We Tried The Shaving Cream Hack On Household Stains: Here's What Works & What Doesn't

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Do you have stains in your life that are etched into your memory? I do. I was rounding the corner from the kitchen to the dining room with a bowl full of hot curry when I took a tiny stutter step. It was already too late — the inevitable was about to happen. It was like watching a disaster unfold in slow motion as a wave of bright yellow liquid swelled toward the rim of the bowl. Underneath? Off-white carpet.

Nothing could ever touch that stain. Not my trusty Bissell TurboClean and not even a professional carpet cleaning. I was doomed to look at that curry stain until we replaced the carpet with hardwood floors, years later. One thing I didn't think to try at the time was shaving cream. Recently, the internet has been abuzz about this being a household stain solution, so I wanted to try this hack and find out if it lives up to the hype. Would it be as successful as the vinegar cleaning hacks that are everywhere?

It's tempting to want to find a catch-all product that can take the place of several task-specific products like carpet cleaner, upholstery cleaner, leather conditioner, shoe polish, and surface cleaner. Especially one that most people already have on hand. So, did shaving cream handle all of my stain trouble? Or is its best work done on stubble? Here's what happened.

For this experiment, I used two products: Edge for Sensitive Skin, a blue gel-based cream, and Barbasol Original, a more traditional white foaming cream. Both are name brands sold at most supermarkets. For each surface that was cleaned, I sprayed a generous amount of shaving cream or gel on the stain and then used a clean, dry cloth to spread it over the entire area. I then let it sit for 20 minutes. After that, I rubbed the shaving cream fully into the area and rinsed it completely with a clean damp cloth. The only difference was with leather items. For those, I simply rubbed the cream off with a dry cloth. I waited until each surface was fully dry before taking my "after" pictures.

I did not do any specific preparation for any of the areas or surfaces that I tested, which included carpet, indoor furniture, outdoor furniture, leather, and cabinetry. I simply sprayed the shaving cream directly onto the stain and then waited to see the results. These were not recent stains, either — most had been there months (or even years!) — and embarrassing as that is to admit, I trust I am not alone in the "wait it out and let it fade" department. 

In hindsight, it would have been wise to spot test areas before diving right in. It's always a good idea to test in an inconspicuous place first. But I didn't take such precautions, and here's what happened.

Carpets are probably a household's biggest stain attractors, so I started there. After all, we all have our own personal curry stain crosses to bear. While I can't go back in time and try shaving cream on that curry stain, I did have a couple remnants of two puppy pee-pee accidents to battle for this experiment. As seen in the photo, there's one stain at the top and one at the bottom. Each of them happened a few years back, and each did not respond well to our home carpet cleaner. Could shaving cream be my savior?

First, I sprayed the Edge foaming gel on the bottom stain. After 20 minutes, I rubbed the blue cream fully in. By this point, it was now abundantly clear that this would have been a much better place to try the Barbasol white foam instead. After rinsing thoroughly with water and letting the area dry... it was still tinted blue. The gel, rather than lifting the stain, made it worse. Do not make this mistake. Using the blue gel on carpet is not a good idea!

Not to be deterred, I tried again with the Barbasol shaving cream on the upper stain. Using the same method as above, I couldn't see much difference in the color or intensity of the stain after the cream was rubbed in and rinsed, but at least it's not blue. The takeaway: Carpet cleaner is a better choice than shaving cream on carpet stains. And now I need to get out my cleaning machine out and un-Smurf my carpet.

For furniture, I first tackled an annoying stain on the seat back of an overstuffed La-Z-Boy chair. I was never sure where this stain came from, what it was, or which kid did it (ha!), but now seemed like a good time to try to get rid of it. 

I sprayed the Edge gel on the dark spot and waited it out. After rinsing, the stain was almost completely gone. There's still a small dot that's apparently the epicenter of the original stain, but it's hard to see. The shaving cream worked quite well in this application! Do note, though, while I used the blue gel on this dark chair, if you have lighter-colored upholstery, I'd suggest going with white, because ... well, the carpet results speak for themselves. Regardless, this stain-lifting attempt was a victorious success. 

Next, I tried shaving cream on an outdoor patio chair cushion. These cushions are a light gray color. Over the years I've realized that a darker color might have been a better choice for outdoors: Things get spilled, birds drop their cargo, and weather takes its toll. But the past is the past, and stains are stains, so it was shaving cream time. For this, I tried the white Barbasol foam. Again, great results. The stain is not completely gone, but it is almost unnoticeable. It appears that shaving cream works well on both fabric and upholstered furniture.

For the leather category, I tried an old leather satchel that is riddled with "character" and a pair of men's leather shoes. The shoes had some scuff marks in the toe area. Each was treated with the Barbasol shaving foam. After 20 minutes, I wiped the foam off with a dry towel. 

I couldn't see any difference in the old leather satchel. It still looked just as dry and scratched as when I started. However, the shoes looked noticeably less dry and scratched. It's possible that the shoes just needed some moisturizing to look a little newer, but it was a clear success if all you need is an immediate spiff and shine.

While I was dabbling in shoes, I also wanted to also try shaving cream on suede. My tan-colored suede boots had a grubby looking stain along one side. Using the Edge gel cream, I covered it for 20 minutes before removing with a damp cloth. The boot does look noticeably cleaner. I was concerned about getting this material wet, but it doesn't seem to have harmed it at all. The blue color was also not a factor. For kicks, I also tried the gel foam on the hard rubber toe box of another shoe and it once again brightened right up. Conclusion: shaving cream and shaving gel both made leather shoes look cleaner, newer, and brighter.

If you ever had a schoolteacher who let you smear shaving cream all over your desk, it wasn't just all fun and games. They know that it's great at cleaning hard surfaces. Not just crayon and ink, but also sticky substances like glue or adhesive. 

For my household purposes, though, I was having enough success applying this shaving cream hack around the house that I tried using the Barbasol shaving foam on painted kitchen cabinets. Over the years, they've gotten a bit discolored from hand oils, cooking oils, and any other kitchen grime. After the usual 20-minute soak, I wiped the shaving cream away with a damp cloth. 

To my surprise, the off-white cabinets look noticeably brighter and shinier. Could a similar effect have been achieved with soap and water? Probably, but it still counts as a win. I'm tempted to do all of the cabinets now! It really didn't take any scrubbing or elbow grease to remove the original grime. 

While I was initially a skeptic, this cleaning hack worked better than I expected. I won't be getting rid of my other cleaners and replacing them exclusively with shaving cream, but if I was in a pinch and didn't have them handy, I would confidently reach for the cream... with the notable exception being carpet stains. For that, it's safer and more reliable to stick with carpet cleaning solutions. I should also add that if I were to clean regularly with shaving cream, I would opt for white foam and skip the riskier blue gel.

So why did shaving cream (mostly) work to remove stains and blemishes from fabrics, leathers, and surfaces? To understand the answer, we have to look at the main ingredients  in shaving cream. One is stearic acid, which is a long-chain fatty acid, or emollient. This gives shaving cream moisturizing properties to keep skin feeling soft and hydrated. This probably helped the leather shoes look newer. Another ingredient in shaving cream is triethanolamine, a surfactant (or, surface-acting agent), which acts like soap removing dirt and grease. This is likely why the fabric, upholstery, and cabinets looked better after soaking and rinsing with shaving cream.

While I didn't try shaving cream on any clothing items, it's also a hero for conquering gross pillow stains. If you do need to banish clothing stains, you could try spot cleaning with shaving cream, or try another non-commercial and non-traditional remedy like using ammonia in the laundry For now, though? I promise that you can confidently grab that can of cream and shave yourself a trip to the store.