Tips for cleaning, Stain removal guide
Our stain alphabet:
A – Acrylics, Alcohol, Algae, Apple juice, Asphalt
B – Blood, Brine
C – Campari, Carbolineum, Cellulose lacquer, Charcoal, Chocolate, Coffee, Currants
D – Day cream, Deodorant
E – Earth, Eggnog
F – Fruit
G – Grass, Grease
H – Honey
I – Ink, Iodine
J – Jewelry
K – Ketchup
L – Lemonade, Lipstick
M – Macaroni, Makeup, Mud
N – Nail polish, Nicotine, Night cream
O – Oil, Oil paint
P – Paint (oilbase or waterbase), Permanent marker on whiteboard, Pineapple
R – Red wine, Rust
S – Sand, Satay sauce, Shoe polish, Soot, Strawberry
T – Tea, Tomato
U – Urine
V – Vomit
W – Whipped cream
Y – Yogurt
General stain remover tips
- The quicker you deal with a stain, the more likely you are able to remove it.
- Unless it’s a fat stain, cold water is best for rinsing a stain, so as not to set it and make it harder to remove later.
- Before using a cleaning solution, alway test on an inconspicuous section first, such as the inside of a sleeve, to check it won’t ruin the fabric.
- Always rinse out one cleaning solution before trying another to remove a stain as certain chemicals are not supposed to be mixed.
- Read the care instructions on the item of clothing before attempting vigorous stain removal. Some clothing may be too delicate to attempt stain removal and are better taken straight to the drycleaners.
- Don’t rub fabric harshly to remove stains as this can abrade fibres and cause fading.
- The white towel blotting method is often recommended for stain removal. Simply fold a clean white towel and, once you have treated the stain with water, gently dab it with the towel and check to see how much of the stain has transferred to the white towel.
- If using commercial stain removers and detergents, always follow the product label to understand the proper use and safety precautions you may need to take.
- It’s always easier to treat a stain on a washable fabric.