This week’s guest blogger, the Queen of Clean, gives us a complete back to school cleaning guide!
The kids are heading back to school and along with that comes new and challenging stains. This is a handy guide to some of the most asked stain removal questions.
First, this advice applies to all stains and all spotting information.
• Treat stain as soon as possible. The longer it sits, the harder it is to get it out.
• If you are unsure, test spotters in an inconspicuous spot to be sure they won’t damage the fabrics.
• Never put anything in the dryer until you are sure the stain is gone. Heat sets stains. Allow the garment to air dry, then check the stain. If it is not gone, retreat it.
• If you are making some of my amazing spotters, be sure you label the container they are in. I suggest putting the name of the cleaner and the recipe on the container.
CHOCOLATE ON CLOTHES
Put the garment in the freezer for 15 minutes or so to harden the chocolate. Use a dull straight edge (like a used or over used credit card) to scrape off all the chocolate you can. Next mix up my favorite Miracle Laundry Spotter, combine in a labeled squirt bottle 2 parts hydrogen peroxide and 1 part liquid dish soap. I like DAWN Original or Ultra because it works so well on grease and oil and there is a lot of oil in chocolate making it one of the more challenging stains. Keep this in your laundry area for use on most stains. Work it in to the stain. Let sit a few minutes, flush with cool water and repeat if needed. Launder as usual.
KETCHUP ON CLOTHES
Turn the garment inside out and run a forceful stream of cool water through the stain. Pretreat with your favorite laundry spotter or my Miracle Laundry Spotter. Launder as usual. Be sure the stain is out before you put it in the dryer because the dryer heat will set the stain.
GRASS STAINS ON WHITE OR LIGHT COLORED PANTS AND UNIFORMS
Pretreat this with rubbing alcohol, working it in well. You can use an old soft toothbrush. If the stain is stubborn use some white non-gel toothpaste and work that in well with the brush. Flush with cool water, pretreat and launder as usual. The Queen’s Power Paste works miracles on this too. To make this paste, lather Fels Naptha Laundry Bar Soap into spots, work in Borax. Rub together well, launder as usual. Fels Naptha and Borax are in the laundry additive/spotter area at the store.
BLOOD ON CLOTHES
You need to get so mad you could spit! Got a small spot of blood on your clothes? Just moisten it with a little of your own saliva. It will digest the protein in the blood. Blot with cool water and you are done. Now don’t go spitting on your kids, it has to be your own blood and your own saliva. Now if you have a larger area of blood, maybe laundry isn’t your biggest problem, but there is an easy fix. Simply pour 3% hydrogen peroxide through the stained area. Continue until it is gone. Flush with cool water and then launder as usual.
PERMANENT MARKER STAINS ON MANY SURFACES
If you get permanent marker, such as Sharpie on hard furniture simply take out a $1.00 bill and rub firmly until it disappears! Be patient, and rub. I had a friend whose triplets used her cherry cupboards as an art surface. It all came off!
Sharpie on the wall is difficult to remove. My favorite spotter is taking a cotton ball and spraying it well with hair spray. Dab it on and carefully wipe. You can use a Q-tip sprayed well to wipe also. If it will not come off and you need to paint, use a primer such as KILZ before you paint. If you don’t, the marker will bleed right back through the paint.
CRAYON ON FABRIC
Wash the clothing using hot water, your normal laundry detergent, and add one cup of baking soda to the wash. Check the clothes before drying. If that gets out the stains you are done. If not, continue reading.
If the stain remains the next step for crayon stain removal is to launder again in hot water, this time with chlorine bleach, if the fabric will allow it, or color bleach if not.
If you still have some staining, pick up some WHITE BRITE (for colorfast colors too) in the laundry aisle and use according to directions. Always make sure the stains are gone before you dry the clothes in the dryer.
WHITE SCHOOL GLUE ON FABRIC
Scrape off excess glue. Mix one tablespoon of liquid hand dishwashing liquid with two cups of cool water. Soak the garment for 24 hours. Do not use hot water, or anything hot or it will fuse the glue to the fabric. Repeat the steps until the stain disappears. Sponge with cold water and blot dry. Allow to air dry checking for any glue residue or stiffness. Repeat the steps as needed and then launder as usual.
BALLPOINT PEN ON FABRIC
Blot the stain right away. It is important to treat ink spots as soon as possible. Blot the spot with a clean cloth or paper towels and apply a little pressure on it. Just blot and don’t rub, since rubbing can spread the stain. Work from the outside of the stain trying to absorb as much ink as you can. Keep the cloth or paper towels clean so you don’t re-stain the fabric. Once you have absorbed all the ink you can, move on to this next step.
If the ink is dry or after you have blotted all the wet ink, try using rubbing alcohol. Be sure you test in an inconspicuous area. You can use rubbing alcohol to remove ink from leather, cloth, or vinyl. There are different strengths of rubbing alcohol and 90 percent isopropyl alcohol is best for this purpose. Blot the alcohol on the ink stain being sure not to rub. Blot the alcohol on and then blot it off with dry paper towels. Continue until the stain is gone. Let dry and retreat if needed.
GUM
Freeze it off! This will harden it, allowing you to simply pull it up and out of the fabric without spreading it. Place the garment in a bag in the freezer for several hours. Remove and immediately use a credit card or brush to peel the gum out of the fabric. Wash the fabric afterwards to remove any residue. If gum residue remains, or perhaps you have it on a carpet matt in your car, use Carbona Stain Devils™. These are individual spotters for specific stains. You will want the one that is labeled for glue or gum. Find in the laundry spotter aisle or on Amazon.com. Use according to package directions.
QUEEN OF CLEAN LIFE HACKS
Here’s a few laundry quick tips:
Perk up those tired jeans. Wash old jeans with brand new jeans to give them a fresh shot of color. Even better, get them started washing and then let them soak for an hour or so before completing the cycle.
Make laundry day easier by keeping a supply of plastic clothes pins next to the hampers. Each person checks their clothes for spots and spills. Clip a clothes pin to the spot and toss in the hamper. On laundry day simply look for the clothes pins, treat the spots and you’re done. Even young kids can do this.
Got a stubborn stain on white clothes? Put a little lemon juice on it and lay in the sun.
Remember, skip the fabric softener and use ¼ cup of white vinegar instead to soften clothes. It’s cost effective, better for your clothes and your body.
