Vegetable Gravy

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Indian households should always be ready for these sorts of stains.

Curry stain is a Dye stain or a combination of dye stain (Turmeric) and oil stain (Ghee or vegetable Oil). The best time to remove the satin is while it is fresh and moist. Always blot the stain and do not rub it. The longer you wait, longer it will dye the fabric. Do not ammonia on the stains as it reacts with turmeric & makes the stain permanent. After this pretreatment, dip the fabric in a water bubbled up with detergent and leave it aside for 2 hours. Launder it as per fabric instructions

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Baby Food

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Scrape off any excess baby food from the fabric, being careful not to spread it around further.Run the fabric, inside out, under the cold water to flush out as much of the spot as possible. Apply detergent to the stained area and let it soak in cold water for 15-30 minutes. Rinse with cold water.

 

Soft Aerated Drinks

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Blot up what you can with a clean cloth. Sponge (the method of using a dampened pad to apply light strokes, moving outward from the center of the stain) the remaining stain with water. It is imperative that all the sugar be removed. Usually water will completely remove the stain, but if any remains, apply a wet spotter and a few drops of white vinegar. Cover with an absorbent pad and let it stand as long as any stain is being lifted. Change the pad as it picks up the stain. Keep the stain and pad moist with the wet spotter and vinegar. Flush (the method of applying stain remover to loosen staining material and residue from stain removers) with water. Repeat until the stain is lifted. Dip the portion or whole in Detergent water for some time and dry it after rinsing.

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Blood / Meat Juice

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Turn the fabric so the stain is face-down. In this position, water can work at the stain from the back, pushing it outward and off the fabric. Rinsing in this position is more effective than running the water directly onto the stain. You may need to turn clothing inside out to achieve this. Flush the stain with cold water. Run cold water over the back of the fabric, so it pushes through the stain. Hold the fabric in the running water for several minutes, and the stain should be at least slightly smaller. Turn the fabric over so the stain is face-up. Rub detergent into the stain generously, to produce a thick lather. Roll or scrunch up two areas of fabric, on either side of the stain. Grip one in each hand to provide a good grip on the area, allowing you to rub it together. Rub the stained fabric against itself vigorously, or gently but quickly if the fabric is delicate. If the fabric starts getting dry or losing its lather, flush the stain with fresh water and re-apply the detergent. Continue rubbing each stained area in this way until it is gone.

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Chewing Gum

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Oh! you've got gum all over your clothes! You've picked off as much as you can but that dreaded gum is still there.

Fold the garment or fabric so that the gum faces outwards. You should be able to see the gum. Place the garment or fabric into plastic bag. Make sure the gum does not stick to the bag. If you can't figure out a way to keep the gum from sticking to the bag, place it on top of the bag. Seal the bag and place into the freezer for 2-3 hours. Take out the packet & peel the gum off the clothing as quickly as possible. Use an old, dull knife or a butter knife (to avoid cutting the fabric). Do not allow the gum to thaw out, as the freezing solidifies it and makes it easier to scrape off. Alternatively, boiling water can be poured instead of freezing while scraping the gum with knife and then using a toothbrush.

Launder the fabric once the gum is out using detergent.

 

Chocolate

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Chocolate contains a high amount of (delicious) fat that will keep working away to ruin your clothing and carpets, so get on that stain removal as soon as possible and as efficiently as possible. Refrigerate your garment for 10-15 minutes to keep the stain from spreading. Once solid, place your garment on a flat surface and use a butter knife to scrape off the excess chocolate. Remove as much excess chocolate as possible but do not rub the chocolate into the clothing further. Apply detergent directly to the stain and allow it to soak for up to five minutes before placing into the washer. Follow the usual washing instructions found on the inside tag of your garment. Be mindful of certain materials that can only be hand washed or dry-cleaned like wool. Clean whites on the hottest recommended water setting with a bleach. For colors, wash on the hottest recommended water setting.

 

Grease/Oil

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Blot away any excess grease or oil with a paper towel. Try to get as much grease or oil away from the clothing as possible. Cover grease or oil stain generously with baby powder. You can use generic baby powder if you like. If you don't have baby powder, you can use Cornstarch or Salt. Remove the baby powder from the clothing with a paper towel or spoon. Do this carefully, avoiding any spillage onto other parts of the clothing. Work a small amount of hand dish washing detergent and water into stain with your thumb. Once the detergent begins to foam up, take an old toothbrush and begin rubbing the stain using circular motions. Wash the clothing, alone, with laundry detergent. Follow washing instructions on clothing label exactly.

 

Mustard

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Mustard spills can be annoying, since the mixture of turmeric and oil produces a bright, tough to remove stain. Immediately press a clean, dry towel over the stain, flipping it over or moving to a new area when the current section has absorbed some of the stain. Use an absorbent towel such as terry cloth, or simply a paper towel. Use a butter knife or other utensil to remove the excess mustard. Only scrape dried stains, not wet, to prevent the mustard from spreading.

Flush cold running water over the stain to remove as much as possible. Apply detergent over the stain. Use caution while rubbing to avoid spreading the stain further. Add bleach to your washing machine or tub. If the clothing is white, use chlorine bleach. Wash white cotton in hot water, and delicate clothing in warm or cold. However, hot water may damage delicate fabrics, or cause light-colored clothing to fade and stain other items in the wash machine. Check the clothing tag to find the maximum temperature the clothing can be washed at. When in doubt, wash delicate items in cold water.

 

Tomato Sauce

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The best thing to do once you stain your clothing with ketchup is to try to wipe as much as you can without letting the ketchup spread over the unstained area. Then go to the nearest restroom or a spot where you can take off your shirt or the clothes that was damaged by the stain and spray the stained area with water.

Use cold water as much as possible. The clothes should be inside out when you do this. Once home, apply a little amount of detergent on the sponge and use it to wipe the stain off your clothing. Then wash the stain with water. You can repeat this process as many as you need until the stain is barely there. Finally, wash the clothes according to care instructions.

 

Wine

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If salt is nearby, sprinkle a thick layer over the stained area. Make sure to completely cover the stain and let sit for an hour. The salt will absorb the wine and can be easily brushed off afterwards. If the wine has not yet completely soaked into the fabric, the salt crystals should easily absorb the red wine. If the wine has not yet completely soaked into the fabric, the salt crystals should easily absorb the red wine. Follow this with the usual wash using detergent.

If washing after the stain has dried, you can use shaving cream as an option. Flatten the shaving cream into the fabric with the back of a spoon before washing the fabric as usual.

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Deodorant/Anti-Perspirant

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Deodorant can build up on t-shirts over time and develop a crusty, thick stain that can be difficult to remove.

Combine one part vinegar with one part warm water. Allow the stained areas of the shirt to soak in the solution for a couple of hours. Wash as normal. For yellowish armpit stains, make a paste with baking soda and water and spread it over the stained area. Allow it to set until it dries. Wash as normal using detergent.

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Urine

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Whether you’re training your pet or your toddler, seeing a piece of clothing ruined by urine stains can be frustrating. Fresh urine stains can usually be removed with normal laundering. If the stain has dried, it will take a bit more effort.

Fill a bowl with two parts hot/cold water, depending on the durability of the fabric, and one part vinegar.Place the stained piece into the solution and allow it to soak for up to 45 minutes. Remove and rinse thoroughly. Wash the fabric with detergent. Allow the fabric to air dry until you are sure the stain is gone.

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Nail Polish

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You may think spilling nail polish on your couch or your favorite shirt means you have to live with a permanent colorful stain, but nail polish is actually one of the easier stains to remove from fabric when using detergent.

Place the stained fabric facedown on a few paper towels. The part of the fabric that is stained should be against the paper towels. Use this method whether the nail polish is wet or dry. Use a cotton ball or paper towed saturated with acetone (available in drugstores in the nail polish remover section) to blot the backside of the fabric. This action transfers the stain to the paper towel. Take the clothing item to the sink and rinse out the stained area, then place it face down on a clean set of paper towels. Repeat the blotting action to finish transferring the stain to the paper towels. Check the stained area one final time for traces of nail polish. If you see a little color left, dip a cotton ball in acetone and gently remove it. Launder the item according to the washing instructions on the tag using detergent. The stain should be completely gone and the item ready to wear once it is dry.

 

Paint

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While the best way to avoid irritating stains is to wear old clothing when crafting, it's easy to forget and get paint on your favorite t-shirt or jeans.

Remove excess paint from clothing. As soon as the spill happens, scrape off as much paint as possible using a butter knife, the edge of a spoon, or a similar object. The more time the paint has to dry, the less likely you are to remove it. If the paint has already dried or you are tackling an old stain, scrape off as much as possible before you attempt to clean it with water. Rinse the stain with warm running water. Apply a cleansing solution to the stain using a mixture of hand soap and dish washing detergent . After you have rinsed the last of your chosen cleansing agent from your clothing, launder it using Woosh detergent acording to the item’s care instructions.

 

Ink

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Removing ink stains caused by ball point pens, fountain pens and artist's ink from clothing is not an easy task if you are not using Detergent. If the ink stain has just appeared, get a paper towel and press it against the fabric very firmly for several seconds. Do not "blot" or rub. Blotting and rubbing can spread the ink. The paper towel, on the other hand, will absorb the still-wet ink out of the fabric somewhat, making the stain less obvious, and easier to remove. After dabbing up the fresh ink with paper towels, soak the stain in milk for half an hour.

Glycerine can also be used by warming slightly to lukewarm temperature. Apply it to the stain, then flush with water.

After either of them launder the fabric using detergent.