Home Cleaning

REMOVING STAINS

          Stains on garments are always a problem. To remove them at home sometimes requires a little knowledge of chemistry, at least enough to know what type of cleaning agent and what cleaning method are most effective for the various types of stains. With the aid of a cleaning pad of some absorbent material and plenty of clean cloths, preferably of the same fabric as the garment to be cleaned, you will be able to remove many of the common stains yourself. Others are better lefts to a professional cleaner.

  General Directions for Stain Removal:

          Treat all stains as soon as possible after they occur. When a stain is allowed to remain on the piece of material, it may penetrate the fibers of the cloth and become much more difficult to remove.

   Always test the cleaning agent on a small piece of the material before attempting to remove the spot. This small piece may be a little of the material clipped from an inside seam. It is important to do this, because some cleaning agents will leave a ring or mark.

          Always treat stains before laundering. All stained articles should be set aside and the stains removed before they are put in the wash. One reason for doing this, is that the hot water used for laundering will "set" the stains.

          If you don't know what the stain is, or if you feel that you cannot remove it yourself, send the article to a good cleaner. You can help the cleaner do his job well if you will tell him the nature of the stain if you know it - that is, grease, tar, et cetera - and make no attempt to remove the stain yourself before taking the article to him. If you do something to "set" the stain, even the best cleaner may not be able to remove it without injury to the cloth or dye.

          WARNING!  When using any cleaning fluid inside the house, open the window to get enough air to counteract any fumes from the cleaning agent. Be sure there is no lighted gas range flame or lighted cigarette in the room. Use great caution regardless of the mildness of the cleaning fluid and the "safety" assurance on its label.

  Specific Instructions for Stain Removal:

          Below are given the most common causes of stains and the most satisfactory ways to remove them.

          CHEWING GUM -- Scrape off as much as possible. Dampen a clean white cloth with carbon tetrachloride and apply with a circular rubbing motion. If directions are included on the bottle, follow those.

          COFFEE -- Use cool water Soak the stain immediately, wash in mild soapsuds, and rinse thoroughly. If the garment isn't washable, sponge the spot with cool water, allow it to dry, then sponge with cleaning fluid.

          EGG -- Try clean cold water first. If that doesn't remove the stain, try soap and cool water. Hot water hardens egg and may set the stain. The same treatment applies to meat, fish, and cheese, except cream cheese.

          FAT -- See Oil Same treatment Fats include cream cheese, butter, cream, and mayonnaise.

          FRUIT -- Use cold water. The trick here, as in treating most stains, is to act at once. A stain, which has a chance to dry, is much harder to remove than a fresh stain. If the fabric is washable, soak the stain in cool water; then apply household bleach, such as hydrogen peroxide. If the garment must be dry cleaned, sponge the stain with coot water, apply soap-less shampoo, and allow it to stand for several hours. Then apply a few drops of white vinegar.

          GRASS -- On white cotton or linen wash and hang in the sun to bleach. Washing is usually sufficient. Don't expose colored materials to the sun, for they may not be fade-proof. For garments which aren't washable use cleaning fluid, follow with a sponging of denature alcohol, then a second sponging with cool water.

          GREASE -- See Oil Same treatment

          INK -- Permanent ink is difficult to remove. You are wise if you use only washable ink at your house. This type of stain can be removed by soaking the stained portion of cloth in cold water or milk for 15 minutes before washing in a mild suds and rinsing. Javelle water or one of the chlorine compounds may be used safely only on white material, for it will remove the color from the fabric at the same time it removes the ink. These compounds have a tendency to weaken fibers of material, so the stained spot should never be soaked in one of the bleaching agents for more than 10 minutes. If the material is colored and isn't washable, you may try a solution of denatured alcohol and water, but you would probably be wiser to take the stained garment to a cleaner.

   MILDEW -

Mildew is a fungus growth. Leaving dampened clothes un-ironed sometimes causes it, but in damp climate it may attack any material not exposed to the air. Washing and drying in the sun can sometimes remove new or slight stains. Old stains, however, can seldom be taken out entirely.

          NAIL POLISH -- If the stain is on cotton, polish remover may be applied, but this cleaning agent cannot be used safely on rayon. Send a rayon garment to the cleaner at once.

          OIL -

Oil or grease stains can sometimes be removed by placing the stained spot between two clean blotters and pressing with a warm iron. For a large spot, try carbon tetrachloride. These treatments are for clear oils, such as sewing-machine oil. A stain from heavy, dark oil should be given to a professional cleaner, unless it is on a washable material. For washable, the treatment is hot water and soapsuds.

          PAINT -- Ask your druggist for a paint remover, or send the garment to the cleaner.

          TAR -- Same treatment as for chewing gum. If it is a large stain, or on non-washable material, better send the garment to the cleaner.

          RUST -- For white cotton or linen, wash and bleach in the sun, or in small amount of chlorine compound in water. (Read label on the bottle for the amount). There are also satisfactory rust-removing creams that are easily and safely applied to most materials.

            WATER SPOTS -- If a material is so delicate that it water-spots, the best treatment is to send the garment to the cleaner. Or you can test a small piece of the fabric clipped from a seam to see if it washes without shrinkage or loss of color. If washing seems to be safe put the entire garment in clean, cool water. For velvets, velveteen, and corduroys, water spots can be removed by steaming the garment over the spout of a teakettle filled with hot water, or by hanging the garment in a closed bathroom with the tub filled with steaming hot water.