Why You Should Keep Shaving Cream in Your Purse

Let’s face it: Finding effective ways to remove tough stains in a pinch is never easy. So we have to pause and celebrate each and every cleaning hack as soon as we discover it. And shockingly, we found a cheap (and widely available) tiny stain fighter that you probably already have in your bathroom.

Shaving cream, folks, yes shaving cream! Believe it or not, in addition to minimizing razor burn and rashes, turns out shaving cream is also a powerful stain remover.

Thanks to the soapy and foamy nature of classic shaving creams, they work great for lifting up stubborn stains on everything from coffee stains to carpeting. And because it works especially well for getting makeup off of shirt collars, we recommend picking up a travel-sized bottle of shaving cream to stick in your purse, so that you’ll always have it with you.

Just dab some shaving cream onto the stained area—and be sure to blot it down so it sinks in—and let it sit for around half an hour. By the time you come back to it, the stain should be loose enough to simply wipe away (or to remove with just a little bit of scrubbing).

Dealing with a tough stain (like coffee) on a coarse material (such as carpeting)? No problem. Try leaving the shaving cream on overnight and tackling it the next day for better results.

Still not sold on the idea that shaving cream can save your stuff from stains? What if we told you that shaving cream can also lift pesky food and grease stains, like ketchup, from your clothes in a matter of minutes? Just put a dollop of shaving cream on the stain, let it settle in, then blot away for foolproof spot removal on the go. Only your dry cleaner will be disappointed.