Laundry Stains: SolutionsLaundry Stains: Solutions.
It's Murphy's Law: If something can spill, drip, ooze or run, it will do so all over your lucky shirt or favorite dress. Fortunately, once you know how to treat these troublesome stains, you can save your beloved shirt from ending up in the ragpile. Blood. Rinse or presoak the garment in cold water and wash in cold water with laundry detergent. Do not use chlorine bleach, which can make the stain even worse. Chewing gum. Rub the gummy spot with ice to harden it. Scrape away as much of the gum as possible with a dull knife. Saturate what remains with a prewash stain remover, rinse, and launder as usual. Chocolate. Pretreat or prewash the garment in warm water with a cleaning product that contains enzymes. Coffee. Sponge with or soak in cold water. Apply a pretreating product on the stain. Wash as usual and air-dry; repeat if stain remains. Cosmetics. Pretreat the spot with prewash stain remover or a liquid laundry detergent. Wash the garment in the water temperature recommended on the item's label. Crayon. Scrape off surface wax with a dull knife. Soak the fabric in a product containing enzymes or oxygen bleach in the hottest water safe for the fabric. Launder using the hottest water it can withstand. Grass. Presoak or prewash the garment in warm water in a bucket or your washing machine (using the presoak setting) with a detergent containing enzymes. Launder as usual with chlorine bleach if it's safe for the fabric. If the cleaning instructions advise against it, use oxygen bleach instead. Ink. Place the stain over the mouth of a jar or glass. Hold the fabric taut. Drip rubbing alcohol through the stain so the ink will drop into the container as the sooil is removed. Rinse thoroughly and launder as usual. Juice. Soak in cold water, then apply a pretreating product on the stain. Launder as label instructions recommend. Air-dry; do not place in dryer until the stain is completely gone. Mildew. Douse the garment with a diluted solution of bleach and launder as recommended. For mildewed leather, brush on an antiseptic mouthwash. Perspiration, deodorants, antiperspirants. Use a prewash stain remover; if the stains are old, apply white vinegar. Rinse, then launder using oxygen bleach in the hottest water that's safe to use on the fabric. Urine. Cover with salt until all excess liquid is absorbed. Rinse in cold water. If a residual stain remains, apply white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Launder according to the instructions on fabric-care label. Wine. Generously sprinkle salt on the site of the stain to keep additional liquid from saturating the surface. Immerse item in cold water or a solution of borax for 30 minutes. Wash as label instructions recommend. A Final Word On PretreatersWhen mixed with water, powdered detergents are especially effective at loosening ground-in dirt before washing so it can be carried away during the machine wash.Liquid detergents can help make oil, grease, and food stains disappear. Prewash stain removers (available as sprays, sticks, and liquids) are effective on most fibers. Either chlorine or oxygen bleach ("color-safe") in the wash cycle can help your detergent remove tough stains, including rust spots and dye stains. But only chlorine bleach kills bacteria and viruses. Save time by keeping a stain stick or spray near the hamper, and dabbing or spritzing it on blighted clothes. Then, simply put the clothes in the hamper. Wash as usual following the label directions.  Custom Search 10 Steps to Cleaner Clothes
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