Stained, white garment in the sink

How to Remove Cough Syrup Stains

Cough syrup gets rid of coughs, but let Tide help you out by getting rid of cough syrup stains in a few easy steps.

Step 1

Remove Excess

Brush off any excess from the garment before rinsing under running water. The higher the water pressure, the easier it will be to remove.

A person brushing off excess from white garment
Step 2

Pour and Pre-treat

Pour Tide HE Turbo Clean Liquid directly onto the cough syrup stain. Make sure you completely cover it and let set for 5 minutes. Pour from either the bottle or the cap.

Step 3

Dose

You can also use the cap to ensure you use the right amount of detergent. Just fill it with the correct dose of detergent, and pour it into the detergent dispenser if you have an HE machine, or directly into the drum before loading the clothes if you have a non-HE machine.

Step 4

Load

Without rinsing off the detergent, place the garment into the washer with other items. Leaving the detergent on the stain will give your wash that extra boost of cleaning power.

A person loading white clothes into the washing machine drum
Step 5

Wash

Wash on the usual cycle, on the hottest wash temperature indicated. Always check the instructions on the garment’s care label.

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Select the wash cycle and water temperature on your washing machine
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Step 6

Unload

When the cycle is complete, unload the garments immediately.

If the stain persists after washing, repeat the previous steps before tossing in the dryer, as drying will set the stain.

A laundry basket full of neatly folded, colorful gaments