The best won't be fragrance free.
Tide with bleach (oxy) is the best overall. Tide fragrance free is not nearly as good. I do three rinses in a FL, and that eliminates most fragrance.
For set stains wash in hot water. You can probably get some good advice on specific satins if you ask. Specific stains may be covered in the FAQ.
There is a large difference in detergent stain removal capabilities between brands. Some of the "eco" brands are about as good as using tap water on set stains.
For future stains, avoid putting clothes in the dryer that are still stained after washing. Most stain pre treatments are much better at keeping stains from setting than removing set stains.

Do you have a "soak" function on your machine? I attack stains with Biz and a "soak" cycle and that gets them out.

I was going to suggest Biz also or maybe Clorox 2. Clorox 2 even says it will remove dryer dried stains???

Might also use liquid Tide or Wisk--rub in, let sit, then wash.
If the scent bothers you, rinse it out before putting it in the washer,(after it has sat a while) then wash with your unscented detergent.

For most stains, I use soak at least overnight and up to 48 hours in OxiClean dissolved in a cold water in the sink.

That should loosen most stains.

I don't think it's as much about the detergent as it is about the fabric and the ability of the washer to get the wash water to at least 140F or beyond.

It depends on the stains. Pre-staining works for me, more effective than whole-wash attempts. Wine Away for red wine and iron based stains, Red Out for red food dye stains, OxiClean for general soaking, although colors do sometimes run with that approach, Charlie's Soap Laundry Pre-spray on grease. Blood stains benefit from peroxides like Oxi in cold water. Getting to the stains as soon as possible after they occur is very helpful.

"What is the best detergent for food stains? I can only use HE products."

Hand wash and do spot-cleaning on the stains outside the washer so that's not a restriction and you can use more effective products.

I don't put stained clothing into the washer until the stains are out, unless it's a stain I know will wash out.

"For future stains, avoid putting clothes in the dryer that are still stained after washing. Definitely! Treat the stain immediately. Put a safety pin through the label of anything that you have spot-treated and if the stain is still there when it comes out of the washer, treat the stain again.

I think for most guys the best that can be hoped for is putting a wax-type stain stick product on the clothing before it goes in the hamper. I know when I made that effort I cut down on clothing ruined by stains by 95%. Once it's in the hamper it's just not in guy DNA to think about it again before the wash.

This treatment plus using a powdered detergent with oxy type bleach. (I expect powdered detergent are much easier to formulate with oxy compared to liquids. Something not mentioned in most liquid vs. powder discussions. )

I rarely pre-treat. I just toss in a bit of Biz and pretty much everything comes out. Every now and then I have to soak.
Just about any detergent will clean well if you add something like Biz or other enzyme solution. A few months ago I used powdered Sun with a tablespoon of Biz on 2 sets of my husbands uniforms that had ink on them and the stains came out. That wouldn't have happened with the Sun alone.

I keep Tide in a dishwashing bottle and squirt it directly on stains with some warm water before washing. Then I use Arm & Hammer or ALL Clear for the main wash.

Best pre-treat stain spray, IMO, is Zout.

Also, if the stain doesn't come out completely on the first was, do NOT put it in the dryer! Keep working at it. But once you dry it in the dryer, it becomes almost impossible to get it out.

This post was edited by Tibbrix on Tue, Dec 16, 14 at 17:02

Biz for food stains. It has enzymes that will "eat" the food. Bad stains earn a Biz pre-soak.

OxyClean etc. are non-chlorine bleaches and can lighten the stain, but the Biz is an enzyme treatment that IMHO does a better job.

For nasty grease/fat/oil type stains, that survived previous measures, I take good old-fashioned original formula DAWN dishwashing liquid, put a drop on the stain, massage it in, let it set 5 - 10 minutes, and wash on warmest water setting the item can take.

If the stained garment has gone through the washer & dryer already, the stain might be set permanently. YMMV

I spray stains with Simple Green Original cleaning spray diluted 50:50 with water. I let the garment sit 10-15 minutes out of the washer, then put it in the washer with the rest of the load and run the cycle as usual. This works just about every time for me.

Teresa

For oil, grease, ink, lipstick type stains that have been dried in the dryer and set-in, I have found that Lestoil dabbed on the stain then rewashed will remove these dryer set stains. Lestoil has saved many of a ruined garment for me.
I also use Lestoil as a pretreat for oil based stains. Unfortunately, some people don't like the smell. However, the smell does go away once the clothes are dried in the dryer.

Nothing takes blood stains out like Vivid. I use Oxyclean (or generic equivalent) for everything else.

If it's a front loader, get yourself a laundry tub or dish tub and presoak as someone else suggested.

I will never have a front loader again. I don't know what was worse, having to wash the clothes multiple times to get them clean - I guarantee you that wastes more water than just cleaning them in a top loader from the get-go - or having to finagle that dang rubber seal off and clean up all the mold and mildew it collects.

Thanks for all of the advice!

For oil-based stains, I pretreat with hand cleanser of the type created for mechanics, and then hand wash out the hand cleanser with hot water and a bit of regular laundry detergent. (This wash gets rid of most of the hand cleanser and its odor.) Then I toss it in with the regular wash and the oil stain is gone.

I am old as dirt and have fought stains for as long as I can remember. Lately if I get a stain on something I put it in cold water and let it set over night. They have all come out, even blood without any special product. I am not saying all stains will come out. I do not know if it will work of stains like oils and grease, I use corn starch for those kind of things.

>I will never have a front loader again. I don't know what was worse, having to wash the clothes multiple times to get them clean - I guarantee you that wastes more water than just cleaning them in a top loader from the get-go - or having to finagle that dang rubber seal off and clean up all the mold and mildew it collects.

I've been using front load washers since 1997. I never have to wash things multiple times, and I've never gotten signs of mold in any of my washers. Sounds like some use and care errors were at play here.

I am surprised that no one mentioned Fels-Naptha bar? Can find it in most groceries, easy to use (looks like a bar of soap) and has been very successful in getting out most stains that I could not get out with Zout. I also keep a bottle of Dawn close by for grease stains, a little dab will do ya!

Thanks for all of the great ideas!

Thanks for all of the great ideas!

Yes, Fels Naptha bar soap also works great. Especially on oil/petroleum based stains.