An accident can happen in the blink of an eye. You may make an awkward movement during breakfast or splash through a puddle while cycling in the rain. In short, the risk of stains is always lurking! However, you don’t have to live in a plastic bubble. Most stains are actually easy to remove, especially if you follow the following tips:
Generally, two rules are important when it comes to stain removal:
- Act quickly! To prevent the stain from setting into the fabric, it’s important to take action as soon as possible.
- Avoid rubbing the stain! This can make it larger and cause it to penetrate deeper into the fabric. Rubbing can also create rings. Instead, try gently dabbing with a damp cloth.
We recommend starting by absorbing or dabbing the stain with, for example, kitchen paper. Then, you can dab again with lukewarm water and a drop of dish soap, possibly with a towel underneath the garment. If this doesn’t work, it’s time to seek professional help from a dry cleaner or consider an alternative solution.
By the way, before treating the colored fabric, it’s advisable to test it on an inconspicuous area first. This could be the hem or inside of the garment. This way, you can see if the fabric discolors due to the treatment method.
Here are tips and tricks to remove specific stains as effectively as possible:
Beverages
Beer Stains
The more beer one drinks, the more beer one spills! The favorite drink of men consists mostly of water. Fortunately, that means beer stains can be quickly removed with some (lukewarm) water. Stains from dark beer can sometimes be slightly more difficult to remove. Let the garment soak in lukewarm water and then wash it along with the rest of the laundry. For stubborn stains, you can first rub them with a liquid detergent and then wash them.
Coffee Stains
Having a cup of coffee in the morning is part of the daily routine for many people. When you’re not fully awake, it can happen that you spill some. Fortunately, in general, you can easily remove this stain. If you quickly run to the faucet, there’s a good chance you can still get rid of the stain. Coffee with milk is best rinsed with cold water, and coffee without milk should be thoroughly rinsed with warm water.
If the stain is still not gone, apply liquid detergent or stain remover and rub it into the stain. Let it sit for a while and then wash your shirt as usual.
Milk Stains
Rinse milk stains immediately with lukewarm water. Do not use hot water, as it will cause the milk to adhere to the fabric. Before washing, you can soak the fabric in a soapy solution. For synthetic fabric: dab the stain with lukewarm water and dish soap. For wool and silk: dab the stain with diluted vinegar. For white cotton or other white fabric: dab the stain with 90% alcohol or bleach white fabric with 3% hydrogen peroxide (1 part per 6 parts water). For all fabrics, wash them in the washing machine immediately afterward.
Red Wine
Spilled red wine? Act quickly! First, dab (yes, gentlemen, dab, not rub!) the stain dry with some kitchen paper. Then, you have several options. You can pour a little white wine, cold water, or sparkling water over the stain. Then, sprinkle some salt on it to absorb all the moisture.
If a large stain remains, you can tackle it with a mixture of warm water and a little detergent. If you spill red wine while going out, it’s best to pour a little beer on it. It may not smell very pleasant, but it will make it easier to remove the stain later on.
Tea
Thoroughly rinse the garments with warm water immediately. Soak them in lukewarm soapy water if necessary. For wool and silk: dab with water and liquid detergent. Dab with lemon juice, as the acid dissolves the stain. Rinse well with lukewarm water and wash.
Tomato Juice or Puree
Rinse with lukewarm water, optionally let it soak in lukewarm ‘natural’ detergent solution for a few hours. Then, rinse and wash as usual.
White Wine
Rinse with cold water immediately and then wash.
Food Stains
Chocolate
Scrape off as much as possible with the blunt side of a knife without smearing it. Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water, apply liquid detergent, and rinse again. For wool and silk: rinse well with dry cleaning fluid and wash again.
Ice Cream
Delicious on a hot day, but preferably in your stomach, not on your shirt. You can wash the stain out immediately with lukewarm water. For stubborn stains, you can treat them with stain remover.
Chewing Gum
Sat on a piece of chewing gum on the terrace? No problem, it happens to the best of us, and luckily there are simple solutions for this. Apply a little peanut butter to the stain (yes, you read that right). Peanut butter has a dissolving effect. Then, throw the garment in the washing machine, and the stain will be gone.
Another effective solution is to leave the garment in the freezer overnight. Once the chewing gum is frozen and completely hard, you can easily remove it. You can also choose to rub the gum with ice cubes or treat it with a special stain remover that dissolves gum. For old stains, it’s best to treat them with stain remover.
Grease Stains
During a night out, nothing beats a quick and greasy bite to eat. Unfortunately, the combination of fast food and grease often leads to grease stains. But don’t worry, a little dish soap can solve the problem! Dish soap is designed to remove grease and easily dissolves the stain.
Another solution for colorfast fabrics is dabbing with dry cleaning solvent and then washing. For polyester garments, it’s best to treat grease stains with liquid detergent. If you have grease stains on your suede shoes, take an old nail or toothbrush and gently rub some vinegar over the stain.
Fruit Stains
Rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water and gently dab the stain with lemon juice. Never use soap as the first remedy to remove fruit stains. Soap could react with the fruit stain, causing dark bluish stains. For wool and silk, dab with lemon juice and then rinse with water.
Miscellaneous Stains
Blood Stains
The familiar phenomenon: shaving too quickly and ending up with an unstoppable bleeding cut on your neck. Forgot to put a plaster on it, resulting in a blood stain on your shirt? Rinse immediately with cold or lukewarm water. Cold milk also works wonders. Blood stains can usually be completely removed. For older stains, prewash with a “bio” detergent or soak for a while, and then proceed with regular washing.
Deodorant Stains
Deodorant keeps unpleasant odors away. The downside is that it can leave white or yellow stains on your clothes. The white stains come from the deodorant itself. Your deodorant leaves white marks when you put on a shirt before the deodorant has dried. After a wash, the white stains usually disappear.
Yellow stains, on the other hand, are a result of a chemical reaction between sebum, sweat, water, and the ingredients of the deodorant. There are many products available that claim to remove yellow stains. Before purchasing any, you can try one of the following remedies:
- Spray some dishwasher rinse aid on the stains, let it soak for a while, and then put the garment in the washing machine.
- Soak the garment in cleaning vinegar for a few hours, then wash it according to the instructions.
- Rub the stain with a piece of ox gall soap and then put the garment in the washing machine.
- Put three aspirin tablets in a bowl and add half a cup of warm water. Let it soak for two to three hours, then wash the shirt according to the instructions.
Grass and Mud Stains
Lying in the grass sunbathing or having an enthusiastic football match with the kids? Grass stains are not uncommon in these situations. It’s important to take action quickly, as old stains.
Grass and Mud Stains
Enjoying a sunny day lying in the grass or having an enthusiastic game of football with the kids? Grass stains are not uncommon in these situations. It’s important to take action quickly because old stains are much harder to remove. If you act fast enough, the stain will come right out.
One household item that everyone has is laundry detergent. Apply the dish soap to the stain and let it soak in. Then gently rub over the grass stains and simply put the garment in the washing machine. A method from grandmother’s time is to rub the stain well with green soap and then put it in the washing machine. Simple and effective.
Stubborn stains can be treated with a solution of lactic acid and water or with alcohol. Moisten the fabric with this solution, dab it with soapy water, and then wash it. Next, rub it with some dish soap and immediately wash it in the washing machine.
Resin
Treat washable and colorfast fabrics with turpentine, white spirit, alcohol, or acetone, and then wash them. For delicate fabrics, we recommend scraping off the resin and treating it with a stain remover. If rings appear, it’s best to wash the garment in the washing machine.
Ink
It can happen unexpectedly—a ink stain on your clothes. The key to removing ink stains is to act quickly. Once the ink has bonded with the fabric, it becomes much more difficult to remove. Press a piece of kitchen paper against the ink stain as soon as possible, allowing it to absorb as much ink as possible. It’s crucial not to rub over the stain, as this will only make it larger.
After washing, an ink stain may not completely disappear from your clothing. Therefore, you need to use special cleaning techniques. Fortunately, there are several ways to remove these stains from your clothes. Here are a few examples:
- Dampen a sponge or cloth with rubbing alcohol and dab it on the stain. Rinse the fabric with water and let it dry. If you repeat this process several times, the stain will disappear.
- Spray a generous amount of hairspray on the stain and blot it with a dry sponge. Repeat until the stain disappears.
- Soak your garment in (buttermilk) milk for half an hour, then wash it according to the normal washing instructions.
- You can also choose to use special cleaning products designed to remove ink stains.
If there are still traces of dye remaining, you can remove them from dark fabrics using rubbing alcohol and from light fabrics using lemon juice. However, be careful! Use strong cleaning agents like rubbing alcohol and cleaning alcohol cautiously. Test a small amount of the product first to see if it affects the color of the garment.
Candle Wax
Remove the wax by gently peeling it off and using paper towels to absorb any residue. Place the paper towels on both sides of the fabric and iron over them. The heat will melt the wax, which will be absorbed by the towels. For any remaining stains, use dish soap and lukewarm water to degrease the fabric, and then wash it in the washing machine.
Copper Polish
Dab with a mixture of soapy water and vinegar, then simply wash it in the washing machine.
Glue
Treat the stain with acetone several times (avoid using acetone on acetate and chlorine fibers). Dot the stain with a cotton swab until it disappears, then wash it.
Lipstick
Dab with alcohol and then wash with liquid detergent.
Nail Polish
Use acetone-free nail polish remover; otherwise, it may damage the fabric.
Perfume
Treat washable and colorfast fabrics with alcohol. For materials that require gentle washing, dab with warm glycerine. In both cases, wash in the washing machine afterward.
Rust
Remove it with a special “rust remover.” Read the instructions carefully. Then rinse with cold water and wash as usual.
Soot
Thoroughly wet the fabric and let liquid dish soap soak in. Roll it up and let it sit for half a day. Then wash it as usual. Alternatively, gently vacuum up the soot and wash the fabric immediately afterward.
Shoe Polish
Dab with turpentine or white spirit. Then wash in the washing machine.
Toothpaste
Treat white toothpaste spots with water. If the stain doesn’t disappear, mix a teaspoon of liquid dish soap with one cup of water and rub the mixture on the stain. Rinse with cold water.
Tar
Cover the stain with butter or margarine, and then have it chemically cleaned by a dry cleaner.
Paint
Immediately dab with turpentine, white spirit, or paint thinner on an absorbent surface. Then you can wash the clothing in the washing machine.
Sweat
Wash the fabric. For fabrics that require gentle washing, dab with vinegar or alcohol to remove the most visible stains. If you’re dealing with stubborn stains, our experts have 7 guaranteed tips to remove sweat stains.
