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Time is tight, dinner is cooking and the dog just had an accident on
the carpet. Let's take a look at some ideas to quickly remove stains
using natural products - perhaps with an exception or two.
First a few general rules for removing stains:
1. My number one rule: Give your product time to work. Rubbing alcohol
removes ink off most surfaces but not the minute you blot it on. Dab
on your cleaner then allow a 30 minute wait. This gives the product
time to dissolve the residue eliminating all the rubbing and
scrubbing.
2. Always get to a spill immediately. The longer a spill sets the worse
the stain.
3. Rinse the cleaner out of fabrics especially carpets with one-quarter
cup white vinegar in two cups of water. Then repeat with plain water.
4. Blotting properly prevents fraying of fabric. Blot using a damp
towel.Form a knuckle with your index finger and push into the towel.
Rock you finger back and forth, move the towel then rock your finger
left to right. Repeat. Reapply the cleaner if needed. After the second
application of cleaner, again make a knuckle with your index finger.
Push your knuckle and the towel into the carpet then twist your wrist
clockwise. Carpet fibers are twisted clockwise. This removes the stain
from between the fibers without leaving them fuzzy.
5. Use heat of any kind even hot water. Heat sets stains. Dryer heat
particularly means certain death for easy removal.
6. Put a clean rag under the fabric you are working on to prevent the
stain from spreading to another surface.
Most stains land in 4 categories; food, grease etc., dirt and who
knows. Throw in easy solutions for wax and gum and most perplexing
problems tuck their tails and run.
Washing Clothes
Do your white clothes appear dingy even though you bleach them?
Bleach causes the discoloration. Add one-half to 1 cup of hydrogen
peroxide per regular washer. The first time allow the clothes to soak
in the washer for 30 minutes. Then wash normally only use less
detergent. White clothes return to their normal brightness and colored
cloths perk up as well. Add one quarter cup of baking soda to your
washer for additional freshness.
Back to basics on laundry. Begin filling your washer with water
(not for front loading machines.) Add your detergent and peroxide then
the clothes. The detergent can?t clean unless it dissolves. Switch to
liquid detergents for front loading washers.
Fill your tub only three-quarters full. Clothes clean by the
agitating action amongst themselves. Crowd them and this cleaning
action comes to a halt. Pretreat most stains with a dab of liquid dish
soap. Add a few squirts to a spray bottle filled with water. It?s
cheaper than prewash sprays, works better too
Remember heat sets stains. Don't dry clothes unless the stain is
gone.
Food
Food never spills down your front unless you are out in public
where it quickly makes a mockery of your front side. Should, that
happen, head to the closest restroom. Gently dab a bit of liquid soap
on the spot and resist the temptation to rub. Let the soap set. It may
look funny until you get home, but the food stain comes right out.
Popsicles, red wine and other red dye stains
Cherry popsicles are a favorite treat except when they land in
your lap. Mix a 50/50 solution of hydrogen peroxide and cool water.
Spray on and let it set 30 minutes. Rinse with a vinegar and water
solution. It may take a treatment or two but it comes out. Peroxide
is bleach, so always test a spot first.
If a favorite shirt has an old stain, soak it in a 50/50 solution
of peroxide and water for 30 minutes. It might surprise you and come
out, even after going through the dryer.
Coffee, coke, mustard and the likes of whatever your dish soap
doesn't remove: First dab on liquid dish soap and let that set several
hours. Blot and rinse as above. If the stain insists on being
stubborn, try foaming shaving cream. Spray on the spot, no need to rub
it in, and wait 30 to 60 minutes. I've had more good luck removing
food stains with shaving cream. It contains 2 or 3 kinds of alcohol
and they do an excellent job. The gel shaving cream does not work so
use foaming.
Grease, oil, ink and magic marker
Grease and oil
In the driveway or garage: Kitty litter will absorb most of the
oil and grease. Apply and use a brush to work it into the concrete. In
the evening, pour on concentrated orange cleaner letting it set
overnight. It pulls any oil or grease to the surface. Use old towels
to absorb what you can and hose down.
Oil or grease on fabrics or other surfaces: Dab on a bit of a
natural orange cleaner and let that set at least an hour. Then blot
with a clean cloth. It may take a treatment or two, but it works.
PLEASE follow this advice very carefully. If you spill gasoline
on your clothes or in your car, dispose of your clothing properly and
replace the carpeting in your car. Gasoline and water don't mix
making complete removal impossible. Gas spontaneously combusts
especially when the weather turns hot.
Always put a container of gas inside a plastic tub when carrying
it in your car. If the tank spills over, the tub keeps the gas
contained saving your carpet.
Ink
Rubbing alcohol does a great job every time. Remember to let the
alcohol set for 30 minutes. If regular rubbing alcohol doesn't work
ask your pharmacist for denatured alcohol.
Magic Marker
Permanent magic markers mean just that. They are nearly
impossible to remove. Try dabbing on a bit of concentrated orange
cleaner. Let it set even overnight. Rinse to remove. Sometimes
toothpaste will help lighten marker stains.
Dirt
Grass stains and knees It's a given, walk across the lawn and
they appear from nowhere. Immediately rub in some liquid dish soap,
let it set overnight, wash as usual.
Treat dirt or red clay on children?s baseball uniforms in the
same manner. For really stubborn spots mix a paste of dishwasher
detergent and work in. Don't rub real hard, or you could damage the
fabric.
Baseball Caps
Wash on the top rack of your dishwasher. Remove before the dry
cycle and air dry.
Gum and Wax
Freeze gum with an ice cube. Ice hardens it making removal easy.
Oh those dripless candles. They can and do drip, but nobody told
you. First freeze the wax with an ice cube in a ziplock plastic bag.
Then chip off as much as you can with the blunt side of a knife. Using
a hair dryer and a plain white paper towel, heat the wax blotting with
the paper towel as it melts. This works just fine for carpets as well
as fabrics. Remember to put plastic under a fabric so the wax doesn't
transfer to the other surface.
Underarm stains
Place a white paper towel both on top of the shirt and on the
ironing board to protect the ironing board. Set your iron to medium
heat and iron the area. The wax melts into the paper towel.
Then spray the stain with hydrogen peroxide. Allow it to set 30
minutes and launder. If the shirt has cycled through the dryer, the
stain may be more difficult to remove.
Rust
Squeeze the juice from a lemon on the spot. Sprinkle on some salt
and let it set several hours keeping the spot damp with lemon juice.
Who Knows
This is the order of business:
1) Dab on liquid dish soap;
2) Try
WD40;
3) follow with hydrogen peroxide/water mixture or club soda and
finally;
4) Break cleaner. If all those fail, send in your
suggestions.
Pet Problems
So your pet got sick after lunch and your carpet now has red
stains. First of all switch food. It's the red dye in the dog or cat
food that causes the problem. Dogs and cats are colored blind so they
can't tell the difference. They want good tasting food not good
looking food.
Follow the directions for popsicles above to remove the stain.
Pet accidents. Always keep a bottle of a live enzyme product
handy. Nature's Miracle is an excellent product. Remember when liquid
hits the padding it spreads. A stain on the padding is twice as large
as the surface stain. Unless the entire area is treated the pet
continues to return to that spot. Pour enough enzyme product on the
spot to saturate to the padding. Follow bottle directions allowing the
enzymes time to eat away the residue. Then rinse with ½ cup white
vinegar per quart of water then again with plain water. Vinegar also
helps neutralize odors.
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