Spills happen, especially when summer cookouts, packed lunches, or fast meals are involved. But if you’ve ever dealt with condiment stains, you’ll know how stubborn they can be. From ketchup on a white shirt to mustard on your kid’s shorts or BBQ sauce on your favorite tee, these stains all share one thing in common: they’re stubborn. They also combine oil, starch, and pigment to form some of the most difficult-to-remove laundry stains out there.
Fortunately, with the right strategy and a powerful pretreatment like Zout® Laundry Stain Remover, you can get rid of even the boldest blotches. Zout’s triple-enzyme formula is uniquely suited to tackle the three-part mess left by most condiments: the greasy base, the sticky sugars or starches, and the deeply embedded dyes.
Let’s break down how to get ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, and red tomato-based stains out of clothes for good.
Why Condiment Stains Are So Stubborn
Ketchup, mustard, and BBQ sauce aren’t just messy, they’re also chemically complex. Most condiments include a mix of:
- Oil or grease (from mayonnaise, meat drippings, or added fats)
- Starch or sugar (used as thickeners or sweeteners)
- Natural and synthetic dyes (like turmeric in mustard or tomato pigments in ketchup)
These ingredients latch onto fabric in different ways, so they require a stain remover that can break down multiple components. Zout’s formula contains:
- Lipase to dissolve oils
- Amylase to target starches and sugars
- Protease to break down organic matter and proteins
Together, these enzymes work to loosen and lift stains that ordinary detergent alone can’t handle.
How to Get Condiment Stains Out of Clothes
No matter the sauce, the process for treating stains is similar, especially when you’re working with a product like Zout.
Step 1: Remove Excess Condiment
Gently scrape or blot away any remaining ketchup, mustard, or sauce. Avoid rubbing, which can spread the stain or grind it deeper into the fabric.
Step 2: Rinse with Cold Water
Turn the fabric inside out and rinse from the back to push the stain out, not further in. Cold water is best because it prevents heat from setting pigments or proteins.
Step 3: Apply Zout® Laundry Stain Remover
Spray Zout directly onto the stained area until saturated. Let it sit for 1-5 minutes to allow the enzymes to activate. For older or dried-on stains, wait up to 15 minutes.
Step 4: Wash Normally (Check Fabric First)
Wash the item in the warmest water recommended on the care label. Avoid using hot water unless the fabric allows it, especially for protein-based stains.
Specific Tips by Sauce Type
How to Get Ketchup Out of Clothes
Ketchup is a tomato-based stain rich in natural sugars and plant pigments that often leave a red or pink tint even after washing. Zout’s enzymes break down the sugar and pigment, but be sure to give it time to soak into the stain, then treat and wash again as needed.
How to Get Mustard Out of Clothes
Removing mustard stains is notoriously difficult thanks to turmeric, a spice that contains a bright yellow dye. These often need more than one round of treatment. Use Zout as a first step and always avoid bleach, which can react poorly with turmeric and deepen the stain.
How to Get BBQ Sauce Out of Clothes
BBQ sauce combines tomato, oil, sugar, and often spices or smoke flavoring, which all bond quickly to fabric. Treat fast and allow Zout to sit for a full 10–15 minutes before washing.
How to Get Red Sauce Out of Clothes
Like ketchup, red sauces (including tomato-based pasta sauces and pizza sauce) contain oil and pigments that can stain deeply. Zout’s formula helps lift both, but it’s critical to treat before the stain dries. To remove tomato sauce stains, rinse with cold water then apply Zout and wash in warm water.
A Smarter Spray-On Stain Remover
If you’re constantly battling condiment stains — especially in a household with kids, cookouts, or on-the-go meals — Zout is the best spray stain remover out there. Its enzyme-powered formula works at the molecular level, breaking down the exact compounds that give ketchup, mustard, and BBQ sauce their staying power.
No single sauce is the same, but with the right product and process, you can remove nearly any stain and keep your clothes looking clean, bright, and sauce-free. For more stain-specific tips or to shop Zout, visit the product page.
