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Stain Removing Tips

Crayola's Stain Removal Guide has links on how to remove crayon, marker, and paint stains for each of their specific products from fabric, carpet, and upholstery.

Permanent Ink Stains - Spray hair spray to the ink stain and then wash.

* Lipstick - Place the stain face down on folded paper towels. Sponge area with dry-cleaning solvent. Replace towels frequently; let dry; rinse. Rub with a heavy-duty liquid detergent and launder. Repeat treatment if needed using an all-fabric bleach, because it is less damaging to colors and fabric.

* Oil based paint - Act fast and blot, don't rub. Rubbing forces the stain deeper into the fabric. Try using a thinner recommended for the paint. Usually turpentine or alcohol will work as solvents. However, test an inside seam for color fastness or the potential for other damage first. Spot treat the stained areas until the paint is softened and can be flushed away by agitating in a solution of water and a heavy-duty liquid detergent. Launder immediately.

Fruit Juices - Fruits and Fruit Juices - on washable fabrics -- disappear instantly when you pour boiling water over them in a bowl or basin. - To remove old or set stains may require washing with bleach that is safe for the fabric. If all the sugars are not removed a brown stain will appear when the fabric is heated in the dryer or is ironed, as the sugar is caramelized.

Removing Vaseline from your Kid's Hair - One time my kids were playing Elvis and thought it would be cool to slick down their hair. Well, it was cool alright, but nearly impossible to remove. Here's what we found that worked. To remove vaseline, pour corn starch into your child's hair. It will absorb the oil. Shampoo. Repeat. It will take 3-4 washings to get it all out.

Pencil Marks - Always read and follow the care instructions and any warnings on the fabric. And, follow these General Rules for stain removal. For pencil marks on washable fabric, try the following. Use a soft eraser to remove what excess lead you can. But, be careful so you do not damage or stretch the fabric. Spray the stain with a pretreatment product. Rub the area with a heavy-duty liquid detergent. Rinse and launder. There are also commercial pencil mark removers available in some quilt supply stores.

Red Wine on Carpet - Use one part Dawn dish detergent and two parts "fresh" hydrogen peroxide. Apply to stain and work with a small cleaning brush. (old toothbrush works) Use white towel or paper towels to soak up excess fluid. Watch the stain disappear! You may want to use a damp cloth after scrubbing stain away to remove excess soap from carpet. This works wonders. You may want to test a small section of carpet to test if carpet is off white and not snow white. It worked great on my beige carpet, but if not careful I can see how it could "bleach" some colors of carpet.

Removing Wax from Carpet or a Tablecloth - Get a brown paper bag and put it over the wax stain on the fabric or carpet then start ironing over it. The wax will melt and transfer onto the paper bag.

Removing Marker from Skin - Here are several ways you can safely (and quickly) remove these marks from skin:

- Soak a cotton ball in baby oil or baby lotion and rub until marker is gone. Use a q-tip or old toothbrush to get underneath fingernails.
Rub a small amount of vaseline on marks, then wash the area with warm soap and water.
- Spread some shaving cream on a table, tray or high chair and let your child play with the shaving cream until the marks are gone.
- Spray some hairspray into your hands and rub gently over markered areas, carefully avoiding eyes.
- Hairspray or shaving cream can also remove marker and other stains from your tables.

Fat and Oil Stains - Trying to remove a salad dressing or gravy stain with no luck? Just rub cornstarch (or cornstarch powder, or even talcum powder) into the stain , let it sit for at least 20 minutes, and then brush it off with a dry washcloth or soft dry brush. You may need to repeat the treatment several times to fully remove the fat. It works especially well on silk and wool. So well, in fact, that further washing (or dry cleaning) is not needed. You can even speed up the process by placing a paper towel above and below the treated spot, and going over the area with a hot steam iron. This can be repeated several times as well, until the stain is gone.

Blood and Sweat stains - These need to be initially rinsed out with mild soap, shampoo or dish liquid in cold water. If the stain looks as if it's come out after this initial treatment, throw it in the wash as usual, to finish it off.

Coffee and Tea stains - Use COLD water to rinse out with mild soap, shampoo or dish liquid. If the stain looks as if it's come out after this initial treatment, throw it in the wash as usual, to finish it off. For stubborn stains that re-emerge over time, try Oxyclean, or other oxygen bleach.

Removing the YELLOW from old Linens - Oxi-clean will remove the yellow from an old linen.

Removing Odors from Carpet - Liberally sprinkle baking soda on the carpet. Let set overnight, or as long as possible (the longer it sets the better it works). Sweep up the larger amounts of baking soda, and vacuum up the rest. (Note that your vacuum cleaner bag will get full and heavy.) Redo the process if you still smell odors you wish to remove. Baking soda works like magic, it sometimes just takes time and making sure you are using enough baking soda.

Share YOUR cleaning tips with us! You can send your tips to me at info@webmomz.com and we will publish them here on the WebMomz web site.

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