sweetpea
09-19-2004, 03:50 PM
Don't make it worse. Always use a white cloth or towel when trying to remove fabric stains. using a colored cloth may result in additional stains, since the color can bleed from one frabric to another.
Cover spots on ceilings. Instead of trying to remove a small stain on a white ceiling, just cover it up with a dab of white shoe polish. One quick swipe with the handy applicator and you are done. :p
Get the grease out. Remove it with a clean cloth dipped in glycerin.
Deal quickly with wine stains. As soon as you can, pour salt directly on the stain to absorb the liquid. Soak it in cold water for 30 minutes, then clean it in the laundry as usual. This also works well for removing wine stains from table linens.
Keep off the grass! If you have a grass stain on a colorfast garment - test on a hidden seam to be sure - you can problably get it out with rubbing alchol. Just dab it on and then rinse.
Get blood out of garment. Meat tenderizer breaks down the protein found in blood. That makes it good stain remover for blood stained fabric. Make a paste with the tenderizer and cold water. Dab it on the stain, and leave it for about 15 mintues. Wipe it off with a clean cloth or sponge, and clean in the laundry as usual.
Act fast or tie the knot. Dealing with stains as soon as possible is best, but not always practical. If you cant deal with it immediately, tie a knot in the stained clothing. At least you'll remember to treat it when it comes time to do the wash. :D
Baby wipes arent just for babies. Try using a baby wipe on that stubborn spot. Some folks swear by them for stains on everything from carpet to upholstered furniture. (I can attest to this - I got sharpie marker on my computer monitor/area/keyboard from my 4-year old twin cousins - used a babywipe and it was like magic!!)
Lift up carpet stains. To pick up a recent stain in your carpet, mix 1/2 cup each of white vinegar and warm water. Add one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid and stir. Dab this solution onto the stain, then blot with a clean towel. Repeat this process until all the stain color is tranferred to the towel. When you are finished, cover the area with a clean white towel to dry.
Counter rust marks. Lemon juice and salt will remove rust stains from a counter top.
Bleach your bathtub. To get rid of resistant stains in your acrylic bathtup, rub with 1/2 a lemon.
Secret to cleaner clothes. To remove grease or food stains from your laundry, mix together 1/2 cup Wisk (or your favorite detergent), 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar, and 1/2 cup ammonia. Use this mixture to pretreat the stains, then wash as usual.
Lipstick stains. Rub lipstick stains with petroleum jelly, and launder in hot water.
Rub countertops clean. Those purple pricing ink stains will come right off food containers and onto your countertops. But you can wipe them away with alittle rubbing alcohol. It not only removes stains, but disenfects as well. And rubbing alcohol will remove grease stains, too.
Polish off floor stains. For alcohol stains on your wood flooring, rub in some silver polish. Follow up with wax over the whole area.
Work from the outside. When removing a stain, start at the outer edge instead of the center. This method will help prevent rings forming around the stain.
Use white on red. If you have a red wine spill on your carpet, get it out with white wine.
Arrivederci, tomato! Tomato sauce leaves stains that just wont come out in your plastic ware, right?? You can avoid that problem by coating the inside of your container with vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray before pouring in the sauce!
Make mattress stains disappear. Mix together cornstarch and water until they form a thick paste. Pat this on the stain, and let dry for at least 4 hours. Vaccuum off, and your stain should be gone.
Don't rub it in. Stains on cloth need to be blotted. Rubbing can damage the fabric.
Information gathered from Uncommon Uses for Common Household Products, by the editors of FC&A
Cover spots on ceilings. Instead of trying to remove a small stain on a white ceiling, just cover it up with a dab of white shoe polish. One quick swipe with the handy applicator and you are done. :p
Get the grease out. Remove it with a clean cloth dipped in glycerin.
Deal quickly with wine stains. As soon as you can, pour salt directly on the stain to absorb the liquid. Soak it in cold water for 30 minutes, then clean it in the laundry as usual. This also works well for removing wine stains from table linens.
Keep off the grass! If you have a grass stain on a colorfast garment - test on a hidden seam to be sure - you can problably get it out with rubbing alchol. Just dab it on and then rinse.
Get blood out of garment. Meat tenderizer breaks down the protein found in blood. That makes it good stain remover for blood stained fabric. Make a paste with the tenderizer and cold water. Dab it on the stain, and leave it for about 15 mintues. Wipe it off with a clean cloth or sponge, and clean in the laundry as usual.
Act fast or tie the knot. Dealing with stains as soon as possible is best, but not always practical. If you cant deal with it immediately, tie a knot in the stained clothing. At least you'll remember to treat it when it comes time to do the wash. :D
Baby wipes arent just for babies. Try using a baby wipe on that stubborn spot. Some folks swear by them for stains on everything from carpet to upholstered furniture. (I can attest to this - I got sharpie marker on my computer monitor/area/keyboard from my 4-year old twin cousins - used a babywipe and it was like magic!!)
Lift up carpet stains. To pick up a recent stain in your carpet, mix 1/2 cup each of white vinegar and warm water. Add one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid and stir. Dab this solution onto the stain, then blot with a clean towel. Repeat this process until all the stain color is tranferred to the towel. When you are finished, cover the area with a clean white towel to dry.
Counter rust marks. Lemon juice and salt will remove rust stains from a counter top.
Bleach your bathtub. To get rid of resistant stains in your acrylic bathtup, rub with 1/2 a lemon.
Secret to cleaner clothes. To remove grease or food stains from your laundry, mix together 1/2 cup Wisk (or your favorite detergent), 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup vinegar, and 1/2 cup ammonia. Use this mixture to pretreat the stains, then wash as usual.
Lipstick stains. Rub lipstick stains with petroleum jelly, and launder in hot water.
Rub countertops clean. Those purple pricing ink stains will come right off food containers and onto your countertops. But you can wipe them away with alittle rubbing alcohol. It not only removes stains, but disenfects as well. And rubbing alcohol will remove grease stains, too.
Polish off floor stains. For alcohol stains on your wood flooring, rub in some silver polish. Follow up with wax over the whole area.
Work from the outside. When removing a stain, start at the outer edge instead of the center. This method will help prevent rings forming around the stain.
Use white on red. If you have a red wine spill on your carpet, get it out with white wine.
Arrivederci, tomato! Tomato sauce leaves stains that just wont come out in your plastic ware, right?? You can avoid that problem by coating the inside of your container with vegetable oil or nonstick cooking spray before pouring in the sauce!
Make mattress stains disappear. Mix together cornstarch and water until they form a thick paste. Pat this on the stain, and let dry for at least 4 hours. Vaccuum off, and your stain should be gone.
Don't rub it in. Stains on cloth need to be blotted. Rubbing can damage the fabric.
Information gathered from Uncommon Uses for Common Household Products, by the editors of FC&A