Splatters, sprays, spills, splashes, smears… Stains are inevitable, just as they are common. But, getting rid of those stains could be as easy as opening your kitchen cabinet.
Blood stains
· Pour hydrogen peroxide on the stain and then cover it with table salt. The salt will absorb the blood color after about 15-30 minutes. Then, just brush the salt off and wash the fabric in cold water.
· OR just keep blotting with a clean cloth that has been dampened with peroxide.
Chocolate stains
· If it’s melted chocolate, allow it to dry and harden, then scrape it off with a blunt knife.
· Apply full strength dish soap or laundry detergent directly to the spot, then wash as usual.
Sweat stains
· Add two tablespoons of white vinegar and about a half of a cup of baking soda into some water.
· Soak the sweat stained clothes.
· Wash according to the label.
Ink stains
· Rubbing alcohol, hairspray or hand sanitizer can help lift an ink stain.
· After applying, rub with spot a WHITE towel, cloth, paper towel (avoid brown paper towels)
· Repeat as necessary until stain fades.
· Then pretreat with detergent and wash but do not dry until you are satisfied that ink stain is removed
Tomato Sauce
· Sponge stain with cool water immediately.
· Then rub with a lemon slice or sponge lemon juice on the stain.
· Flush with water, blotting as much liquid as possible.
· Allow to dry.
· If any trace of stain persists:
· Presoak (the method of soaking a stained article in warm water before laundering it) in a solution of 1 quart warm water, 1/2 teaspoon dishwashing detergent, and 1 tablespoon white vinegar for 15 minutes.
· Rinse with water and launder as soon as possible.
· Alternately, apply hydrogen peroxide to stain
Grass stains
· Take about 1/4 cup of your average household sugar and mix in a little bit of water to create a scrub
· Rub sugar scrub it into the grass stain for about 1 minute
· Then throw them in the washing machine with your detergent and wash as normal (do not rinse off the scrub).
Poop (if you’ve got a baby or toddler, you can’t escape this one!)
· In between loads of laundry keep a bucket of water with Borax in it (out of reach of your child/children, of course)
· Soak all the stained baby clothes, sheets, etc in the bucket.
· Add clothes and a little Borax to the washer and soak 30 minutes
· Wash as normal
Red Wine
· Pour white wine on the stain and wash asap.
Food Grease/Oil
· Treat with Dawn dish soap
· Wash as normal.
Dirt and Red Clay
· Remove as much of the dry dirt as you can by lightly scraping WITH the fabric weave.
· Saturate with a mixture of 1c. white vinegar and 3Tbsp ionized salt. Let it sit for 30 minutes and rinse with cold water. If the stain is still there, repeat, or move on to the next suggestion.
· Soak the stain in a mixture of 1c. water and 1Tbsp Borax
· If the spot STILL persists, or soak the item in a gallon of water to which you’ve added a cup of ammonia (or use bleach if the items are white).
If possible, always treat a stain immediately. The longer it sits, the more it sets in and gets more difficult to remove.
Don’t put stained clothes in the dryer! Always air dry until you’re satisfied that the stain is gone. Sometimes they may appear to be gone when the item is still wet but the reappear after it’s dried. Heat sets the stains in so avoid it until you’re sure it won’t show.
Always try each method first in an inconspicuous area. If the piece of clothing is delicate or expensive, don’t chance it. Just take it straight to a dry cleaner that specializes in stain removal, like ZCleaners in Tempe and Scottsdale.