How To Remove 5 Common Household Stains

Accidents happen – they keep life interesting. But when you make a spill on your clothes or carpet, you want to take care of it right away. Try some of these cleaning service tricks for removing the following stains:

1. Grass Stains

Grass stains can be a particularly tricky one to remove. Like all fabric stains, you want to treat it from the inside of the garment so you lift the stain rather than pushing it through the cloth.

Daub the underside of the stain with isopropyl alcohol and let air-dry, then rinse with more alcohol. This helps to break down the bright green chlorophyll that causes the stain to be so persistent. Acid can also break down this pigment, so you can use distilled white vinegar or a cream of tartar solution, as well. Launder and repeat until the stain is gone.

2. Red Wine

Salt and club soda are your best friends when it comes to removing red wine stains. Douse the affected area with club soda to dilute the wine and let the excess run off, or daub with a rag. Sprinkling salt onto the residual stain will absorb the wine into the crystals, drawing them out of the fibers before the stain can set. If the stain has already set, try carefully pouring boiling water on it. This is particularly effective with cotton garments. Oxi cleaning products are also useful for removing old red wine stains.

3. Blood

For bloodstains, you want to use cold water to get it out. To treat a smaller stain, you can wrap an ice cube in a paper towel or washcloth and try to rub it out. For larger stains, blot with a cold, damp towel, and let the garment soak in either saltwater or a dilute peroxide solution. Some people also recommend soaking in milk, if you have enough. If you put a bloodstained garment in the dryer, the stain will never come out.

4. Oil

Whether it is cooking oil, engine grease, or anything in between, the best technique to remove an oil stain is by using chalk or baby/talcum powder to rub it out. With a stick of white chalkboard chalk, rub from the center of the stain out to the edges until you have covered it entirely. Launder immediately.

5. Coffee

EuroMaids knows coffee stains are the most common out of all the stains listed here. Fortunately, many of the techniques described above can also help to remove coffee stains. Club soda, vinegar, and even beer can all help lift a coffee stain from your carpet, tablecloth or clothing if you act quickly. To get coffee stains out of mugs and other ceramic, a simple baking soda solution should allow you to rub it out with little effort. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact us!