Stains and spills
Some helpful hints that may help you
WA is washable articles
NWA is non washable articles
Adhesives:
Balsa wood glue: dab on acetone or non-oily nail polish to remove. Use amyl acetate and not acetone on acetates
Epoxy resin: a glue and hardener mixed. Spills can be removed with methylate spirits before they set. Once hardened they cannot be removed
Adhesive labels, or sticky tape: WA– soak or leave adhesive covered with a wet cloth, rinse, Wash as usual. NWA – sponge with methylated spirits or white spirits or eucalyptus oil
Alcohol:
Fresh stains may be invisible when dry but can gain colour with age or heat. Treat it quickly.
Beer: WA- rinse under the cold tap, then treat with white vinegar, Rinse and wash as usual. NWA – mop up as much as you can. Then treat with white vinegar or with hydrogen peroxide and sponge after treatment with cold water
Wine: Act quickly; WA
Apparently you can WA a) quirt with soda water
b) saturate red wine stain with white wine, or with white vinegar, or with salt
NWA a) sponge with cold water, then sponge with detergent solution or use upholstery cleaner
Spirits: Rinse or sponge with cold water, then treat with methylated spirits or hydrogen peroxide. WA – after treatment rinse, then wash as usual NWA – after treatment sponge with water and dry as quickly as possible
Alkalis
Alkalis can damage fabric and change colours. Silk and wool are particularly vulnerable.
Cold water is often enough to rinse out mild alkalis, such as ammonia or washing soda. If the colour has changed, try to neutralise with white vinegar or lemon juice
Strong Alkalis, such as caustic soda, may destroy colour and fabric. Rinse and apply white vinegar or lemon juice immediately
Anti-Perspirants and Deodorants;
WA – Wash with warm water and liquid detergent or sponge
NWA – sponge carefully with warm water an liquid detergent
Asphalt/Tar:
Scrape off as much of the deposit as possible. If stain has hardened, soften with salad oil, petroleum jelly or raw linseed oil
WA – apply dry cleaning fluid, eucalyptus oil or white spirit, rinse, wash as usual. White fabrics may be bleached to get rid of residual stain
NWA – Dab with dry cleaning fluid, eucalyptus oil or white spirit. Otherwise consult your dry cleaner.
Ballpoint Ink:
A common stain and you need to act quickly.
WA – sponge with or soak area in methylated spirits, rinse. OR sponge with lukewarm glycerine, blot frequently. Keep stain moist until it is removed. Then rinse and wash as usual. Some ballpoint stain on polyester may respond to spraying with hair spray. NWA – dab with methylated spirits or consult the dry cleaner
Ink:
There is a variety of inks on the market. Some respond to treatment with turpentine. Place a pad underneath if possible and sponge from the back of the fabric with turpentine. Change the pads as soon as they absorb ink colour. Then if washable rinse it in hot water and then rub with powdered detergent. Rinse and wash as usual. Many dry inks need an acid to get rid of stains. Effective ones, such as oxalic acid, are highly poisonous. Maybe consult your dry cleaner would be safer.
Beetroot:
WA – rinse under cold water tap as quickly as possible. Then soak in biological detergent or work undiluted liquid detergent into the stain, rinse and was as usual
NWA – sponge with cold water, if possible let the water run through.
Fruit Juice, Berries:
For fresh stains, sponge or soak at once in sold salted water, soda water or milk. Stains must be removed before the article is washed. Heat and age will set the fruit stains forever
WA – treat with detergent, rubbing It into the stain with your fingers. If necessary, treat with borax solution or vinegar or Hydrogen peroxide solution or ammonia solution. Dried stains should be first loosened with glycerine. Leave an hour, then treat as above.
NWA – sponge with cold water, when dry, use dry cleaning fluid or upholstery spotting kit
Bird droppings:
Wipe of deposit
WA – soak n warm biological detergent or treat with hydrogen peroxide, rinse and wash as normal
NWA – treat with 60ml household ammonia to 2 litres of water then with white vinegar. Sponge with cold water. Dry as quickly as possible.
Blood:
It is hard to remove old or dried bloodstains.
WA – rinse first or soak in cold, salty water, then sponge with ammonia solution or in biological washing powder. For old stubborn stains, soak in a hydrogen peroxide or ammonia solution or wash in detergent with a few drops of ammonia in it. After any treatment rinse with cold water.
NWA – sponge with cold water. Blot up. Blood on sild or crepe de chine may respond to a paste of starch and water. Cover area thickly, allow to dry and brush off.
Butter:
Scrape off as much as you can. Iron with a warm iron between layers of absorbent paper, remembering that an iron may not be hot enough to change the colour of white paper but still hot enough to damage the fabric
WA – rub powdered detergent into the stain with fingers, Rinse. If stain remains, dab with dry cleaning fluid. If fabric is suitable, a hot wash may be all that is needed.
NWA – Try ironing under paper if suitable, followed by putting a pad of cotton wool under the stain, if possible, then dabbing with a pad soaked in dry cleaning fluid. Blot up moisture. Repeat, if necessary.
Candle Wax:
Scape off as much as possible. This will be easier if you can put the article in the freezer in a plastic bag for an hour or two. Otherwise, use a few ice cubes to harden the wax. Then place fabric between several tissues with stronger paper on top and iron with warm iron. Remove any fragments with methylated spirits or dry-cleaning fluid
Chewing gum:
Chill with ice cubes or put in freezer to harden. Scrape off as much as possible. Apply dry cleaning fluid or methylated spirits or white spirit. then rinse with cold water and wash
Chocolate / cocoa:
Use boiling water poured over or use biological detergent from the back of stain. Rinse.
Coffee:
Mop up as much as you can quickly. WA soak in a borax or biological detergent solution or treat with liquid detergent. NWA – sponge with borax solution. Mop up with warm water and apply a borax paste. Leave for 30 minutes. Brush off. Glycerine will soften an old stain.
Crayon:
WA – Apply liquid detergent. Rub between finger and thumb. Rinse under cold tap. On walls use a household cleaner. Wallpaper may have to be patched.
Eggs:
Do not apply heat or hot water. It will cook the egg. Sponge with or soak in cold salted water. NWA – Treat with undiluted liquid detergent. Apply methylated spirits to get rid of detergent traces.
Fat:
Hot fat from the stove – use liquid detergent and rinse or sponge with cold water and repeat if necessary
Grease:
Apply several sheets of absorbent paper and iron carefully with a warm iron, changing paper frequently or sponge with white spirits.
Mud:
Wait until mud has dried and you may be able to brush most of it off or use the vacuum cleaner. Wash articles in cold water.
Scorch marks
Bad scorch marks will not come out. WA sponge or soak in a borax, hydrogen peroxide or ammonia solution. NWA – sponge lightly with glycerine solution, and then with warm water, Repeat.
Perspiration smell on clothes:
Wash in white vinegar or washing soda and hang outside to dry.
Yellowing:
Yellow or brown stains sometimes appear on clothing and linens which are stored for some time. First was the article, treat with a mild bleach solution. Yellowing of silk can sometimes be lightened with white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide, apply carefully with a cloth pad
Urine:
Act quickly. WA – fresh stains, rinse in cold salted water and then wash as usual. Dried stains, soak in biological detergent. If necessary, use hydrogen peroxide and ammonia solution.
NWA – sponge fresh stains with cold water and then with white vinegar solution. If cleaning up after a cat rub the spot with a cloth soaked in ammonia. This will stop the cat from doing it in the same place again.
Vomit:
Scrape off deposit. Rinse under cold tap as soon as possible.