A stain is a discoloration on a piece of fabric, cloth, or other material, usually created unintentionally. For example, many types of food, beverage, or other fluids will stain various types of fabric. Different types of fabrics can be stained by different substances, and stain resistance is an important characteristic in modern textile engineering. Various laundry techniques exist to attempt to remove or minimize existing stains, and stain removers are an important type of chemical in laundry detergents. Some stand-alone stain removers also exist.

Dry-cleaning companies and laundromats may offer stain removal services. It can be extremely difficult, however, to remove some stains once set in.

New wine or ink stains can be removed by placing salt on them, which absorbs the wine/ink over several hours. The salt can then be washed off or vacuumed. Laundry