Stain Fighting Tips
We all have to contend with stains at one time or another, even though some of us are a bit more accident prone than others. I wasn’t blessed with the gift of grace; if there’s anything to drop, spill or trip over, I’ll find it. As you can well imagine, this leads to bruises, rips and, of course, stains. When you’re prone to spillage as I am, you tend to find creative ways of dealing with stains. What I’d like to offer to you today are some of my favorite stain fighting tips.
- Act immediately – Don’t wait until you’re finished making dinner or get home from wherever the alleged spilling occurred. If you spill something on yourself or something else, immediately blot with cold water. In the time it took for you to finish what you were doing, the stain was embedding itself into the fibers, making it harder to remove.
- Blotting is your friend – If I had to offer one piece of stain-fighting advice it would be this: don’t rub. If you spill something on your clothes or carpet, the worst thing you can do is frantically rub at the stain. Get a cloth or sponge, run it under cold water and blot, don’t rub.
- Opposites detract – If you’re drinking red wine, keep some white wine handy. If you spill your red, pour on some white and the stain will neutralize. I heard tell this works for grape juice as well, but never had the chance to try it out as my frugal side never allows me to purchase two different types of grape juice at the same time. (But I never seem to have any issues with having more than one type of wine on hand.)
- Chemicals as a last resort – When it comes to treating stains, most chemicals are unnecessary. You can clean most household stains with products found around the house such as vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, baby wipes, dishwashing liquids and WD-40.
- Heat is your enemy – Whatever you do, do not use heat on any type of stained fabric. Heat will set in the stain and you’ll never get it out. If your stain isn’t completely removed and you stick it in the dryer or expose it to similar heat, you run the risk of ruining the garment.
There you have it. Some of my favorite stain-fighting tips. Dealing with stains quickly and efficiently will help to prolong the life of your fabric, saving you money in the process.
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POSTED IN: Around the House, Eco Simplicity
3 opinions for Stain Fighting Tips
Ann at mommysecrets
Jun 18, 2007 at 7:09 am
Hooray - I’ve been hunting for cheap & easy stain-fighting tips for my 3 kids! So how do you know when to use vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, baby wipes, dishwashing liquids or WD-40?
Tips For Fighting Stains - lifehack.org
Jun 21, 2007 at 6:25 am
[…] Stain Fighting Tips - [SimplyThrifty] digg_url = ‘http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/tips-for-fighting-stains.html’; ( function() { var ds=typeof digg_skin==’string’?digg_skin:”; var h=80; var w=52; if(ds==’compact’) { h=18; w=120; } var u=typeof digg_url==’string’?digg_url:(typeof DIGG_URL==’string’?DIGG_URL:window.location.href); document.write(”"); } )() Author: Craig Childs Posted: Thursday, June 21st, 2007 at 8:25 am Tags: cleaning, clothing Bookmark or Share this with a friend! […]
Stain Fighting A to Z
Jun 22, 2007 at 3:19 pm
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