Make stains vanish

CEBU, Philippines - Spilt red wine on a white shirt? Sat on something sticky? Ketchup on your jumper? Leaky pen in your pocket?

Stains are never fun, but mostly you can make them vanish quite easily. However, you have to be quick! The fresher a stain is, the lesser grip it has on the fabric. If you don’t have access to the latest, effective stain removers, try the following tips from Electrolux Philippines, Inc:

· Blood – Rinse with cold water immediately. Then wash as recommended on the care label.

· Ink, ballpoint pen, and colored pencil – Try using a stain/spot remover first. If that doesn’t work, try methylated spirits (however, test first on a part of the garment that is not normally seen). Rinse away the ink/color that is dissolved. Repeat until all color/ink is gone. Another reminder: Never wash or dry a garment in a machine if it is soaked in solvent. The solvent needs to evaporate first – otherwise there is a risk of fire!

· Berries and other fruits – Wash at 95°C if the fabric will stand it. If the stain is still there on white garments, you can try oxalic acid and solution which might bleach out the color stain.

· Chocolate – Carefully scrape off any remaining chocolate and then wash as recommended on the care label. You can also freeze the garment and then brush off the chocolate before washing.

· Coffee – Rinse immediately with cold water and then wash as recommended on the care label.

· Ketchup, tomato and grass – Wash as recommended on the care label. If the stain is still there, wash again immediately with a laundry detergent containing bleach. You can also pre-treat the stain with a stain-removing soap.

· Resin – Dissolve the stain with a rag soaked in turpentine. Then wash as recommended on the care label. Be careful, though, with turpentine as this is a flammable substance.

· Lipstick – Pre-treat the stain with dishwashing liquid and then wash as recommended on the care label. Rub with soap if the stain does not come out in the wash.

· Oil – Dissolve the stain with a grease solvent, such as dishwashing liquid. Rub with soap and then wash as recommended on the care label.

· Rust – Dissolve the stain with tartaric or citric acid. Then wash as recommended on the care label.

· Red wine – Cover the stain with table salt to absorb the wine. Pre-wash by hand with dishwashing liquid, then wash in the washer as recommended on the care label, preferably with a detergent containing bleach. Or try removing red wine stains with a small amount of white wine.

· Butter and margarine – Pre-treat the stain with a grease solvent like dishwashing liquid. Rinse, then wash as recommended on the care label.

· Candle wax – Pick off as much of the wax as possible. Place double layers of paper towel underneath and on top of the stain. Iron with a warm, dry iron. Then remove the stain with a grease solvent, like dishwashing liquid.

As for chewing gum, put the garment in your freezer or just freeze the spot with an ice pack. Then scrape off the gum and wash as recommended on the care label.

Source: Electrolux Philippines, Inc. “Washing Made Easy” handbook