We spend so much time in our favourite clothes, it’s impossible that we’re never, ever going to mess them up. You never see stains coming, but they seem to have you targeted (like the grease that jumps right out of the pan onto your shirt).
Those seemingly impossible stains such as red wine, blood, grass, and grease, are not so tough when you attack them from the right angle.
It’s also important to note that not all fixes work every single time, so don’t give up completely if a particular hack doesn’t get a stain completely out. Keep trying, it’s likely that eventually, a tactic will work.
The other cardinal rule of stain removal is never, ever run a garment through a heated dryer unless you’re totally sure the stain has been removed. Doing so will only cause the stain to set and thus become a permanent, annoying part of your life.
In order to get that clean, bright look, here are 5 WAYS TO KNOCK OUT UNWANTED TOUGH STAINS FROM YOUR FABRIC
1. GRASS STAINS
Grass stains aren’t as invincible as they seem. One of the coolest ways to get grass stains out involves a product we all have, toothpaste!
Grass stains on clothes can be removed with an old toothbrush and plain white toothpaste; just make sure you use a paste variety and not a gel.
Squeeze a small amount of the toothpaste onto the stain, then dip the toothbrush in clean water and use it to scrub away the stain. Repeat this process as needed to treat all of the stain(s).
Rinse the area and launder the clothing as usual. Incidentally, toothpaste can also remove ink spots, who knew?
2. BLOOD STAINS
To remove spots of blood from clothing, use three per cent hydrogen peroxide, the kind you find in the first-aid section of the drugstore.
Soak the stain with the peroxide, use your fingernail or the blade of a butter knife to help loosen and scrape away the blood, then rinse it away with more hydrogen peroxide, then launder as normal.
In most cases, you’ll have better luck removing stains, especially blood stains if you treat them immediately after they happen before the stains have a chance to dry.
Don’t fret too much if you don’t have easy access to hydrogen peroxide. On the other hand, no matter what you call it, cola/soda/pop, these are adept at addressing blood stains in a pinch.
All you have to do is soak the stain, ideally overnight, in the soda. Then, wash as normal. Or you wet the stained area of the fabric with water, sprinkle it with plain old table salt, rub one half of the stain against the other to work in the salt and loosen the stain, then immediately launder the garment the way you usually do.
3. GREASE SPOTS
You probably have your work cut out for you on laundry day if the people pitter-pattering around your home prefer to wipe their hands on their clothes, rather than the perfectly good napkins you provided.
This is particularly frustrating when delicious, but greasy meals like fried chicken are served up.
Not only do stubborn grease stains often refuse to come out, they also never seem to blend into the fabric, so you can’t just pretend they’re not there. To get out grease spots or stains, sprinkle the spot with cornstarch.
Allow the cornstarch to soak up the grease for a few minutes, and then brush it away. The grease spot will lift right out, and you can get back to trying to convince everyone to use napkins instead of their clothes.
4. RED WINE
That glass of red wine looks far better in your hand than on your clothes! Fortunately, all it takes is a little elbow grease and some common household items to vanquish that unfortunate stain.
If the red wine stain is fresh, soak up the spill by immediately sprinkling it with baking soda. Gently dab the stain with a clean, damp cloth to absorb wine, do not scrub or rub.
Next, as soon as possible, stretch the stained fabric over a large bowl or kettle, secure the fabric (a large rubber band is ideal) and apply a layer of salt to the stain and let it set for about five minutes, then carefully pour boiling water over the fabric.
Experts recommend that you do this from about eight inches higher than the stain so that the water has enough power to properly flush it out. Lastly, pop it in the washing machine on the highest water heat possible.
5. TEA STAINS
If you have fabrics with tea stains, don’t despair. As long as you didn’t burn yourself when you spilt the mug, there’s nothing to worry about. First things first, as soon as possible, rinse the stain with cold water.
Don’t forget to run the water from the back of the stain, rather than over the top of it. This helps it to come out the side it came in, rather than pushing it all the way through the material.
Next, grab any old liquid detergent and rub it into the stain. Let stand for a minimum of five minutes. Dried stains should be soaked in cold water with detergent applied for about thirty minutes, then rinse the stain.
Yet another trick is to treat wet tea stains with a generous amount of baking soda. Ideally, the powder will pull the colour out of the clothing, and then launder as normal. See? No need to cry over spilt tea.
