|
|
Removing colored stains
These tips are used to remove stubborn colored food and drink stains. Coffee, tea, and red wine are just some of the most common items that can stain your carpets, clothing, furniture and other household items. These tips are based on you acting quickly without having to use any harmful chemicals.
- Apply a dab of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar to the stain before laundering.
- For wine stains on clothes, pour salt onto the affected area to absorb the moisture or splash with soda water, then launder.
- For old red wine stains, try using glycerin. Soak the stained fabric in a bowl with glycerin for 30 minutes, then rinse out. This same method can be applied to stubborn chocolate stains.
- When red wine is spilled on a carpet, mop up the excess liquid and then pour white wine over the patch to saturate it. Let the wine soak into the carpet fibers for 10 minutes, then rinse with lukewarm water.
- To remove tea or coffee stains, work glycerin into the area. Leave the glycerin to soak into the fabric, and then rinse out with warm water.
- To remove grass stains, soak fabric in glycerin before laundering.
Removing grease stains
The following tips work well on greasy make up stains, candle wax spills, butter, margarine, mayonnaise, cooking oil, and engine oil.
- Dab lipstick stains with eucalyptus oil. Leave the oil to soak in before laundering the garment. Lipstick and cosmetic stains can also be treated the same as you would treat a grass stain.
- You can treat oil, tar and grass stains with a few drops of eucalyptus oil. Rub the essential oil into stains, then launder the fabric as usual.
- Rub lard into tar stains, then wash the item, adding 2 tablespoons of washing soda to your laundry detergent.
- To remove wax stains, place brown paper over the wax stain and melt it with a warm iron. It will then lift off onto the paper.
Removing common household stains
Most sticky household stains and colored marks can be removed using natural ingredients and the bleaching effects of sunlight. You should rarely need to use chemical bleach or any of the common stain removers on the market.
- For sticky substances such as glue or chewing gum on clothes, hold the affected item over a steaming saucepan until the gum is soft enough to pull off. Alternatively, place the garment in the freezer. When gum is frozen, it can easily be lifted
- Soak sweat stains in water, then add 1-2 tablespoons of white vinegar or lemon juice, or a cup of baking soda. Then wash the item of clothing following the care instructions on the garment.
- Scorch marks can be removed using lemon juice.
