Nothing looks awful than having stains on your clothes and especially if this happens to your new, adorable clothes. Unfortunately, when our clothes are stained, many people do not know how to deal with them and thus have to put up with the ugly patches while others would rather discard their clothes altogether.
If your favorite garment is ruined by different types of stains, there are several tips that could prove helpful in getting them off and restoring your clothing to their original status. One of the easiest ways to deal with stains is to look for a 24-hour laundry in your area but before doing this, some research will be necessary to help you find one that understands the science of removing stains and also have the history of using the right substances to accomplish this.
Thus said, we will also look at how you can get remove 6 types of stains from your clothes especially, the most common ones. Below is a detailed look at these effective methods: –
1. Protein stains
Protein stains can originate from a number of things including daily products, blood, and a host of animal-based secretions and products. There are one thousand and one ways through which the protein stain could find its way into your clothing including a spit from your baby or even an accidental drop of the substances as you eat or cook. If this happens, soak the clothing in cold water and leave it for approximately half an hour before laundering. Avoid soaking the stain in hot water as this will harden it and make it more permanent. You can also use a hydrogen-peroxide solution (3 percent) if dealing with a stubborn and dried blood stain but before doing this, always pretest the fabric to establish its color-fastness.
2. Oily stains
Oily stains are normally caused by different elements such as lipsticks, car grease, cooking oils and salad dressings among other things. Surprisingly, your sweat is also a cause of oily stains especially on the inner side of the collar. When not removed properly, the stains always become ugly and with time your clothing will look old and unimpressive.
To deal with these stains, the best way is to apply some liquid detergent differently in the affected area. Leave it to sit in the applied area for 15 to 20 minutes and then go ahead with the laundering. The aim is to loosen and dissolve the substance thus making it easy to remove with the washing.
3. Fruit juice stains
These stains are normally categorized with dye stains. To get rid of them, you will need to use a detergent for laundering but make sure you use the hottest water based on the kind of fabric you are dealing with. When cleaning fruit stains, it’s always important to avoid natural soaps such as flake and bar soap or even detergents that contain natural soap as these could worsen the situation by making the stain permanent.
If the stains are tough and stubborn, leave the stained clothes soaked for half hour in a combination of warm water and enzyme presoak solution (ratio of a quart of water for I tablespoon). If not in a position to do this by yourself, take your stained clothes to 24-hour laundry without waiting for too long.
4. Tannin stains
Tannin stains are caused by spills from coffee, tea, wine, fruit juices and soft drinks among others. To eliminate these stains, you will need to pre-treat the affected clothes by soaking in cold water before washing them in the hottest water at the temperatures suited for the fabric. You can also use tannin stain remover or color-safe bleach.
5. Grass stains
This dye stain is very common but very stubborn as it contains a combination of organic matters and protein mixed with carotenoids, chlorophyll, and xanthophylls. If the stains are stubborn, soak you’re your garments for 30 minutes in a mixture of cool water and washing products that contain enzymes (you can do it for longer periods if the stains are stubborn). Avoid using hot water so as not to coagulate the protein thus making the stain more stubborn and hard to remove. Once soaked, launder your clothes in warm water.
When dealing with different stains, the best thing is to do it fast without waiting for too long. You can also seek assistance from a laundry near you for a professional approach.