When it comes to dealing with stains and how to remove the most common stains, it’s important to know the different types of stains. There are five main types of stains you will come across:
● Protein stains. Things like baby food, cheese, mud, vomit, blood, etc.
● Oil-based stains. Bacon, butter, oils from body and hair, hand lotion, etc.
● Tannin stains. Alcoholic beverages, tea, coffee, soda, etc.
● Dye stains. Berries, food coloring, grass, mustard, etc.
● Combination stains. Coffee with cream, chocolate ice cream, etc.
Knowing what type of stain you are dealing with will help you figure out how to remove it.
What to Know When Dealing with Common Stains
The most important thing to do when you spill something is to rinse the spot as soon as possible and to rinse from the back of the fabric. What this means is if the stain is on the outside of your shirt, rinse it from the inside of your shirt. This will help to prevent the stain from penetrating deeper into the fabric. Grease, or oil-based, stains are the most common stains to happen to clothes and a trick to remember when dealing with grease is “like removes like.” Try putting some WD-40 on your grease stain, wait about 10 minutes, then work some undiluted dishwashing liquid into the area, then launder.
With protein stains, remove any solids, then blot the stain with a cloth. Blot the area, don’t rub, otherwise you risk spreading the stain. This works not only on clothes, but carpets as well. Use a spray that contains 3% hydrogen peroxide and mist the stained area. Blot with a cloth until most of the moisture is removed. To get that last little bit of moisture removed, put a new cloth on the area and apply a lot of pressure. If it’s a carpet stain, you can stand on the cloth. If it’s a clothing item, you can launder once most of the moisture is removed.
Stain Removal Kit
For common stains, there are common stain-removing items that you should keep in stock in your home:
● Laundry enzyme pre-soaks for protein stains
● Corn starch can absorb oil-based things
● Denture tablets dissolved in water can remove red wine from a table cloth
● Mix salt with lemon juice to remove mildew from fabric
● White vinegar sprayed on pet accidents on the carpet will help remove the spot and also neutralize odors
For those really hard-to-get stains, it’s best to call a professional for help, especially if it’s on a big area like carpet. Call HouseMaids today at (941) 953-4300 for those tough to remove stains.
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