I hate doing laundry and usually can't be bothered to pre-treat.
But I, too, usually end up with my meals on my shirt, a key reason why I rarely wear white or pastels on any given day.
I've tried almost all of the products Dan tested and also like Zout best, but I do use a couple of the others on occasion with different results than he obtained.
Agreed, the Tide-to-Go Pen is convenient but flimsy, however, the last time I used it I successfully removed a (fresh) blood spot from my clothing.
I've had the same results as above with the Shout Wipes (which also come in cheapie travel-size packets for $0.99 at my local Target, so I packed them in my wedding-day Emergency Kit and later took the unused wipes on our honeymoon) . . . but they both require immediate treatment of the spot-in-question.
Allowing a stain to sit renders both of these spot-treaters useless.
A product that was not tested was the Carbona line of stain-specific treatments. . .I've had decent success with a couple of these, but they're a pain in the bum to use, even when you do have the time.
OxyClean is OK, but I usually use it in my warm-water laundry to boost my detergent instead of bleach, which I am allergic to (and would also ruin 98% of my wardrobe) . . .and, on top of that, OxyClean does NOT work well in cold water.
Lastly, on Spray 'n' Wash . . . the Spray 'n' Wash stick is far superior to the spray because it doesn't run. Even on set-in stains, especially if you swab some on before tossing your item into the hamper and it sits until you're ready to do laundry . . .or you run out of socks, whichever comes first.
