Get to work quickly to blot up the excess and try to prevent it from being absorbed into the fabric and resulting in a stain.

If milk, milkshakes or ice cream is spilled on the carpet or furniture, grab some paper towels or very absorbent soft cotton rag. Blot up any that is still on the surface, and then press the paper towels or rags against it several times to bring out as much moisture as possible.

Any milk remaining in the material will spoil and you’ll be stuck with a foul odor for months so it’s important to act as soon as possible.

Keep in mind that milk, milk shakes and ice cream are organic and do not react favorably to cleansing agents with chemicals that may “cook” the milk right into the material you are trying to remove it from.

After you’ve blotted up as much as possible, grab a household sponge and wet it with clean, cold water. Apply the wet sponge over and over to the still wet stain, alternating with a clean paper towel.

If the stained area is on a sofa or couch, it’s pretty difficult to get to the bottom of it. You can try using a wet-dry shop vacuum to remove as much moisture as possible from the padding. If this sounds like it might work (we don’t know what your situation is), flood the spot with clean cold water and allow it to penetrate for a few seconds – you be the judge. Then use the shop vacuum and suck up as much of the moisture as possible. Some steam cleaners also have wands or tools for upholstery. It’s worth a try to fill the reservoir with a cleaning solution or just plain cold water and go over the entire surface of the sofa, chair or carpet.

If the milk has spilled onto a scatter or throw rug, there’s not much of a problem unless the rug is too big to go into your washer or not made of washable material. However, in this case, we will assume you can throw the rug into the clothes washer. Fill the tub with cold water, soak for five or ten minutes, add detergent and allow it to go through a cycle. When the cycle is complete, take the rug out and examine it for staining. If it looks clean, go ahead and dry it as you normally would do.

If the spill is from a milkshake or melted ice cream, it’s even more important to get at it right away with cold water. The sugar in the drink and ice cream makes a nasty, sticky mess and if it’s chocolate, it’s even worse.

Remember, milk is an organic product. Organic stains respond well to organic cleaners and brighteners. I often take garments out of the washer and don’t put them into the dryer at all. I hang them outdoors where the sun can draw the stain out and dry the material at the same time.

If the stain is stubborn, you may also sprinkle a little lemon juice on the stain while the fabric is still wet. Then go ahead and lay it where the sun can reach it. The lemon juice and sun together will lighten and brighten most organic stains unless they are old or have already been treated with a chemical that has cooked it into the fabric.

Another nice thing about using lemon juice is the fact that it acts as a nice deodorizer at the same time.

Speaking of deodorizer, another method that works well in some cases is using baking soda.

Blot excess milk with a sponge or paper towel.

Sprinkle baking powder on the stained area.

Using a small spray bottle of water, lightly mist the baking powder making sure it absorbs the water.

Allow the wet baking powder to dry overnight.

When it has completely dried, scrape off the excess; using a small brush, give it a light brushing to loosen the rest of the baking soda.

Vacuum the whole area.

If the stain remains, treat with lemon juice.

Allow the lemon juice to remain for about 15 minutes.

Then spray with water and blot with a paper towel

Removing Formula Stains

Very often, the biggest problem with milk stains is on baby shirts and children’s clothing. While “moo-stashes” are cute, milk dribbles on clothes is not.

Here’s a tip for busy moms who get in a hurry and don’t always have the time to treat little baby shirts to keep stains away. We don’t use diaper pails like we used to because most of today’s mothers use disposable diapers. Diaper pails were a common bathroom accessory in households with babies and toddlers. Lacking a pail, you can still take a moment to fill a sink with cold water and drop the stained little t-shirt or undershirt in to soak.

I know an efficient young mother who keeps a few inches of “soaking water” in her washer. Throughout the day, as the babies’ clothing need changed (she has an 7 month old and an 18 month old), she just tosses the soiled clothing into the washer where it can soak. They are often stained with juice, milk, and chocolate … whatever the kids took a liking to. At the end of the day, the last thing she does is to run the clothing through a short cycle. Yes, they might stay wet all night but they can be freshened with another short cycle and then dried accordingly. The result is far fewer ugly stains on the kids’ clothing.

 

As a general rule, be careful of attempting to bleach milk stains from clothing or other materials. While your intention is to lighten the stain itself, the bleaching agent in the cleaner may alter and ruin the rest of the material – leaving the stain as is!

It is usually not impossible to remove milk stain provided it’s on a washable surface. The real culprit with milk is after it has soaked into the fabric and perhaps run down into padding or the foam of furniture. It will spoil and you’ll notice a sour milk smell. It’s much better to try to remove as much of the milk as possible and then clean it thoroughly as best you can. It’s a nuisance but you can do a pretty good job of cleaning it if you just don’t give up.

If the milk is spilled on leather (as on your leather car seat), moisten a cloth with cool water and wipe the seat thoroughly. Get down into the cracks of the upholstered seat and be as diligent as you can at reaching into every crevice. After you have thoroughly wiped the seat, allow the surface to dry and then apply a leather cleaner and protector. Be sure to check under the seat in case the milk, ice cream or milkshake has gotten involved with the carpeting. If you can take the carpeting out, or loosen it to slip an absorbent towel under the area with the spill, do so. If you can’t take it out, then, with the absorbent towel under the spill, apply clean water and blot, blot, blot! Keep it flowing until you are quite sure you cannot remove any more of the milk.

Allow the wet carpeting to air-dry – some recommend drying with a hair dryer but Mrs. Clean does not. Using a hair dryer with hot air can cook the milk stain residue right in. You may wind up with a nasty stain and the odor too. If it isn’t cooked in or baked to the fabric, you still have a chance to get the stain and smell out.