All of us have at one time or the other struggled with removing stains from our clothes. It may be the stain of gravy, or a fruit pulp. It may be coffee stains or stains from ink. Whatever the stain may be, most often we rack our brains to find out how we can remove these stains without damaging the clothes. There are ways to remove even the hardest of stains. Here are a few tips that you will find useful when you next face this problem.
Organic stains like sweat, blood etc
Remove these stains using alkaline solutions. These alkaline solutions will digest the stains and then it becomes easy to wash it off. Some detergents do have enzymes that break down these stains and dissolve them.
Ice cream and dairy product stains
If the stain is fresh, wash the stained part in cold water immediately. If it has dried, scrape away the crusted matter. Then soak the cloth in cold water with any detergent which has enzyme presoak in it. Then wash the cloth in warm water. If the stain still remains, soak it for further time.
Fruit and fruit juice stains
Don’t use detergent to remove these stains. The soap in the detergent will make the stain permanent. Wash the stained part in very hot water and after the stain runs off, wash it as usual. If the stain is set, then use bleach that is safe for the fabric.
Mud stains
During the rainy season, it is difficult to avoid the clothes from getting sprayed by muddy water on the roads. Once you reach home, let the mud dry and then brush it off. Soak the clothes in warm water with detergent and a tablespoon of white vinegar for about 15 minutes. Then rinse the clothes with plain water.
Coffee stains
If coffee spills on to your clothes, rinse it immediately with water. If it is an older stain, rub baking soda or white vinegar on to the stain directly and keep rubbing it till the stain is removed. Then wash it with the other clothes.
Ink stain
Ink from ball point pens often stains our shirt pockets where we keep our pens. This ink stain is not as easy to wash off as fountain pen ink stains. So when you get this ink stain on your clothes, soak the stain with rubbing alcohol and wipe it away with a clean, white cloth.
Tea stains
When you spill tea on to your clothes, don’t follow the same method as you would to remove the coffee stain. Instead, dissolve sugar in water and make a saturated solution. Keep the stained fabric immersed in this water for quite some time and then wash the clothes as usual.
Oil stains
Oil from your food often stains your clothes. Sprinkle corn flour on to the greased spot and leave it on for a few minutes and wash it away.
Collar stains
Our shirt collars often become stained with sweat and other stuff. Rub shampoo on the collar stains and rub the collar together well and then rinse it off.
I hope that these simple tips will help you deal with stains the next time you need to clean that stubborn stain off your favorite clothes. Keep following this blog for more such tips.
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