Stains and Stain Removal: Find the solution for your Stain Problem here
Caution:
Cleaning materials, in particular some solvents are very toxic, Carbon
tetrachloride and trichlorethylene should not be used in the home.
Getting Stains out of T-shirt Underarms.
Buy a product called Iron Out or something similar and follow
directions. This is a popular product in northern Wisconsin and
Michigan because of the iron content in the water. I used it to protect
the whites when we bought a cabin in that area – and l and behold, it
took cleaned those t-shirts right up. -- Bill Bradford.
Yellow Stain.
I can't tell you how to get rid of existing yellow but I can tell you
how not to get yellow again on new items...I believe in cheap and
environmentally safe...go buy a box of Borax...it is a powder and costs
about 3 dollars...put a sprinkle of that in every load of light colored
laundry along with whatever laundry soap you use and you shouldn't have
anymore problems with yellowing...One more of many other uses for borax
is it will shine your bathroom porcelain right up and great for
cleaning toilets, plus many other things....It will save you money and
cut the cost of your cleaning products in half. Good luck. -- CHRIS and Angie FORD
Underarm Stains.
You know what else works to remove underarm stains? Baking soda mixed
with water to make a paste. Pre-treat then wash as usual. -- Karyn Hudson
No more yellow in the wash
To get out the yellow stains from bleach or from iron and rust use
"Whink (brand) No More Yellow!" It is fantastic. I had stains on my
white jeans and didn't read the label first where it said not to use
chlorine bleach. Well, as you can imagine, my white pants were now
yellow and nothing seemed to work until I tried the product by Whink. I
found it by the Ritt dyes in my supermarket and I loved it! It worked
so easily and has a detergent built into it. It is wonderful! -- Leslie- NJ Leslie Coolong
Nicotine and Tar Stains on hands and skin from smoking. Use this great new product I found: Nico-Wipe Hand Cleaner for Smokers. Available at www.nicowipe.com and on Ebay. -- James Schwartz.
Sep 28 2007
Removing Rust Stains on Clothing.
Hey, I just found a great new stain remover...ZAP (tile/grout
restorer). I tried to get a rust stain off of a white fairly
new/expensive dress shirt of Jamie's (cotton/poly). I tried bleach,
dishwasher detergent, lemon juice/salt, the usual...but NOTHING would
budge that stain. ZAP claims to remove rust stains from showers so I
thought what did I have to lose? I was going to toss the shirt anyway
so if it ate a hole or stained it more it wouldn't matter. I sprayed
some on, worked it into the stain, waited about 30 secs and then
rinsed. Whah-lah...no more stain and no hole! -- Jamie and Wendy Reynolds -
Granite Bay, California USA
Tomato based stain -
How do you remove stains from plastic containers used to reheat foods
(like tomato sauce) in the microwave? These stains are permanent.
Nothing will remove them, as they are now part of the plastic, which
has been modified on a molecular level. This change is caused by the
high temperatures experienced in isolated areas on the perimeters of
containers used to heat or re-heat food in a microwave oven. The worst
part is not the tomato sauce becoming part of the container, but the
plastic container becoming part of the food! There are ongoing studies
on the effects of chemicals that mimic oestrogen, which are found in
most plastic packaging and plastic containers. Researchers are
currently trying to draw the link between this, increased in
infertility in men, and increased breast cancer in women, caused by
these xenoestrogens. Yikes! Not to fear monger, but it might be best to
err on the side of caution by toss! ing those plastic containers and
only use glass or ceramic dishes in the microwave. -- James Sayer
If
A equals success, then the formula is: A= X + Y + Z X is
work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut. - Albert Einstein
Tomato Stains in Plastic Containers:
Try rubbing the container with Baking Soda on a sponge, rinse well and
dry. To avoid getting stains, always rinse the container with cold
water (not Hot Water) before washing the container out. Found at www.epinions.com/hmgd-review-2E90-A2BE45D-38AB4734-prod2 -- 27 Nov 2002
Ferric Chloride Stains.
If you use ferric chloride and are concerned about skin stains, fear
not, lemon juice will make it disappear -- Like magic!! -- Adam Waldron
14th April 2007
Cleaning Carpet with Shaving Foam. A
dirty patch on your carpet will come off with the application of a
dollop of shaving foam and a little time. Leave the foam for half an
hour or so then, using a damp (preferrably cotton cloth wipe the spot.
It will be necessary to clean the cloth out and repeat the process.
Finish off with drying thoroughly with a dry cloth. Davina Martin January 2007
Tea Stains. Tea stains on the inside of cups can best be dealt with by using a paste made with Baking Soda -- Davina Martin. 18th January 2007
The Absolute Best All Purpose Cleaner. Try Engine Degreaser. It comes in a huge 5 gallon bottle that can be purchased at Wal-Mart , K-mart, Target, or automotive part store for about $5.
It removes adhesives, cleans carpets, furniture, clothing, walls,
bathrooms...EVERYTHING. It sounds like it would be a very harsh
astringent, but it actually isn't. I use it all the time and have for
years. -- "Joey" Observe instructions on such products
Yellow Bleach Stains
I had a problem with staining on my white canvas tennis shoes by trying
to bleach them to remove dirt. I was able to remove the yellow bleach
stains by soaking the shoes in a solution of 1/2 cup cream of tartar (I
bought it from a store that sells bulk spices) and 1 quart of hot
(almost boiling) water. The tip I read said to soak for 30 minutes, but
it took 1-1/2 hours for my shoes. --
TD Pitts
Tree Sap Stains.
My vocation exposes my clothes to resins and tree saps. We deal with
with it by using alcohol and sometimes acetone, Hardened resin can be
broken up and the powder brushed off but it can take a while to
solidify. The remaining stain from some trees can be removed with oxy
bleach. We get acetone from a supply house but I believe nail varnish
remover is a form of the solvent -- Darren Denniard
Ink Pen Stain: To get an ink stain out, spray ultra-hold hairspray on the stain, let it dry,
then wash like normal. ( Don't be afraid of putting too much hairspray on the
stain.) -Polli
Stains on Clothing
I have found that most types of baby wipes work great on removing a stain
from your clothing. Anyone with babies always have baby wipes handy. Try it some
time it works. I always use them when my 2 year old gets something on her and it
works great for taking ink from your skin. -- Bradley E Baker --
Attack the stain straight away. If you are going to use water make sure that
it is as cold as possible -- Jean Smith Kirkcaldy Scotland
Do not use salt on Red wine stains. - - Vanessa Echols
Use white wine on red wine stains. - - Vanessa Echols
Vanessa, are we to assume that considerable amounts of wine are consumed
(and spilled) in your household?? -- Ed
If the stain is extreme and your garment is cotton or similar try disguising the stain by tie-dying it
-- Dave Ed
Embarrassing Stains: I know people don't like to discuss (stains in underwear)
but they are there. I discovered the other day when I was washing my sons that
this worked. I used half a cup of dish washer
detergent. I couldn't believe how white they became. No stains. I believe the
dish washing detergent is the trick. SUE
Vicky Lansky in her book "It worked for me" suggests using
dishwasher products for removing stubborn stains in clothing.
To remove Toilet Stains, use a pumice stone and rub hard, It will not scratch and works well- did on my toilet bowl after 20 years of
build-up -- James A Boyle
Nicotine Stains. Remove them from your fingers with lemon juice, and
scrubbing with pumice stone. Then add hand cream. - Jacob Thorne, Bristol
Melted Wax: To remove melted wax from clothing '... you will lay a brown
paper bag over the garment before you iron over it then keep moving the bag
around it will absorb the wax
-- Magnand
Age Stains: I have heard a mixture of fresh lemon juice and salt rubbed on
spots and placed in sun will bleach out yellow in old stains. This information
from my wise Aunt Sue. I would try it first on just one small area and see how
it does. -- Good Luck, Patti Seizetheday
Chocolate Stains. First blot or scrape off any excess chocolate. Add a
solution of biological washing powder, and then blot with clean towels. If the
stain remains soak the fabric in biological detergent. White fabrics can be
dabbed with bleach. - Anna, Canada
Rubbing a Brazil nut on a scratch can disguise some surface damage in wooden
furniture -- Veronica
Chewing gum: To remove chewing gum from clothes freeze, or cover the gum with
ice, then crack and scrape off. – Marjory Simpson.
Ink Stains. If the ink is still wet put baking powder on the stain, and then brush it
off after a few minutes when it has soaked up some of the ink. You may need to
repeat this a few times. Clean wet ink off carpet with soda water, then blot it
off with paper towels. Then clean with a detergent. - Ruth Knowles
If you find that you can't remove a stain from your shirt...then give it to
your Mum -- Daniel Anderson -- Milton Keynes England <;o)
Dave, some ideas:- Lipstick - try Vaseline. Soda water or club soda for wine and tea, salt and lemon juice for
rust stains, someone suggested salt for ink stains but haven't tried it yet --
Sally Ed. (careful with salt as it can fix some types of stain -- Ed)
Coffee Stains: -Glycerine is useful for coffee and some other types of stains. Davio
Useful links: Bloodstains - www.stainexpert.co.uk