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All Natural Stain Removal Guide
by Mary Findley
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 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.
About the author
Mary Findley spent 12 years professionally cleaning homes. Her book
"Whistle While You Work" is the first ever written for the care of RVs.
It also covers home cleaning as well. She writes articles for several
magazines and conducts informative and humorous seminars. You are
welcome to print out her complete stain removal guide from her website
at
http://www.GoClean.com
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