Easy Stain Removal Tips

Not quite ready yet to don an apron and scrub out a stain? Your best bet is to do it as quickly as possible, then, and save yourself time and manpower.

Take a look at some important guidelines to get out anything from red wine to ink, and save your best shirt from disaster.

1. Test stain removal products before you start.

Stain removal can be a whole lot easier if you apply product, but you need to be careful. Every product should be tested on the stained product in an inconspicuous area. While a shirt stained in wine is bad, a discolored or holey shirt can be a lot worse.

Tip:  If your shirt isn’t colorfast, this test is especially important. Check the care label to help you determine whether that the case, or the stain may be the least of your problems.

2. Aim to remove stains from the back.

When you see a stain creeping across one of your best shirts, you probably get the urge to scrub the outside of it as fast as possible. If your shirt is delicate or lightweight, you could muss that spot up into an irreparable fuzzy spot.

Instead, when a stain crops up, put the shirt upside down on top of a white cloth. Apply stain remover to the back of your shirt and follow the directions. Just don’t forget that when this starts     to work, you’ll need to move the shirt to a fresh spot of white cloth to encourage the stain to continue its transfer.

3. Test out dry cleaning solvents with caution.

Did you have anyone suggest using dry cleaning solvents to remove a stain? It may sound perfect, but you should rinse a shirt carefully and allow it to air dry afterwards, or you could be facing a pretty dangerous situation.

Warning: Never put a shirt that’s been treated with dry cleaning solvent in the washing machine.

4. Wash your items after stain removal.

Stain removal products can leave substantial residue on your clothes, and that’s not nice for sensitive skin. If you don’t want to get a bumpy rash or worse, soak your stained items and then wash as usual.

5. Sometimes you have to give up.

Some stains are easy to removal, and others are just impossible. If you’ve done your best and your shirt starting to look worse-for-wear from your manhandling, consider chucking your shirt and starting over. It could be for the best!