Remove Stains

Summer is a season to enjoy the outdoors. Summertime encourages you to have cookouts, gardening, play outdoor sports, and cool off with some frosty treats. Stains in the Summer are inevitable. But before throwing out your favorite warm weather garments, here’s your guide to how to remove stains that are common with Summertime fun.

Fried chicken
Hamburgers and cheeseburgers
Hot dogs
Suntan oils

If edible, Scrape off excess material. Soak for 15 minutes in mixture of 1 quart lukewarm water, one-half teaspoon liquid hand dishwashing detergent and one tablespoon ammonia. Rub gently from back to loosen stain. Soak another 15 minutes in above mixture. Rinse. Soak protein stain in enzyme product for at least 30 minutes. Soak aged stains for several hours. Launder. If color stain remains, launder, using chlorine bleach if safe for fabric, or with oxygen bleach.

Ketchup
Deviled eggs
Steak sauce
Barbeque sauce
Flavored potato chips

Saturate area with spot treatment laundry stain remover (aerosol types work better on greasy stains) Wait one minute for product to penetrate the stain. For stubborn stains, rub with heavy-duty liquid detergent. Launder immediately. If color stain remains, soak/wash in chlorine bleach if safe for fabric, or in oxygen bleach. For extra heavy stains, apply dry cleaning solvent to back of the stain over absorbent paper towels. Let dry, rinse. Proceed as above.

Mustard

Pre-treat the stain with heavy-duty liquid detergent. Rinse. Soak fabric in dilute solution of all-fabric powdered bleach. If stain persists and garment is white or colorfast, soak entire garment in diluted solution of liquid chlorine bleach and water. Chlorine bleach may change the color of the garment or cause irreversible damage. Check for bleach tolerance on a hidden seam. If stain does not come out in 15 minutes of bleaching, if cannot be removed by bleaching. If bleaching is not safe or does not work, use a commercial color remover according to package directions. Note that color remover will take out the fabric color as well as the stain. Do not exceed 160 degrees Fahrenheit water with any synthetic fabrics. Launder.

Watermelon

Soak for 15 minutes in mixture of one quart lukewarm water, one-half teaspoon liquid hand dishwashing detergent and one tablespoon white vinegar. Rinse. Sponge with rubbing alcohol, using light motions from center to edge of stain. Soak for 30 minutes in one quart warm water with one tablespoon enzyme presoak products. If color stain remains, launder in chlorine bleach if safe for the fabric, or in oxygen bleach.

Sweet corn
Macaroni salad
Mayonnaise
Potato salad
Vegetable dip
Cole slaw
Brownies

Saturate area with spot treatment laundry stain remover (aerosol types work better on greasy stains) Wait one minute for product to penetrate the stain. For stubborn stains, rub with heavy-duty liquid detergent. Launder immediately. If color stain remains, soak/wash in chlorine bleach if safe for fabric, or in oxygen bleach. For extra heavy stains, apply dry cleaning solvent to back of the stain over absorbent paper towels. Let dry, rinse. Proceed as above.

Popsicles
Lemonade
Juice or Kool-Aid

Pre-treat the stain with heavy-duty liquid detergent. Rinse. Soak fabric in dilute solution of all-fabric powdered bleach. If stain persists and garment is white or colorfast, soak entire garment in diluted solution of liquid chlorine bleach and water. Chlorine bleach may change the color of the garment or cause irreversible damage. Check for bleach tolerance on a hidden seam. If stain does not come out in 15 minutes of bleaching, if cannot be removed by bleaching. If bleaching is not safe or does not work, use a commercial color remover according to package directions. Note that color remover will take out the fabric color as well as the stain. Do not exceed 160 degrees Fahrenheit water with any synthetic fabrics. Launder.

Sunscreen or Suntan Lotion

If the item can be laundered, treat it with a stain remover before washing, and launder with the hottest water safe for the fabric. While it’s tempting to simply hang bathing suits out to dry because they will just be used again, left-in chlorine and suntan lotion can cause the fabric and the elastic to deteriorate before their time. Minimal care is to thoroughly rinse them before hanging them out to dry; laundering is preferable. Check the swimsuit’s care label for laundering instructions.

Grass

Sponge (the method of using light strokes with a dampened pad working outward from the center of the stain) the area with a dry-cleaning solvent such as Afta Cleaning Fluid. Apply dry spotter to the stain and cover with an absorbent pad dampened with the dry spotter. Let it stand as long as any stain is being removed. Change the pad as it picks up the stain. Keep both the stain and pad moist with dry spotter. Flush (the method of applying stain remover to loosen staining materials and residue from stain removers) with one of the dry-cleaning solvents and allow to dry thoroughly. When working on carpets, be sure to blot up the excess liquid during the procedure and before drying.

If at first you don’t succeed, try again of course. But if that doesn’t work, visit Palm Cleaners for all your dry cleaning, laundry wash, and specialty garment needs. We’re happy to help.