Stains are a fact of life. Everyone will come into contact with a stain on their clothing or furniture at some point in their life. But, don’t fret. Stains can be removed with the right cleaner and a bit of elbow grease.
Common laundry stains come from food and drink. For fruit drink stains, dab the stain with cold water as soon as it happens. Soak the garment in cold water for at least thirty minutes before washing. When washing, use color safe bleach along with the detergent to clean.
People always say that wine stains are hard to remove from clothing if at all. I found a solution. For wine stains, use boiling milk. When the milk comes to a boil, soak the stained area in the boiling milk to remove the stain.
Kids are great for getting candy, particularly chocolate or hot cocoa on their clothing. When this occurs, soak the stain in cold or warm water. Use hot water and detergent to wash the garment. It the stain is still visible, use dry cleaning solvent on the area. Follow this with some hydrogen peroxide. Wash the garment again.
Blood is also a common clothing and linen stain. Soak the item in cold or warm water for at least thirty minutes. If the stain is fresh, the stain shouldn’t be hard to remove. If the stain is old, soak for several hours in water with some baking soda. Work laundry detergent into the stain. Add bleach to the water and then wash.
Ever get gum stuck on you? Use an ice cube to rub the gum stain. The ice will harden the gum. Scrape off the gum using a dull blade. Once all of the gum is gone, add dry cleaning solvent to the spot. When it is completely dry, wash the item in laundry detergent and hot water.
For perspiration, use vinegar to sponge old stains. Ammonia works on fresh stains. Use bleach in your wash if the area has become yellowed from repeated stains. For stains that persist after washing, add meat tenderizer to the stain and let it sit. Rinse and rewash.
Another common stain is ink from a ball point pen. A solution of denatured alcohol is used first on the stain. Follow with petroleum jelly. Use a dry cleaning solvent and then soak in water and detergent before washing.
People who wash whites and colors can sometimes get transfer. If you notice this, rewash the clothing immediately with a color safe bleach to remove the dye.
Stains are inconvenient, but they don’t have to ruin your clothing. Use the suggestions above for the removal of some of the more common laundry stains.
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