The kinetics of stain removal from knitted cotton textiles during the washing process in a Front Loader Washing Machine (FLWM) has been investigated as a function of the ballast load, agitation, drum rotational speed and washing time, which result in different levels of mechanical action during the wash. The study was conducted using a set of stains comprising grease, enzymatic, particulate and coloured beverage type of soils that are representative of typical domestic washing loads. A mechanistic model has been developed to describe the stain removal process which takes into consideration the dual porosity of the textiles by allowing two different regions where the soil is located (inter-yarn and intra-yarn porosity). The location of the soil affects its exposure to the hydrodynamic forces and surfactant system resulting in a more challenging removal for the portion of the stain located in the inner area of the textiles. Good agreement between the experimental and predicted stain removal by the proposed mathematical model has been observed for the range of variables considered. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.