liary

Coffee & Tea

　　Remove fresh stains from cotton and linen materials by first rinsing in warm water then pouring boiling water from a height of 2 - 3 feet onto the stain. Follow by washing in soapy water. If a trace remains, bleach in the sun, or with a diaper wash/sanitiser container sodium percarbonate. Tea stains on cottons and linens can also be removed by soaking in borax and water (1 Tbsp. borax in 1 c of warm water).

　　Stains on wool and silk or any fabric may be sponged with lukewarm water, then apply glycerine, rubbing lightly between the hands. Let stand for half an hour. Rinse with warm water. If a grease spot remains from cream, sponge with dry cleaning fluid.

　　Crayons

　　Treat as for Candle wax. If on wallpaper, after scraping cover with blotting or brown paper, iron with warm iron, shifting paper repeatedly. Final traces may be covered with a paste of cornflour and cleaning fluid. Allow to dry, brush off and repeat if necessary. Go to Crayola’s Stain Removal Tips for helpful hints on removing art material stains from clothes, walls and other tough spots!

　　Deodorants & Antiperspirants

　　Sponge dry fabric stain thoroughly with a laundry pre-soak (spot stain remover) and warm water. Rinse. If some stain remains, use a chlorinated laundry bleach or a diaper wash/sanitiser container sodium percarbonate. Antiperspirants may cause fabric damage and colour damage in some dyes. Colour may be restored by sponging with ammonia. Dilute ammonia with an equal volume of water for use on wool or silk. Rinse well.

　　Dyes & Running Colours

　　These are difficult to remove and no one treatment is successful in all cases. Immediate copious rinsing in tepid water, forcing the water through the stain, is sometimes effective.

　　Washing and sunning will gradually bring results in some cases. Equal parts of methylated spirits (wood alcohol) and ammonia may also succeed. White fabrics may be bleached. Use a chlorinated laundry bleach or a diaper wash/sanitiser container sodium percarbonate for linens and untreated cottons, hydrogen peroxide for silk, wool and delicate fabrics.

　　Dye - Setting

　　Common household salt can be used to “Set Dyes” at a rate of quarter to half a cup per wash tub load. Leave to soak half an hour, rinse, then hang to dry. Salt is a common additive to Laundry Powder formulations. Among it’s many uses, salt minimises the risk of “running dyes” when laundering garments.

　　Egg

　　Scrape away as much as possible. Sponge with lukewarm water. Never use hot water, as heat hardens the stain. If this does not succeed, spread the stain with a paste of cream of tartar and water, adding a crushed aspirin to the paste. Leave for 20 - 30 minutes. Rinse well in warm water. OR use a diaper wash/sanitiser container sodium percarbonate.

　　Fruit Juices & Berries

　　Fresh stains are easy to remove, but once dry, they are very obstinate. Treat with cool water first and follow up, if necessary, by soaking in a chlorinated laundry bleach or a diaper wash/sanitiser container sodium percarbonate. Rinse.

　　White cottons and linens may be stretched over a basin and boiling water poured through from a height. Any remaining stain may be removed with chlorinated laundry bleach.

　　Coloured fabrics or washable silk, etc., may be soaked in a diaper wash/sanitiser container sodium percarbonate or a warm borax solution (1 Tbsp. : 1 c water), or covered with a paste of cream of tartar and warm water. Leave half and hour or until stain goes, then rinse well.

　　For persistent stains apply equal quantities of methylated spirits (wood alcohol) and ammonia. Rinse well after treatment. This method is safe for all fabrics, except triacetate (e.g. Tricel). Dilute mixture with an equal quantity of water for fabrics with fugitive dyes. Old stains may be softened in glycerine before treatment. Damp stain, apply glycerine, leave 1 - 2 hours, then add a few drops of vinegar, leave 5 - 10 minutes and rinse well.

　　Glues, Gums & Cellulose Adhesives

　　Soaking in cool water will remove water-soluble glues, e.g. casein glue. For waterproof varieties, use spirit solvent, e.g. methylated spirits (wood alcohol) or amyl acetate (test before using on synthetic fabrics). Artificial Nail glue can be removed used acetone (test on an inconspicuous area first). Acetone evaporates quickly, so hold a wad of absorbant paper or soft cloth against the glue, and soak the acetate through from the other side. (The glue soaks on to the wad of absorbant)

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