Shout Vs. OxiClean: Which Stain Remover Should You Choose?

Stain removers are a must-have for any home. Those pesky stains from food, drinks, dirt, and more can quickly ruin your favorite clothes and upholstery. When it comes to powerful stain fighters, two brands stand out: Shout and OxiClean.

But which one should you choose for your laundry needs?

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll compare Shout and OxiClean stain removers side-by-side. We’ll cover the key features of each product, analyze their stain-fighting ingredients, and highlight the pros and cons.

Read on to find out if Shout or OxiClean is the best stain remover for you!

A Brief Comparison Table

Feature	Shout	OxiClean
Stain Removal Ability	Very effective on grease, oil, makeup, sweat, and deodorant stains. Good on food and drinks stains.	Excellent at removing food and drink stains like juice, wine, coffee. Also great on dirt, mud, grass, and body soils.
Active Ingredients	Solvent-based formula (alcohols, sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate)	Oxygen-powered formula (sodium percarbonate, sodium carbonate)
Scrubbing Required	Typically needs more rigorous scrubbing	Can lift many stains with minimal scrubbing
Safety	Potential skin irritant for sensitive skin. Harmful to environment.	Hypoallergenic and non-toxic. Environmentally friendly.
Forms Available	Liquid spray, wipes, gel, detergent	Powder, liquid detergent, spray
Usage	Ready-to-use. Good for on-the-go.	Needs dilution with water before use. Better for soaking.
Whitening Ability	Minimal optical brighteners	Contains brighteners to boost whiteness

Overview of Shout Stain Removers

Shout has been around since the 1950s and has become one of the most widely recognized brands for stain removal. Their stain removers come in a few different forms:

• Shout Liquid: This is their classic liquid formula that can be sprayed directly on stains. It’s designed to work on both protein-based stains (blood, eggs, grass) and dye-based stains (wine, juice, makeup).
• Shout Wipes: These portable wipes make it easy to pretreat stains when you’re on the go. They contain the same Shout formula but in a disposable wipe form.
• Shout Advanced Gel: This thicker gel formula clings to stains and vertical surfaces better than the regular liquid. It’s ideal for treating upholstery and carpets.
• Shout Laundry Detergent: This detergent contains Shout’s stain-fighting ingredients built right in to help knock out stains in the wash.

No matter which Shout product you choose, they all contain similar active ingredients to break down and remove stains.

Key Ingredients in Shout Formulas

Shout stain removers rely on these powerful ingredients to combat stains:

• Sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate: This surfactant penetrates and lifts stain particles from fabrics.
• Sodium carbonate: Also known as washing soda, this alkaline base helps dissolve stains.
• Sodium percarbonate: This ingredient provides gentle bleaching power to remove discoloration from stains.
• Alcohols: Ethanol and isopropyl alcohol help dissolve oil-based stains.
• Perfumes: Added fragrances leave clothes smelling fresh.

By using a combination of surfactants, solvents, bleaches, and cleaning agents, Shout aims to break the chemical bonds of a wide variety of stains to remove them from fabric.

Overview of OxiClean Stain Removers

OxiClean is another very popular stain fighting brand owned by Church & Dwight, the company behind Arm & Hammer. OxiClean offers these main stain-removing products:

• OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover: This powder formula is designed to be dissolved in water to make a stain-fighting solution. It can be used to pretreat stains, add to laundry loads, or clean around the house.
• OxiClean MaxForce Spray: This ready-to-use spray gel clings to vertical surfaces and penetrates stains on contact without scrubbing.
• OxiClean Liquid Laundry Detergent: Like Shout, OxiClean also offers a laundry detergent with its staining fighting ingredients built in. The liquid formula works in both standard and high efficiency washing machines.
• OxiClean White Revive: This specialized formula is designed to safely remove stains from white fabrics and prevent yellowing or graying.

OxiClean uses an oxygen-based formula to lift stains and brighten laundry.

Key Ingredients in OxiClean Products

Here are the key stain-fighting ingredients found in OxiClean:

• Sodium percarbonate: This hydrogen peroxide-releasing ingredient provides stain-removing oxidation power.
• Sodium carbonate: Washing soda helps dissolve stains.
• Sodium metasilicate: This ingredient is a cleaning agent that breaks down oils and grease.
• Tetraacetylethylenediamine (TAED): This activator works with sodium percarbonate to boost cleaning power.
• Optical brighteners: These additives attach to fabric fibers to reflect light and make clothes appear brighter.
• Fragrance: Added perfume leaves laundry smelling fresh.

The main stain-fighting power of OxiClean comes from sodium percarbonate. When dissolved in water, it releases hydrogen peroxide which acts as a bleach to lift stains but is still safe for most colorfast fabrics.

Now that we’ve covered the key product lines and ingredients, let’s compare Shout and OxiClean head-to-head.

Shout And OxiClean: Effectiveness Against Stains

The most important factor when choosing a stain remover is how well it works! So how does Shout compare to OxiClean when put to the test against common stains?

Several studies and consumer tests have compared the stain-removing abilities of these two brands. Here’s an overview of the results:

• Against food stains: OxiClean was more effective at removing stains from foods like grape juice, ketchup, salsa, coffee, and wine. Its oxygen-powered formula seems best suited for tackling organic-based stains.
• Against grease/oil stains: Shout performed better at eliminating oil-based stains like motor oil, cooking grease, makeup, and lipstick. The solvents in its formula can break down greasy, waxy stains.
• Against dirt/mud: Both products were equally capable of removing mud, clay, grass, and dirt stains from fabric.
• Against sweat/body soils: For sweat, deodorant marks, and body oils, Shout and OxiClean were comparable in cleaning ability.
• Brightening/whitening: OxiClean was more effective at brightening whites and removing yellowing or graying. Shout does not contain optical brighteners.

So when it comes to tough organic stains, OxiClean appears to have the edge. But for greasy, oily stains, Shout comes out on top. Both excel at removing protein-based body soils and dirt.

Ease of Use

When you’re dealing with a nasty stain, you want a stain remover that’s fast and easy to use. Here’s how Shout and OxiClean products compare when it comes to convenience:

• Application method: OxiClean needs to be dissolved in water before use, while Shout comes ready-to-use. Shout may be preferred for portability and spontaneity.
• Form: Shout offers more variety like wipes and gels. OxiClean primarily comes as a powder or liquid detergent.
• Scrubbing required: OxiClean typically needs less rigorous scrubbing than Shout to lift some stains, especially when used with warm water.
• Soaking: For tougher set-in stains, OxiClean is better for soaking overnight before washing. Shout does not recommend soaking.
• Washing machine use: Both Shout and OxiClean detergents can be used directly in the wash to boost stain-fighting power.

Overall, OxiClean may require a bit more prep work but provides superior stain removal with less elbow grease required. Shout is faster for on-the-spot stain attacks but may need more scrubbing.

Safety Comparison

When working with chemical cleaning products, safety is also an important consideration. Here’s how these brands compare:

• Skin irritation: OxiClean is generally considered safe for skin. Undiluted Shout may cause skin irritation for some sensitive individuals.
• Fabric safety: Both are safe for most colorfast washable fabrics when used as directed. OxiClean may have an advantage for whitening.
• Ingredient safety: Shout contains alcohol which some may wish to avoid. OxiClean is non-toxic.
• Environmental impact: OxiClean is better for septic systems. Shout contains alkylphenol ethoxylates which are not readily biodegradable.

OxiClean is likely the safer choice for skin, environmental, and non-toxic considerations. But both are gentle enough for most fabrics.

Cost Comparison

Affordability is often a consideration when choosing everyday cleaning products. Here’s how Shout and OxiClean compare cost-wise:

• Stain remover sprays: OxiClean 22oz spray is $4.97 vs. Shout 22oz spray for $5.47. Slight advantage to OxiClean.
• Laundry detergents: 100oz OxiClean detergent is $11.97 vs. 92oz Shout detergent for $12.97. Again, OxiClean wins on price.
• Versatile stain remover: 76oz OxiClean tub is $8.94 vs. 40oz tub of Shout powder is $6.97. On a per-ounce basis, OxiClean is more affordable.
• Wipes: 34 count OxiClean wipes cost $4.27 vs. Shout wipes at $3.97 for 34 count. Comparable pricing.

For most equivalent products, OxiClean is slightly more economical than Shout ounce-for-ounce. But prices can vary between retailers. When on sale or using coupons, the prices may be closer.

Which Stain Remover To Pick?

After comparing critical factors like stain-fighting ability, ease of use, safety, and cost, OxiClean emerges as the winner when going head-to-head against Shout.

OxiClean’s superior stain removal, gentler formula, environmental safety profile, and competitive pricing give it the advantage for most laundry uses.

However, Shout still beats OxiClean when it comes to oil-based stain removal. So it can be beneficial to have a bottle of Shout for greasy spills even if you choose OxiClean as your go-to laundry product.

Hopefully this breakdown gives you more clarity on choosing between these two leading stain-fighting brands! Check out the pros and cons recap below:

OxiClean Pros:

• Superior at removing food, juice, coffee, and organic-based stains
• Whitens and brightens better
• Requires less scrubbing and elbow grease
• Hypoallergenic and non-toxic
• Environmentally friendly ingredients
• Very cost effective per ounce

OxiClean Cons:

• Requires mixing with water before use
• Not as effective on oily, greasy stains
• May cause color loss in non-colorfast fabrics

Shout Pros:

• Specialized formula to dissolve oil and grease stains
• Convenient aerosol spray and wipes for on-the-go use
• Works well on body soils like sweat and deodorant
• Less potential for irritation and allergies

Shout Cons:

• Not as effective on food and drink stains
• May require more rigorous scrubbing
• Not as environmentally friendly
• More expensive than OxiClean

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Closing Remarks

In summary, both Shout and OxiClean make excellent stain removers and most households will benefit from having both available.

Use OxiClean for your everyday laundry needs but keep Shout on hand for greasy spills on clothes or upholstery that need a solvent-based cleaner. Together they provide a one-two punch to conquer nearly any stain challenge!