Laundry Stain Removal Tips

Nothing is more annoying than to buy a new white blouse only to ruin it with a make-up stain or "cherry-red" kool-aid. Save yourself some time and some money by knowing these tried-and-true laundry stain-removal tips.

Blood

Soak your fabric in cold water before laundering. Also, launder the garment in cold water to remove bloodstains. For blood (and most other stains), pre-treating the fabric with one of the stain-removing sprays beforehand will help. With the stain-removing sprays, I have found that expensive does not always mean best. To my thinking, one works just about as well as the other. The trick is saturation. Saturate the fabric with the stain-remover on both sides of the clothing where the stain in located; also the area surrounding the stain in case the stain bleeds into the surrounding fabric.

Grass Stains

As a mother of two big-time ball players, I have learned a few tricks about removing grass stains. Pre-treat the fabric as soon as possible with fabric stain- remover spray before washing. With grass stains (or any other set-in stain), never dry the garment in the dryer before you have removed all of the stain. The heat of the dryer will set the stain in your garment permanently. With white fabrics, you can use some bleach in your water, and wash in the hottest temperature possible. Baking soda also works well for grass and other stains. Take a toothbrush and gently scrub the stained area of the clothing. Rinse in cold water and repeat until the stain is removed.

Coffee

Coffee, although you would not think so, can be a very stubborn stain to remove. Vinegar can be a very effective stain-removing product. Try mixing one teaspoon of white vinegar in one quart of cold water. Sponge the mixture on the stain, and blot. Repeat the process until the stain is removed.

Grease and Motor Oil

Grease and motor oil stains can be disastrous to clothing. Try using a commercial hand cleaner that a mechanic would use on his hands, such as "Gunk." You can rub the compound into the stain, scrub with a toothbrush, and rinse. Oil stains are very hard to get rid of. Remember, as with all stains, the longer the stain sets, the harder it will be to remove.

Read more great laundry stain-removing tips here:

Quick 'n Easy Stain Removal