Accidents happen when we least expect them. Like spilling a glass of wine after a long day, or biting into a scrumptious sandwich too eagerly. These kinds of stains can turn a decent day into a bad one if you don’t have the proper stain-removing cleaners.
So which stain remover gets the job done? A lot of them say they do, but the results tend to end with a new residue in place of the stain, or it simply fades into the cloth. Between Shout and Naturally It’s Clean, we’ll put them to the test and determine which is the best stain remover to use on your clothes.
Application
First, to test out these stain remover products, we need to create everyday stains.
- Top of shirt -> Red wine
- Middle of shirt -> Yellow mustard
- Bottom of shirt -> Green grass
On the left, I sprayed Naturally It’s Clean Laundry Stain Remover and followed the directions listed on the bottle. It was easy to apply and felt fresh while doing so; just soak the shirt with the product. That’s it. Easy. Simple. Done. Now if you have a sensitive nose, the Laundry Stain Remover isn’t as subtle as some other Naturally It’s Clean products I’ve used, and it can be a little overpowering at first. However, after soaking into the shirt, the smell quickly dispersed throughout my laundry room and left a heavenly scent.
On the right, I tested Shout’s Triple-Acting Laundry Stain Remover. It had similar instructions compared to Naturally It’s Clean with the addition of rubbing the chemical formula into the stains once it was sprayed on. While this wasn’t physically exhausting for one shirt, my hand would often slip from the towel I was using and dip into Shout’s chemicals. Also, the smell emitting from the chemicals was pungent, and I began to sneeze. It smelled like a sterilized hospital room by the end of the application process.
The Naturally It’s Clean Laundry Stain Remover was far more enjoyable to apply than Shout. With Naturally It’s Clean, you’ll have less work and a better-smelling room by the end of your laundry prep!
Results
Now, it was time to wait. After the products seeped into the stains, it was time to dump the experiment into the washing machine. When the machine ran through its cycle and dried, I was surprised! Almost all the stains were gone on both sides. The only stain that both removers struggled with was the wine at the top, yet there are fewer spots left on Naturally It’s Clean’s side versus Shout. Pretty good considering it is red wine on a white shirt!
But how did we get to this point?
Naturally It’s Clean uses plant-based enzymes to “break down stubborn food and pet stains into their basic forms; carbon, hydrogen, and other elements…” Essentially, Naturally It’s Clean safely removes stains from fabrics with the safety of the user in mind. If you don’t recognize an ingredient on the back of the bottle of a Naturally It’s Clean product, then check out their website. Descriptions are readily available and easily accessible! On the other hand, trying to find Shout’s ingredients and descriptions online involves putting on a detective hat. After you finally find the ingredients, they are completely unpronounceable words with very simple general functions listed on the side. Apparently, ethoxylated alcohol is the cleaning agent in this product…and after reading Shout’s website, I’m still not sure what that chemical is. Sure, Shout’s product was able to get stains out of the shirt, but at what cost? With a mishmash of ingredients and chemicals, it makes me wonder if they are safe for you and your fabrics?
Price
While the effectiveness of a product is what you’re after, cost always takes its role.
Naturally It’s Clean Laundry Kit includes Laundry Stain Remover and Laundry Stain Remover Concentrate and costs $27.25.
- The concentrate makes 13 bottles of the stain remover
- Each 24-oz. bottle made equates to approximately $2.09
Shout’s Triple-Acting Laundry Stain Remover Spray can be found in any general grocery store like Walmart or Kroger with a price ranging from $3.48 to $4.29 for a 22-oz. bottle. Shout also has a 60-ounce refill available for this product, filling up the 22-ounce spray bottle (almost) three times.
When it comes down to cost-effectiveness, you get more ounces per penny with Naturally It’s Clean.
Environmental Commitment
When you buy into Naturally It’s Clean, you’re buying into a company that not only works hard to provide cleaners and stain removers with naturally safe ingredients, but also a company that works to reduce its carbon footprint and protect the environment. Every bottle can be reused, hence the cost-effective creation of the Laundry Stain Remover Concentrate. If you really want to get rid of the bottle, you can recycle it! Naturally It’s Clean takes protecting your family a step further by protecting the environment.
Shout recognizes its responsibility to the environment by adhering to local laws and regulations when producing its products, it doesn’t exceed like Naturally It’s Clean when it comes to environmental commitment.
In the end, both of these products work great. It’s up to you to decide what kind of products you want on your clothing to take care of inevitable stains. However, if you’re considering smell, cost, and ease of use, then Naturally It’s Clean wins every time!
Full Disclosure: The viewpoints in this post are that of the author, a third-party paid contributor to the 'Keeping It Clean' blog.
