AMAZING TIPS ON CLEANING 9 COMMON TYPES OF CLOTHING STAINS!
Clothing stains can be quite a pain.
For starters, they are tough to deal with and even after using the best detergent, they refuse to go away. Ever wonder why? Essentially, when a stain "sets", it forms a chemical bond with the fabric. With this, the stain becomes permanent and there is little that you can do about it, except for endlessly trying to remove it with common products that are available on the market. But more often than not, this only leads to more damage to the fabric and causes its discoloration.
Here are some handy hacks for washing clothes and removing almost all kinds of stubborn stains on fabric. Read them, follow them and never panic again when you spot a stain!
MUD
Removing a mud stain is a cakewalk, if you use the right method. First, let the mud dry and brush the dried mud carefully, without damaging the fabric. Proceed to use a mild detergent and water on the stained area and rub it till it forms suds. Rinse it thoroughly and check for remaining stains.
If you see any remaining stains, soak the stained parts in equal amounts of vinegar-water mix, followed by an enzyme detergent wash.
INK
Just like mud stains, ink stains are also fairly simple to treat. If the stain occurs at home and you have some hairspray lying, then immediately place a clean paper towel under the stained area and apply hairspray liberally on the spot.
Do this till the ink becomes saturated and let it soak for a few seconds before blotting it with a clean cloth. Repeat this process till the stain goes away and then, wash the cloth with an enzyme detergent. Easy!
CHEWING GUM
Chewing gum stains are one of the most stubborn stains that refuse to budge no matter how hard you try. Tackle it by applying an ice cube or ice-cold water on the area where the gum got stuck. Once the surface of the chewing gum has hardened enough, scrape it gently with a dull edged knife. Proceed to prewash the outfit with a stain removal liquid, rinse it thoroughly and get it laundered.
The next time a piece of chewing gum gets stuck to your favorite outfit, you know what to do!
CRAYONS
Crayon stains are commonplace in households with toddlers. To remove a crayon stain, treat the fabric with a product that removes sticky substances. Let it be for a few minutes. After this, start gently working out the crayon stain by rubbing the fabric and repeat the step till the stain is almost/completely removed. Proceed to place the stained side of the fabric on a stack of paper towels. Apply lubricant on it and let it sit for some time. Now turn it over and reapply the lubricant. After some time, rinse it thoroughly.
As an alternative, you can also use a mild liquid dishwashing soap with lukewarm water to remove crayon stain.
TEA/COFFEE
A fresh tea or coffee stain is enough to give us panic attacks, especially when we are at work and don't have the option to change our outfit. The panic becomes manifold when you have an important meeting scheduled and a stain holds the potential to not only damage your clothes, but also, your reputation!
Avoid the calamity with baby wipes. Yes, you read it right!
You can use baby wipes to absorb both-the spilled liquid and the stain from your cloth! Alternatively, you can pour some club soda on the stain in liberal amounts and rub the stained area on the cloth till it has faded. Proceed to blot the spot dry.
When you are at home and get a tea/coffee stain, you can scrub it off quite easily. Just sprinkle some salt on a sponge and rub it on the stain. If the stain refuses to fade, mix equal parts of white vinegar and salt and rub the mix on the stain with a sponge till it gets removed.
SWEAT
Sweat stains are no major stains. All you need is to go for dry-cleaning. On the flipside, this will shoot up your bills and burn a hole in your pocket. Before you start worrying about the best ways to get rid of these undesired stains on your outfit, take a look at the following pointers:
Tip 1: Mix equal parts lemon juice and water. Use this mixture to scrub off sweat stains from your clothes.
Tip 2: Before laundering the clothes, make it a point to run the clothes under cold water and gently rub all the areas where the chances of sweat stains are more (for e.g. armpits and the neck of the garment). Avoid using hot water at any cost as this will only set the stains.
Tip 3: Use a couple of crushed Aspirins and mix it in half a cup of warm water. Take the stained part of the garment and soak it in this solution. Let it be for two-three hours before laundering it.
Tip 4: Soak the garment in a bowl filled with vinegar and about two cups of warm water. Let it soak for about twenty minutes. While the garment soaks, create a paste by mixing half cup of baking soda, one tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide and one tablespoon of salt. After removing the garment from the vinegar mixture, squeeze all the excess water and lay it on a towel. Coat the stained areas with the paste and let is sit again for twenty more minutes before washing it.
BLOOD
Bloodstains easily top the charts as the most stubborn stain that refuses to budge come what may, once it sets. Here's a step-by-step guide to remove bloodstain from clothes:
- If possible, immediately soak the stained cloth in cold water upon spotting the stain. As you do this, keep gently rubbing the spot with your fingers. If the water turns pink with the blood from the cloth in this process, change the water.
- Rinse the cloth, blot and soak it again in cold water. Make use of a stain remover and let it sit for some time before washing again. (You can also use Hydrogen peroxide on light-colored/white fabric.)
- Soak the cloth in a saline solution and rinse it thoroughly with cold water to complete the stain removal process.
Here is a list of some other common ingredients, which will help you get rid of a stubborn bloodstain.
WINE
Treating wine stains is still easy but can take up more time. All you need to do is cover the stained area with a handful of salt and a few drops of water (for red wine stains). The salt will slowly start absorbing the color of the stain and turn pink. After this, soak the fabric in cold water and add some enzyme detergent to it. Let it soak in this solution overnight before washing it thoroughly.
For white wine stains, run cold water over the stained fabric and use a mild dish washing liquid spray on it. Follow this by applying some detergent on it and letting it sit for some time before washing.
GREASE
We all have had numerous "oops" moments when we dropped greasy or oily food on our outfits. While we can't really help such major upsets, what we can do, is use some quick tips to get rid of the stains:
Tip 1: Dab some shaving cream on the fabric and rub it gently on the stained spot. Let the cloth dry on a clothes hanger before rubbing the stained area off with a moist, soft cloth.
Tip 2: Rub some chalk on the greased spot and let it absorb the oil. Proceed to brush it off with a toothbrush. If the stain remains, rub chalk on it once more and then, launder it. You can also use this method to get rid of inside-the-collar stains in a shirt (rub the area with chalk before laundering it).
CONCLUSION
These are some of the tried and tested methods to remove stains from clothes. Do you have any other miraculous stain removal tip that we can add to the list? Let us know!