains from colored clothes will cause discoloration.
Combine equal portions of vinegar and lemon juice and use an old toothbrush or clean cloth to apply the mixture to the BBQ stains gently and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Rinse the stained garment with cold water to prevent the acidic ingredients from damaging your clothes.
The BBQ sauce should fade away from the fabric, but if it doesn’t, add another coating of the lemon vinegar solution to the stained spots and let it for another 5 minutes.
Rub the BBQ sauce with detergent before tossing it in the wash. If the BBQ sauce stain still remains, rub it with more laundry detergent and wash it again.
Final Thoughts
Unfortunately, BBQ sauce just isn’t BBQ sauce unless there’s a little mess involved.
Most BBQ lovers are aware of this fact and chance it anyway because they get to sink their teeth into the delicious barbecued food.
Now you can eat as much BBQ food as you desire without worrying about how to remove BBQ stains from your clothes.
I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.