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Pick A Proper Pretreater, Promptly

The  pretreaters below have been selected by me because they're rich in biocatalyst enzymes.  They're all safe for water-washable textiles that don't contain animal fibers like silk, wool or cashmere.  One is specifically  animal-fiber safe .   If there's a maple leaf emojum 🍁 in the name, that means the product is primarily available exclusively in Canada.

They basically come in two archetypical formulae.    The Classic model uses conventional surfactants derived from petrochemicals, synthetic solvents and the biotech enzymes.  Zout is the OG in this space, with Tide PureClean,  new Tide Enzyme Stain Remover, the late Tide Rescue (included here for reference as it's still available in some places in Canada) and Proofed being the modern upstarts.   The Green formulae are generally made with plant-based surfactants, may or may not contain alcohol or other bio-based solvents and are also rich in enzymes.

Inside these categories, the products are more alike than different.  It would take pretty controlled lab conditions to see a difference in raw stain removal performance between products in the category, but they do differ by their enzyme content.   When you're picking a product, choose one with ingredients that cover the stains you encounter.  If you frequently face automotive, makeup/lipstick or personal care products with petroleum components, choose a Classic style product.  If you are primarily concerned with food, people, pet or plant stains, either Classic or Green is fine.    Fragrance is personal; there are several unscented products on the list.  Solvent is helpful if you tend to let stains sit until they're dry and hard before washing (no judgement). as well as for stains that aren't inherently water soluble like makeup and lipstick.

Regardless of which style you choose, match your enzymes to your problems.  Again, all products on the list contain Lipase, which attacks oily soils of biological origin.   All of the products except for the Tide Oxi Pro Grease Stain Remover also contain Amylase, a biocatalyst that dissolves starches as found in stains like soups, sauces and gravies, oatmeal and rice.

All of the selections. save one, contain Protease, an enzyme that targets proteins like found in dairy and meat, plant and grass stains and biological soils caused by pet or people accidents.  The downside of protease is that it attacks animal fibers like silk, wool and cashmere, which are made of protein.   Use the Wool Safe column to identify the option suitable for wool, silk and cashmere, but understand that you're trading off some versatility and performance to get that safety.

Where the products differ a bit is the other enzymes.  Pectate Lyase (which may be described as pectinase or pectin lyase) dissolves the complex sugars found in fruits and vegetables and products made with them like jam, pasta sauce and pie filling.  Mannanase targets thickeners and gums, especially common in plant-based milks, chocolate, coffee, puddings, salad dressings and pastry fillings.  DNase/Nuclease  targets body grime - this can be especially useful on high skin contact areas such as collars and cuffs.  Cellulase is found in a few products - while cleaning and care cellulases in detergent are extremely useful at improving the look of cotton and semi-synthetic fibers like rayon and viscose, the utility in pretreaters is limited, in my opinion.  It's mostly present in these products because the vendor is using a premixed enzyme blend that contains cellulase, rather than for an overt benefit in pretreating. 

Many of the selections are Retailer Brands.  In the Notes field on the cards, you'll find some commentary about which retailer the product is associated with.

Bottom line, there aren't bad choices on the list.   It's hard to make a bad decision.  Zout has improved their retail situation lately, but the new Tide Enzyme Stain Remover is in 3600+ retail locations as we speak.  The store brands are quite good and tend to be pretty affordable.    I've got partial bottles of most of these and am pretty impressed with all of them. 

Proper Procedures Produce Pleasing Performance

These products share a common characteristic - they like maximal contact time on the textiles.   You want at least a half-hour of dwell time between the application and the wash, and you can safely use these well beyond ten days prior to washing.  They're actively breaking down the stains as long as they're damp.  After that, the action stops, but the breakup products are loosened and ready for the wash.  Many people find it helpful to spray the item, let it hang until dry, and then put the treated garment in the hamper for eventual washing.