The stain remover that makes old stains vanish in seconds

Recently, it seems like everyone on Instagram has been posting "before and after" pictures of Folex stain remover spray next to miraculously spotless (formerly soiled) shirts, chairs, and carpets. After seeing the same product over and over alongside claims like "you NEED this in your life!", I needed to see for myself what all the fuss was about.

The product is Folex Instant Carpet Spot Remover, and unbeknownst to me, it's actually been around for decades. I ordered some on Amazon and put it to the test, and even in my limited experience with it, it certainly seems to be living up to its 5-star average rating.

Today, I'll be sharing the most important things for you to know about this stain remover. My goal is to give you the information you need to decide whether it could make a useful addition to your cleaning arsenal.

6 things you should know about Folex Instant Carpet Spot Remover

1. It works on a variety of stains and fabrics

Old stains, new stains, carpet stains, clothing stains, furniture upholstery, car interiors—so far, this stain remover seems to work well on just about any stain on any sort of fabric. For example, I tried using Folex on an outline around a pet stain I had treated a few months previously, and it had no trouble removing that months-old mark.

2. It's easy to use

This stain remover is not only easy to use, but it's pretty fun to use too! It's especially great to use on fresh stains because you get to watch them essentially disappear before your very eyes!

It's a gentle yet powerful formula, which means you can keep elbow grease to a minimum. No rinsing or scrubbing is required—simply spray and blot, and the stain will be gone in no time.

3. It's unscented

Harsh chemicals and synthetic fragrances in cleaning formulas can easily irritate allergies, and you don't necessarily want to use them around children or pets. But this formula doesn't have any fragrance or harsh chemicals, so that's one less thing for you to worry about.

4. It's water-based

One of the downsides of stain removal is that they can sometimes—regardless of whether they're homemade, natural, store-bought, or commercial—leave marks behind, especially if they're difficult to "rinse" or lift out after you've applied them. But Folex Instant Carpet Spot Remover is a water-based formula, which makes it much less likely to leave behind residues, marks, or discoloration.

5. It can be expensive

There are a couple of potential downsides to this stain remover that you ought to be aware of, the first being its price. If you buy Folex at a home improvement store, the price is more reasonable, but it's fairly expensive to get it on Amazon.

So I would say that if you already have a compelling reason to stop by Home Depot, you might as well add it to your shopping list if you're interested in trying it. Otherwise, it'll be more cost-effective to make your own stain remover at home .

6. It's not ideal for e very stain

The other downside (well, it's more of a reality check, really) is that it isn't great for pet stains. The best stain remover for pet stains is an enzyme cleaner (as opposed to water-based Folex), which is more effective at eliminating the odors associated with bodily fluids, feces, etc.

The takeaway

Overall, I would give Folex Instant Stain Remover a score of 9/10. It lives up to its reputation and it's extremely user-friendly. For me, it has enough advantages to make up for the steeper price and the fact that it isn't ideal for every single stain under the sun (which I don't think any stain remover actually is).