Stain remover for tough stains

OxiClean Odor Blasters Stain Remover leads for tough stains: 22 of 22 shoppers said it got their stains out. It's a powder you add to the wash, and its record rests on fewer shoppers than the next two, Clorox 2 Stain Remover & Color Booster (34 of 37) and OxiClean Laundry Stain Remover Spray (33 of 36), so treat all three as strong picks.

  • 329 store reviews counted
  • Target shoppers
  • May 2019 to Sep 2026

Updated . How we count

Did the stain come out? What shoppers said
  1. OxiClean Odor Blasters Stain Remover 22 said either way
  2. Clorox 2 Stain Remover & Color Booster 37 said either way
  3. OxiClean Laundry Stain Remover Spray 36 said either way
  4. Seventh Generation Free & Clear Stain Remover 35 said either way
  5. Dreft Laundry Stain Remover 39 said either way
  6. Tide To Go Stain Remover Pen 60 said either way
  7. Tide Rescue Stain Remover 34 said either way

Share of shoppers who stated an outcome for stains. Ranked by the lower bound of a 90% confidence interval, so a product needs both a good share and enough reports to rank high.

Best record OxiClean Odor Blasters Stain Remover 22 of 22 say the stain came out See price & reviews on Amazon
What stands out

Faded or damaged fabric comes up across several of these products, including 15% of Tide Rescue reviews and 7% of Tide To Go reviews. That's a good reason to test on a hidden spot first.

The ranking, product by product

Praise and complaints are the points shoppers repeat most, shown as a share of each product's counted store reviews.

1

OxiClean

Odor Blasters Stain Remover

22/22 say the stain came out

This is a powder you add to the wash, and every shopper who weighed in said their stains came out (22 of 22). 22% like the scent, while 7% say it faded or damaged a garment.

What shoppers praise

  • Nice or no scent 22%
  • Easy to use 7%

What shoppers complain about

  • Discolored or damaged fabric 7%
Where shoppers said it
  • Target 22 of 22
  • Brand site 3 of 3 shown, not counted
2

Clorox

2 Stain Remover & Color Booster

34/37 say the stain came out

Pour it in with the wash or put it right on the stain. 34 of 37 shoppers said it got their stains out, and 10% say their colors came through fine. 8% say a stain stayed.

What shoppers praise

  • Safe on fabric 10%
  • Easy to use 8%
  • Nice or no scent 5%
  • Good value 5%

What shoppers complain about

  • Discolored or damaged fabric 5%
Where shoppers said it
  • Target 34 of 37
  • Brand site 7 of 8 shown, not counted
3

OxiClean

Laundry Stain Remover Spray

33/36 say the stain came out

33 of 36 shoppers said this spray got their stains out, and 13% say a stain stayed anyway. Reviews copied from OxiClean's own site are far less happy at 1 of 5, which we show but don't count.

What shoppers praise

  • Nice or no scent 5%
  • Easy to use 5%

What shoppers complain about

No repeated complaints yet.

Where shoppers said it
  • Target 33 of 36
  • Brand site 1 of 5 shown, not counted
4

Seventh Generation

Free & Clear Stain Remover

30/35 say the stain came out

Scent is a plus here: 21% like that it has little or no smell. 30 of 35 said it got their stains out and 8% say it lifted old stains, but 26% say some stain stayed.

What shoppers praise

  • Nice or no scent 21%
  • Safe on fabric 8%
  • Works on old stains 8%
  • Good value 5%

What shoppers complain about

  • Discolored or damaged fabric 5%
Where shoppers said it
  • Target 30 of 35
  • Brand site 6 of 7 shown, not counted
5

Dreft

Laundry Stain Remover

Best for old, set-in stains

33/39 say the stain came out

Old, set-in stains come up as a strength: 12% of reviews say it lifted one. 33 of 39 said it got their stains out overall, though 12% find the smell strong.

What shoppers praise

  • Good value 13%
  • Works on old stains 13%
  • Nice or no scent 5%

What shoppers complain about

  • Strong smell 13%
Where shoppers said it
  • Target 33 of 39
  • Brand site 7 of 9 shown, not counted
6 Tide To Go Stain Remover Pen

Tide

To Go Stain Remover Pen

Best for quick fixes on the go

49/60 say the stain came out

More shoppers weighed in on this pen than on any other product here (60), and 49 of 60 said it got the stain out. 9% like how easy it is to use away from home, but 23% say the stain stayed.

What shoppers praise

  • Easy to use 9%
  • Safe on fabric 4%
  • Works on old stains 4%

What shoppers complain about

  • Discolored or damaged fabric 7%
Where shoppers said it
  • Target 49 of 60
  • Brand site 9 of 10 shown, not counted
7

Tide

Rescue Stain Remover

26/34 say the stain came out

This spray has the weakest record here at 26 of 34. 15% mention a strong smell and 15% say it faded or damaged fabric. Tide's own site is kinder at 10 of 10, which we show but don't count.

What shoppers praise

No repeated praise yet.

What shoppers complain about

  • Strong smell 15%
  • Discolored or damaged fabric 15%
Where shoppers said it
  • Target 26 of 34
  • Brand site 10 of 10 shown, not counted

Where these numbers come from

The 7 products ranked here carry 36,948 reviews at Target. We read the newest reviews of each product (up to a thousand per listing), kept the ones that talk about stains, and counted up to 40 per product, posted between May 2019 and Sep 2026.

A review counts only when the reviewer used the product themselves. We drop reviews written in exchange for a free product or a sweepstakes entry (0 on this page), and products that are no longer sold.

Target also shows reviews first posted on brands' own websites. We show them on product cards but never count them, because brand-site reviews run more positive than store reviews of the same products.

Because we searched for the problem, people who had it are overrepresented. Compare products with each other rather than reading a share as your own odds.

We count what shoppers report. Nothing here is safety advice: use heaters, fans and other appliances as the maker's manual says.

Amazon buttons appear only on products that most shoppers here say fix the problem (at least 60%, with enough reviews to trust it). Everything else gets no buy link.

An AI model labels each review against a fixed list of points, and we spot-check the labels before publishing. We publish counts, never the reviews themselves.

Read the full method

Product pages we read

  1. OxiClean Odor Blasters Stain Remover Target (27 reviews counted)
  2. Clorox 2 Stain Remover & Color Booster Target (40 reviews counted)
  3. OxiClean Laundry Stain Remover Spray Target (39 reviews counted)
  4. Seventh Generation Free & Clear Stain Remover Target (38 reviews counted)
  5. Dreft Laundry Stain Remover Target (40 reviews counted)
  6. Tide To Go Stain Remover Pen Target (69 reviews counted)
  7. Tide Rescue Stain Remover Target (40 reviews counted)

Questions buyers ask

Which stain remover works on tough stains?

OxiClean Odor Blasters Stain Remover has the best record (22 of 22), followed by Clorox 2 Stain Remover & Color Booster (34 of 37) and OxiClean Laundry Stain Remover Spray (33 of 36). All seven did well, and even the weakest record here, Tide Rescue Stain Remover, comes in at 26 of 34.

Does the Tide To Go pen work?

Usually. 49 of 60 shoppers said it got the stain out, and more shoppers weighed in on it than on any other product here. 23% of its reviews say the stain stayed, so think of it as a quick fix and wash the item when you can.

Should I test a stain remover first?

Yes. Try it on a hidden spot, like an inside seam or hem, before you use it on colored or delicate fabric. Faded or damaged fabric comes up in 15% of Tide Rescue Stain Remover reviews and 7% of Tide To Go Stain Remover Pen reviews. Follow the label, and never mix bleach with ammonia, vinegar or other cleaners.

Can a stain remover get out old stains?

Sometimes. 12% of Dreft Laundry Stain Remover reviews and 8% of Seventh Generation Free & Clear Stain Remover reviews say it lifted an old or set-in stain. Fresh stains come out more easily, so treat a stain as soon as you can and check it before the item goes in the dryer.

Related problems

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HiveTried earns a commission when you buy through the "See price & reviews on Amazon" buttons. It never changes the ranking: the order comes from buyer reports only, and a product gets an Amazon button only when buyers here say it works.