How To Get Stains Out of Khakis: 10 Money-Saving Stain Removal Tricks

by Reader Contributors

Our frugal readers share their best tips for getting stains out of khaki pants, along with other money-saving tips for removing stains and prolonging the life of clothing.

Khakis have become a wardrobe staple for the workplace, school uniforms and everyday casual wear.

While khakis can be durable, the material also stains easily and some stain remover products can even discolor or stain the fabric. Kids, especially, can be tough on khaki clothing.

If your family has these popular tan pants hanging in their closets, knowing how to get stains out of khakis can be helpful. One of these tips should do the trick so you can get more wear from each pair.

How To Get Stains Out of Khakis: 10 Solutions

We asked our frugal readers how they remove stains from khaki pants. They are money-saving pros when it comes to prolonging the life of clothing and had a lot of money-saving tips for us to share.

See if one of their solutions will work for your stained khaki clothing.

1. Lestoil

My mom taught me this laundry stain remover trick 30 years ago and I still use it on a lot of clothes today.

It’s using Lestoil Heavy Duty Multi-Purpose Cleanser®. It is especially good for removing oily or greasy stains, and I have used it on khaki and other colored pants.

I make sure to cover the stain with Lestoil® straight from the bottle, enough to coat the stained area lightly, and then toss the clothing right into the washing machine and wash as usual. Don’t let treated clothing sit before washing, as some fabrics could get a lightened area.

This tip has saved a lot of clothing in my family!
Betty in Brunswick, Maine

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2. Dawn® Dish Soap

I used it on my son’s khaki shorts when he spilled grape juice on them. I wet the shorts and applied Dawn® Dish Soap liberally to the spot. Then, I soaked in cold water overnight and hung the shorts to dry. I then re-washed the shorts.
K

3. Lye Soap

To remove tough stains from khaki pants, I use lye soap. It is safe for all colors.

I live in an area that has an abundance of red clay. I never could get it out. A friend told me she used lye soap. I got some and it really works.

Rub it on the stain and scrub with a soft brush. Sometimes, I have to repeat it several times. Most of the time, it takes the stain right out or lightens it enough that a color-safe bleach will remove the rest of it.
B.

4. Simple Green

The best item I have found to remove stains, particularly dirt and grease, is Simple Green®. It is biodegradable, environmentally friendly and does not leave any residue of its own behind.

I use it as my primary cleaning agent for the entire house. The jug provides directions to dilute for different cleaning jobs. It usually lasts me about a year. It’s pretty inexpensive for a primary cleaning agent. It smells great and has no harmful fumes.
CKL

5. Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover

There is a remover called Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover®. It works fabulous. I use it on my husband’s collars of his work shirts (filthy from farming) and even my Sunday clothes. You can do a drop or squirt it all over, rub, and then wash. It’s great stuff!
Nancy

6. Ivory Soap

Use an old toothbrush and scrub the stain with Ivory soap and a little water, then wash as usual. Since the soap has no oil in it, the stain and soap should wash out in the laundry cycle.
Lorie P.

7. Shout® Advanced Gel

I have found that the Shout® Advanced Gel does a really good job, but you have to follow certain steps.

Spray the stain and saturate the fabric, scrub the gel into both sides of the fabric with an old toothbrush until you have activated the gel with friction, wash as usual, and hang to dry. Do not put it in the dryer or iron it until you’ve inspected the item and verified that the stain came completely out. I then put the item back in with the next load of clothes just to be doubly certain that the whole stain is gone.

And add borax to the laundry when you are washing items known to show what I call “Shadows and Stains.” The borax boosts the power of the detergent, so things really come out cleaner.

I also use vinegar instead of a commercial softener. It keeps the clothes from getting musty if they sit in the washer before you take them out, and it makes all the soap rinse out of the clothes. Fabric softener or soap residue can leave marks on your pale-colored clothes when they are put into the dryer as well as making you itch if you are sensitive.
Debbie

8. Fels-Naptha Soap

If it happens to be an oil-based stain, a bar of Fels-Naptha® soap rubbed to a foam and then washed in hot water with your regular detergent usually works. A bar lasts for a long time if you keep it dry between uses.
TMB

9. Tide 10x Heavy Duty Detergent

You can use whatever detergent you want, but I keep an old shampoo pump bottle filled with liquid Tide 10X detergent under my bathroom sink for just such things as this.

I put a few pumps onto the stain and throw it into the dirty clothes hamper, and when I get around to washing it, the stain (99% of the time) comes right out with no side effects. I never even bother buying laundry stain removers.
JC

10. Biz Stain Fighter

Here’s how to get stains out of khakis: Biz Stain Fighter. My son often gets grass stains on his.

I soaked the khakis in hot water with the Biz overnight. I washed in warm water as usual with detergent. The stain came right out!
Shelley from IN

Reviewed January 2024