Banish 'set-in stains' from clothes with 55p cleaning product we all have at home

Save your favourite shirt from that ingrained food stain with this handy .

We've all been there - you go out for a meal in your favourite top, and disaster strikes as you accidentally spill your dinner down the front of it. If you're lucky, just sticking it in the washing machine is enough to , but in most cases, you'll need to resort to more drastic measures.

The problem with hoping that it comes out in the first wash, however, is that if it doesn't, you'll most likely have set the stain into the fabric. This makes it even more difficult to get out by traditional methods, as the stain has bonded to the fabric and doesn't want to budge.

But there is one thing you can do, and it's exceedingly simple. According to cleaning fans on , there's one hack that can remove any sort of set stain - and it works especially well on oil stains.

What's more, you won't even need to buy anything to use the hack as it utilises a common cleaning product every household already owns. And if for some reason you don't have any, it costs just 55p to buy.

The hack was shared on Reddit after someone asked for help removing two light stains on a grey jumper. They said the jumper was second-hand, so they know the stains are "set", as it's been through the washing machine several times.

They also indicated that they had tried stain remover to no avail and said they weren't sure what type of stains they were. But their lack of information was no problem for the cleaning fans in the comments, who were quick to offer an easy solution.

Several potential ways to get rid of the stain were shared on the forum, but one stood out as the most popular: using washing up liquid to spot-treat the stain before putting it in the washing machine.

One person said: "Looks like oil stains. If they are, they'll come out if you treat them with some dish soap and launder as usual."

Another added: "I would put a few drops of dish soap on them and rub it in, then rinse out the foam before putting it on a high-temperature cycle."

The original poster later returned to the thread to confirm they had tried the washing up liquid method, and had used "an old toothbrush" to help scrub the soap into the stain.

They said: "Applying some dish soap to the stained area and scrubbing it gently with an old toothbrush managed to do the job!"

According to cleaning company Smol, washing up liquid works to remove oil stains because the product is "specifically designed to break down grease" when you wash your dishes. However, they recommend not using washing up liquid that's green in colour as this can sometimes leave further stains.

They also recommended drawing the stain out first by sprinkling bicarbonate of soda onto the stain and leaving it for 30 minutes, which will absorb some of the stain and make it easier to remove.