Deal of the Day
Syndicate
May
6
How to remove food stains
Filed Under Heart Burn, How To, Tips & Tricks
By Allyson Gofton
Your friends have finally gone home but the mess remains. And it’s not just the pots, pans and plates. Your finest damask napkins have been splashed with red wine, the matching placemats are coated with wax from the designer candles and then there’s the children! Fruit juice and chocolate everywhere. Oh Hell!
While the supermarket aisles may be filled with the latest and greatest products to refresh and restore our clothes and linens, there’s no better answer to food stains than removing them while they are fresh. Leaving a stain will give it time to set, so act fast – even if it is Saturday night.
Doing it then and there also means you can use a milder stain treatment. And keep in mind, it is usually much easier to remove stains from natural fibres so, given that many of our clothes are now made from synthetic materials, get cracking as soon as the chocolate or gravy hits the sleeve!
Do
* Read the fabric-care label to ensure it is not dry-clean only. The code for dry-clean only is the letter P in a circle.
* Remove as much of the offending material as you can, as fast as possible. Use the back of a knife for solid spills and a clean cloth for liquid.
* Try to stop the stain spreading by working from the outside into the centre.
* For most fresh stains, plunge fabric into cold, sudsy water (use a prewash stain remover or dishwashing detergent) and leave to soak for at least 30 minutes before washing.
* If the stain is dry (the unthinkable next-morning scenario) mix together one tablespoon of glycerine with two tablespoons of warm water and rub into the stain. Alternatively, use liquid detergent or Vaseline. Leave for about 15 minutes and then treat with the glycerine and warm-water mixture.
* Sometimes all else fails and you need a stronger stain remover. If possible, test an area with your planned stain remover before attacking the whole garment. Use a place
that’s not too noticeable, like the underside of a cuff.
Don’t
* Use hot water to soak clothes. This will set the stain, most likely for good. This is especially true of blood, egg, tea, coffee, red wine and foods that dye, such as turmeric and blueberries.
* Don’t be tempted at any time to rub the stain or grind a cleaning cloth into the fabric. This will make the spill more difficult to remove.
* Put clothes or linens in the dryer, as the heat will also set the stain. Hang them outside where the sunshine will have a bleaching effect. If you need to take more action later, you can.
Useful laundry tackle
If you are completely unsure about what to do, the dry-cleaner is probably your best first option. Or try soaking with a pre-soaker or detergent. Failing that, where instant action is required, here are some well-used remedies you might like to try.
White vinegar or cream of tartar will help to remove some acid stains, such as those from lemon juice. However, these stains tend to be more non-food related, such as from ink on white fabric.
Ammonia and borax can be used where you need to attack protein-based stains, such as egg and blood. Ammonia is also a mild bleach and grease solvent. You need plenty of ventilation if you are using it, and handle it with care. Borax will also soften water and deodorise.
Baking soda can be used to cut through grease and oil and will help cut through odours.
Bleach will remove mildew and mould but, if it is too strong, it may fade the fabric. Be sure to always wash out bleach thoroughly.
Eucalyptus oil can be used for sponge spot-cleaning fat and wax. Try adding two teaspoons to a wash load.
Glycerine or Vaseline can be used to soften old stains.
An iron is handy for helping to remove grease and wax. Scrape off as much wax as you can and then, for both stains, place blotting or unwaxed brown paper on either side and press the iron on top until all the grease or wax has been absorbed. Keep moving the papers, of course, as the wax or grease melts in. Sponge the residue with methylated spirits and wash. This is a great way to remove spilt candle wax off carpets!
Methylated spirits, turpentine or kerosene can be used to spot clean stubborn fat and oil stains.
Talcum powder or cornflour are also good for use on grease and fats.
Fabric soakers are worth keeping on hand for most stains. The Consumers’ Institute of New Zealand recommends Sard Wonder Soap.
Sponge or spot treatment
This is useful for removing small stains where there is no need to
wash the entire garment. All you need are cotton wool pads and the required solvent.
Soak one pad in the solvent and place under the stain. Use the second pad to dab the stain on top. When the stain begins to come off, turn the unsoaked pad over so that you use the clean side and do not spread the stain wider. Change the pads as required and then wash the garment.
Whiten up table linen
If your favourite table linen is becoming greyer with each wash and some of the hard-to-remove grease stains still remain, turn the clock back and try one of these whitening methods:
Ammonia or methylated spirits – adding one cup to the washing water once in a while makes whites brighter than bright.
Blue – made from the pigment indigo, this is available in supermarkets and counteracts the yellow tint that results from the use of soap. Follow the instructions.
Borax – add half a cup to the rinse for items to be hung outside in the sunshine.
Frost – this is my mother’s all-time-cure for stains. Leave clothes out on a frosty night; the frost acts as a bleach. Bring clothes in once they have thawed as delicate fabrics can rip when frosty.
Quick guide for common food stains
Beer – soak in three parts cool water to one part mild acid. Vinegar is ideal.
Beetroot – pour cold water on the stain, soak in sudsy cold water before washing.
Butter, oils and fat – sprinkle with talc, leave 30 minutes, shake off and wash. Sponge-treat residual stains with methylated spirits, turpentine or eucalyptus oil.
Red wine – flush with plenty of cold water. Pour on salt and let stand before scraping off. Rinse in cold water, wash.
Coffee and tea – soak in warm sudsy water (use dishwashing detergent). For old stains, rub with glycerine and wash.
Chocolate – for small amounts, try sponge spot-treating with a solvent, such as methylated spirits. Otherwise soak with prewash and wash.
Egg – remove excess, soak in cold sudsy water before washing with an enzyme-based detergent.
Fruit and fruit juice – soak in warm water with dishwashing detergent, then wash. Be sure to remove all the sugars, as these may turn brown when ironed.
Dairy products – soak in cold sudsy water before washing. Residual stains can be spot-treated with methylated spirits or turpentine. If clothing has been left stained with milk, rinse then soak in sudsy water with a dash only of ammonia, rinse and wash.
Sauces and gravies – sponge with neat dishwashing detergent or soak in plenty of sudsy cold water before washing.
Jams and preserves – remove excess, plunge in cold water and soak in cold sudsy water before washing.
Foods that dye – rinse immediately with large quantities of just-warm water. Sponge with equal parts methylated spirits and ammonia. Wash.
Tags: Business, chocolate, Cleaning and Stains, Cleanliness, Dry cleaning, Food, Home, Homemaking, How, Juice, knife, label, labelling, Milk, mind, Textile, Wine, work
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