We’ve all been there: you’re in a restaurant or café, and some of your meal gets on your clothes. What should you do if you don’t have a stain-removing pen on hand?
First and foremost, do not panic. There are a few strategies you may do on the go to keep an accidental spill from spoiling your clothing for good.
When you’re out of the house and don’t have a stain remover on hand, here’s what you can do to lift or treat a stain.
Your biggest priority is to prevent the stain from “setting.”
You don’t want a stain to “set” if you treat it as soon as it occurs.
According to The Art of Manliness, “setting” is the process through which a staining material develops a chemical bond with a fabric. When this happens, the stain becomes permanent, and no amount of washing or treatment will remove it.
Obviously, you want to avoid that process altogether. Keep the stain away from direct heat (such as lamps or hot water) and avoid exerting pressure to the stain by scrubbing it forcefully or attempting to absorb the offending substance by pressing it too firmly with a napkin or towel.
Whatever you do, don’t rub that stain.
Refrain from rubbing that ketchup stain out of your sweater, no matter how tempting it is.
“Rubbing can shred the threads of the cloth, allowing the stain to penetrate more deeply, making it that much more difficult to remove,” Lemon Tree Cleaners warned.
Blot lightly with a clean napkin or towel to remove extra food or drink from a soiled place. Take care not to grind the substance into the cloth by wiping it repeatedly, since this will make removing the stain even more difficult.
Use cornstarch or talcum powder to absorb oil stains.
Talcum powder and cornstarch are your greatest friends when pizza oil drops onto your lap.
To be sure, the chances of you walking around with these stuff in baggies are small. However, if you’re a parent on the go, you might be able to get some cornstarch from a restaurant’s kitchen or use baby powder.
According to Cleanipedia, you should dab the powder onto the stain. Don’t be afraid to use a lot of it. Allow 30 minutes (or as much time as you can) before shaking the powder off the garment. When you arrive home, use an oil-busting commercial spot treatment and clean your clothes according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Blood stain
Nosebleeds can occur at the most inconvenient moments. Periods can do the same. Before you freak out about your bloody shirt or jeans, follow Real Simple’s advice and remove the stain with cold water.
You should avoid using hot or warm water to remove a blood stain since the heat may cause the blood to set. It is also critical to apply water to the stain as soon as possible to prevent irreversible discoloration.
Obviously, if there is a considerable amount of blood on your clothing, your first priority should be to seek medical assistance rather than fixing your soiled blouse.
Attack wine stains with table salt
A errant splash of red wine is every outfit’s worst nightmare. Don’t be alarmed if you get a wine stain on your clothes. Instead, grab the salt shaker.
According to Real Simple, one of the best ways to treat wine spills as soon as they occur is to liberally apply salt to the stain. To be more particular, dab the stain with a clean cotton cloth or napkin to remove excess wine. Then, cover the fabric well with salt and set it aside for at least five minutes.
Finish your spot treatment by pouring boiling water over the stain from a height of at least eight inches to flush out the stain if possible. Otherwise, simply remove the salt and take the garment to a dry cleaning as soon as feasible.
Wine stains can also be removed with a bit of club soda.
Another wonderful method for cleaning red wine stains on the fly, according to Apartment Therapy, is to douse the stain in club soda or soda water.
By soaking up the leftover wine with a towel or handkerchief, pouring club soda over the stain first, and then generously sprinkling salt over the spot, you can combine this approach with the salt treatment above. When you add the boiling water, you should see a significant improvement in the stain.
Scrape thick stains before treating them.
If you have a large glob of ketchup or BBQ sauce on your jeans, don’t treat the stain right away.
WikiHow suggests using a dinner knife or spoon to remove the discoloration from the outside inwards. The goal is to get as much of the substance off your garment as possible (without rubbing) so that blotting the stain with a moist towel or napkin doesn’t distribute it about.
Remove stains from the back
Place the stained garment with the stain upside down on top of a clean white cloth. Apply stain treatment to the back of the stain. Our goal is to remove the stain from the clothing instead of making it travel all the way through to the other side. Make sure to move the stained clothing to a fresh spot as the stain begins to remove itself from the clothing and onto the cloth.
Some stains are permanent
For some stains, no stain removal idea or tip can get rid of them without damaging the clothing or its color. But take heart in the fact that the other 9 general stain removal tips will give you a fighting chance against all the stains in your laundry basket. Just a few simple guidelines can take the guesswork out of stain removal.
