How to Get Soy Sauce Out of Clothes and Other Materials

By: Editors of Consumer Guide  | 
 A small while bowl of soy sauce with two chopsticks leaning on it sits on a bamboo mat.
Soy sauce has been around longer than most condiments — including ketchup.
©iStockphoto.com/Shingopix

Soy sauce is a popular condiment often used to flavor meat. Unfortunately, in direct proportion to the depth of the flavor it provides is the difficulty of removing a soy sauce stain. Luckily, we've got tips to allow this sauce to stun your palette without staining your pewter. Read on to learn how to get soy sauce out of clothes and other surfaces.

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How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains From:

Acetate, Fiberglass, Rayon, Triacetate

Gently blot the excess soy sauce. Sponge (the method of using a dampened pad to apply light strokes, moving outward from the center of the stain) the stain with water and apply a wet spotter and a few drops of white vinegar. Cover with an absorbent pad dampened with wet spotter. Let it stand as long as any stain is being removed. Change the pad as it picks up the stain. Keep the stain and pad moist with wet spotter and vinegar. Flush (the method of applying stain remover to loosen staining material and residue from stain removers) with water and repeat until no more stain can be removed.

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How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains From:

Acrylic Fabric, Modacrylic, Nylon, Olefin, Polyester, Spandex

Blot up any excess sauce with a clean cloth. Then pre soak (the method of soaking a stained article in warm water before laundering it) the stain in a solution of 1 quart warm water, 1/2 teaspoon liquid laundry detergent, and 1 tablespoon white vinegar for 15 minutes. Rinse with water. Sponge the remaining stain with rubbing alcohol and launder as soon as possible.

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How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains From:

Acrylic Plastic, Aluminum, Asphalt, Bamboo, Brass, Bronze, Cane, Ceramic Glass/Tile, Copper, Cork, Enamel, Glass, Gold, Grout,

Ivory, Jade, Linoleum, Paint (flat or Gloss), Pewter, Plexiglas, Polyurethane,

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Stainless Steel, Tin, Vinyl Clothing, Vinyl Tile, Vinyl Wallcovering, Zinc

Wipe up any excess spill, then wipe the area with a cloth or sponge dipped in warm sudsy water. Rinse well with clear water and wipe dry with a soft cloth.

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How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains From:

Alabaster, Marble

Blot up any excess sauce with paper towel or a rag. Wipe the stain with a cloth dipped in a solution of washing soda or laundry detergent (not soap) and water. If a stain remains, mix a few drops ammonia with 1 cup 3% hydrogen peroxide to create a bleaching agent. Soak a white blotter with the solution and place over the stain. Continue applying the solution until all the stain has been bleached out and the oil drawn out. Rinse well and wipe dry with a soft cloth

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How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains From:

Bluestone, Brick, Concrete, Flagstone, Granite, Limestone, Masonry Tile, Sandstone, Slate, Terrazzo

Wash stain with a solution of washing soda or detergent (not soap) and warm water. Scrub with a cloth or soft-bristled brush. Rinse with clear cool water and allow to dry.

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How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains From:

Burlap, Silk, Wool

Blot up the excess sauce with a clean pad. Sponge the stain with water. Apply a wet spotter and a few drops of distilled white vinegar. Cover with an absorbent pad moistened with wet spotter. Let it stand as long as any soy sauce stain is being removed. Change the pad as it picks up the stain. Keep both the stain and pad moist with wet spotter and vinegar. Flush with water and repeat until no more stain can be removed.

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If any stain does remain, apply rubbing alcohol to the area and cover with an absorbent pad dampened with alcohol. Let it stand as long as any stain is being removed. Change the pad as it picks up the stain and keep both the stain and pad moist with alcohol. Flush with water.

For stubborn or old stains, moisten the area with a solution of 1 teaspoon alcohol and 1 cup warm water. Cover with a pad dipped in the solution and wrung nearly dry. Let it stand at least 30 minutes. Add enough solution to keep the stained area warm and barely moist. When stain is removed, flush thoroughly with cold water and allow to dry.

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How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains From:

Carpet (synthetic or wool), Foam Rubber

Blot up what you can with a clean pad. Apply Spot Shot Carpet Stain Remover or Up & Out (do not use Up & Out on wool carpets). Then flush the stain with a solution of 1 quart warm water, 1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent, and 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Blot with a clean absorbent pad and rinse well with water.

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How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains From:

Cotton, Linen

Blot up the excess, then pretest Shout Liquid Laundry Stain Remover on an inconspicuous place as directed on the package label. If fabric isn't damaged or the color doesn't change, pretreat (the method of applying a stain-removing agent directly to the stained area) the stain. If unable to pretreat or if stain remains, soak stain in a solution of 1 quart warm water and 1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent for 15 minutes.

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Rinse well with water, then sponge stain with rubbing alcohol. Rinse and allow to dry. If stain persists, presoak in a solution of 1 quart warm water and 1 tablespoon enzyme presoak for 30 minutes. Rinse well with water and allow to dry. Launder as soon as possible.

How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains From:

Leather, Suede

Carefully blot up excess liquid. Mix a solution of mild soap in lukewarm water. Swish to create a great volume of suds. Apply only the foam with a sponge. Wipe dry with a clean dry cloth.

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If an oil stain remains, powder the area with an absorbent such as cornmeal. Allow plenty of time for it to work. Gently brush (the method of using a stiff-bristled brush to sweep staining material up onto a piece of paper) the powder off. Repeat application of absorbent if necessary. On leather only, follow with Fiebing's Saddle Soap to condition the leather.

How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains From:

Porcelain Dishes, Porcelain Fixtures

Wash the stain in warm sudsy water. Rinse well and wipe dry. If fixture cannot be removed for washing, wipe it with a cloth dipped in warm sudsy water.

How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains From: Silver

Wash silver in hot soapy water. Rinse in hot water and wipe dry with a soft cloth to prevent tarnish.

How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains From: Wood

Mix dishwashing detergent in hot water and swish to make a great volume of suds. Dip a cloth in only the foam and apply to the stain. Rinse with a cloth dampened with clear water. Polish or wax as soon as possible.

Soy sauce is commonplace in refrigerators across the world. And thanks to these stain removal techniques, this condiment will stay right where we want them: on foods and off the linens.

©Publications International, Ltd.

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