How to Remove Perfume & Cologne Stains

Perfume & cologne stains can be an unexpected phenomenon. Spraying perfume & cologne onto your clothes may make the fragrance last longer, but if we aren’t careful, it will also cause unwanted stains on our favorite clothing.

White clothes are more prone to stains than dark, but the fabric type and perfume color also play a major role when it comes to stains. In most cases, rinsing the stain should be enough to remove it, especially if the stain is fresh.

If you can, immediately prepare a cloth with cold water, then gently dab at the stain to lift as much the perfume off as possible (Helpful Tip: hot water can cause the stain to set). With an older, dried stain, make a mixture of vinegar and water and gently sponge the stain so the entire area is covered.

Once you pre-treat the stain, run the clothes through the washer. Purex® has a range of liquid detergents that are long-lasting & will keep your clothes smelling fresh for weeks. If you still see the perfume or cologne stain after washing, apply a little more detergent to the stained area, and let sit for five minutes. Then, launder as before. As always, make sure the stain is removed before you place the item in the dryer; otherwise, the stain may set.

Sometimes perfume stains do not appear until later, after aging for a while. One way to avoid these stains is to spray perfume before getting dressed and let the perfume completely dry before dressing. The best place to stray perfume is either on your neck or dabbing your wrists together.

Happy Stain Fighting! Explore Purex® laundry detergents, Pacs, and fragrance boosters that leave your clothes smelling great, fresh & all at a great price!

We understand that life gets messy and want to make laundry as easy as possible for you. With quality & value continuing to be at the core of our product development, we continue to create highly effective laundry detergent & supplies. We tested some of the toughest stains to keep your clothing looking brand new. View our Stain Lab for our best recommendations to get life's toughest stains out of your clothing.