Contents
*Overview of the best according to the editors of Healthy Food Near Me. About selection criteria. This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.
A stain found on clothes after a long time is one of the biggest troubles that can happen to a thing. After all, an old stain is often difficult not only to remove, but in general to determine the nature of its occurrence. Do not get upset ahead of time: in most cases, the problem can be solved. Our experts have selected the most effective, time-tested ways to remove old stains.
General recommendations
To effectively remove old stains from any clothing and furniture, it is important to follow a few simple rules:
Before choosing a specific type of cleaner, you need to correctly determine the type of contamination of the material. This will help increase the chances of a quick removal of the stain.
The effect of the selected product should first be checked on an inconspicuous area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe clothing (on the stock near the seam, on a spare flap, etc.). You can use this or that substance only if there are no visual changes on the fabric.
Never use highly concentrated formulations. The best option is to use a weaker solution several times, thoroughly rinsing the fabric after each application.
Do not use aggressive compounds (in particular, acetone and vinegar) to remove old stains from products made of PVC, acetate, nylon, silk – they destroy the fibers of these materials.
Before removing the stain, it is important to clean the product from dust with a dry brush, and then dampened with water.
To slightly soften an old stain, it is recommended to blot it with a small amount of glycerin.
Old stains should be removed from the wrong side by placing napkins, a blotting paper or a clean white cloth under it.
In the process, you can use a cotton pad, a soft brush for clothes, a soft toothbrush, white natural fabric to process the fabric.
Wipe the stained area of the product strictly from the edges to the center so that the stain does not spread even more over the material.
Do not use bleach to clean colored fabrics – they can destroy the paint and the material will change its original shade.
After successful removal of contamination, the product must be washed using a high-quality powder.
Determining the type of pollution
Stains are of completely different origin: you can unsuccessfully sit on a freshly painted bench, drop ice cream on your dress, drip ink on your shirt, etc. Despite the variety of pollutants, they are all conditionally divided into 3 large categories:
Water-soluble. This group includes all food products containing sugar, as well as water-soluble dyes and wood glue.
Soluble in organics (alcohol, gasoline). This category includes any type of fat, machine oil, cream, shoe polish, oil-based paint, wax.
Insoluble in water and organics. The most difficult to remove contaminants are blood, urine, mold, water-insoluble paints, protein, metal oxide or salt.
How to find out what is the nature of an old stain? You need to carefully consider it, determine the color and appearance of the borders.
Fat-containing spots – lack clear boundaries (the contour is completely blurred or diverges to the sides in the form of rays). Grease stains are light in color. Old greasy stains, as a rule, appear even on the reverse side of the fabric.
Fat-free stains (tea, juice, alcohol, etc.) – with sharp edges, the color ranges from yellow to dark brown. The center of the spot is lighter than its contours.
Combined stains (dust, milk, sauces, blood, coffee with milk, etc.) contain both fat and non-fat components. Such impurities have a more or less clear contour, depending on the amount of fat. As a rule, they only partially penetrate deep into the fibers of the material.
Oxidized spots – there are options with different edges. This kind of pollution occurs on the fabric from a long exposure to light, oxygen, etc. They may have a yellowish or reddish tint, some turn brown. For example, stains from berries, coffee, and cosmetics oxidize when they stay on the fabric for a long time and are the most difficult to remove.
Effective methods for removing various stains
Fat
The most difficult to influence pollution, requiring aggressive measures, taking into account the characteristics of a particular fabric:
For fastidious fabrics – a glycerin-alcohol mixture is perfect. It is necessary to heat the glycerin to 40 0, apply it locally on the soiled area of the product. Then soak the item in water with a small amount of ammonia solution.
For coarse fabrics – you can safely use aggressive compounds like pure gasoline, white spirit, acetone. It is enough to apply the product on a greasy trace and leave for 5-10 minutes. Then carefully, but without undue zeal, rub the stain with a soft sponge.
For light clothes – the best remedy is gasoline with potato starch. Mix refined gasoline with starch until a thick slurry is obtained. Apply the finished mixture to a greasy blot. Wait until the composition dries. Gently shake off the remaining product with a brush and rinse the product thoroughly in cold water.
For colored clothes, a regular dish detergent will do. Apply an undiluted household product pointwise to the contaminated part of the item and wait 15 minutes. Then gently rub the material. Rinse thoroughly.
For outerwear – a mixture of salt and ammonia is ideal. The composition is prepared at the rate of 5 g of salt per 25 g of ammonia solution (10%). It is enough to wipe the greasy area (usually the collar) with a sponge or cotton wool, moistening it in the resulting solution. Rinse thoroughly.
Sweat
Old sweat stains are particularly difficult to remove because they are a mixture of inorganic salts and organic waste. The acids in human sweat corrode the dye in the fabric and damage its fibers. To prevent the product from becoming unusable, you can use one of several home methods for removing such contaminants.
Method No. 1. Rub the contaminated area with laundry soap. Leave for 20-30 minutes. Rinse thoroughly afterwards. If the stain remains, wipe it with a strong saline solution. Salt will clean the dirt without destroying the fibers of the material.
Method # 2. Mix hydrogen peroxide with water (1 teaspoon of the substance per 1 tbsp of water). Generously blot the sweat mark. Leave for a while if necessary. Then rinse well with running water. This option is optimal for white products.
Method No. 3. Table vinegar can easily remove sweat stains from colored clothes. Dilute vinegar (9%) in cool water (ratio 1:8). Wipe the stained fabric with the resulting solution. Immediately rinse the treated area with running water so that the composition does not have time to affect the color of the material.
Method # 4. Petrol soap with the addition of ammonia will cope with the oldest traces of sweat on clothes. With the resulting composition, rub the problem area a few minutes before sending the product to the wash.
Blood
The first step is to soak the trace of blood in cold water (hot water is contraindicated here – this will lead to the coagulation of the protein, which is deeply embedded in the tissue structure).
Method No. 1. Ammonia, borax. Treat the soiled area of u1bu1bclothing with a solution of ammonia (2 teaspoon per 3 tablespoon of water). Leave for a couple of minutes. And then gently apply a solution of borax (diluted in the same ratio as ammonia) to the stain for XNUMX-XNUMX minutes. Rinse in cold water.
Method # 2. Starch. Excellent product for removing traces of blood from silk. Dilute the powder in a small amount of water to make a thick mixture. Apply a thick layer on the trace of blood and leave to dry completely. Then gently shake off the residue and wash the product in the machine.
Method # 3. Acetylsalicylic acid. Perfectly removes traces of blood from woolen fabric. It is enough to dissolve a couple of tablets in 1 tbsp. water. Moisten a toothbrush with the composition and wipe the contaminated area intensively enough.
Cosmetics
A trace of foundation or perfume, for example, can be qualitatively removed with the help of medical alcohol. Hair dye can be easily removed with a mixture of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide (1: 1 ratio). Lipstick will help remove borax powder. It is enough to lightly sprinkle the stain with borax crystals, leave for a couple of minutes. Rinse thoroughly with soapy water and then with clean, cool water.
Fruits vegetables
Stains from fruits or vegetables can be removed with a glycerin-vodka mixture (ratio 1:1). If the stain is too old and this method did not help, you should try the following option: hold the stain over water vapor, then intensively wipe the juice mark with a cotton swab dipped in a vinegar-vodka mixture (an alternative is vodka with lemon juice in a 1: 1 ratio). The last step is to wipe the cleaned area with ammonia solution, slightly diluting it with water.
Warm whey will perfectly cope with traces of berries. It is enough to soak the product in it for several hours, and then wash it in a convenient way. If after some time of soaking it is found that the traces do not go away, you can add a pinch of citric acid to the curdled milk.
Council. If a stain from pomegranate juice, tomato or apples is found on the fabric, in no case should it be washed with laundry soap. Alkali will further fix the pollution in the fibers of the fabric.
Grass
Herbal traces are easily removed with medical alcohol or a strong saline solution. Apply any of the indicated substances to the area of u15bu20bthe product stained with a herbal trace and leave to act for XNUMX-XNUMX minutes. Then rinse in cold water and wash in any convenient way.
Краска
If the paint trace becomes old, only turpentine can completely remove it. But there is also a minus: it is an aggressive substance that, together with building paint, can “eat” paint from the fibers of the material. Before using it, it is necessary to check the composition on a hidden area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe product. Only after that, apply turpentine to the dyed area of uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe fabric. Leave it until the paint softens. Carefully and quickly remove it with a sharp knife. Wash the item in the washing machine immediately.
Alcohol
The stain from beer, wine drinks, champagne is easily removed with a soap solution in combination with soda. Wine stains are sometimes difficult to remove. If this method does not prove effective, you should use an egg-glycerin mixture (yolk and glycerin are taken in equal proportions). Apply the finished composition on the trace of the drink and leave to act for 2-6 hours. Wash in soapy water and rinse well under clean running water.
Tea, coffee, chocolate
Chocolate stains from light-colored clothes can be easily removed with hydrogen peroxide. It is enough to moisten the stain in the composition and leave for 15 minutes. With traces of tea or coffee, everything is somewhat more complicated. First you need to wipe the contaminated area with a damp brush, moistening it first in warm water. After washing in soapy water with the addition of 1 teaspoon of ammonia and 0,5 teaspoon of soda ash (per 1 liter of water). The last step is to rinse the item in warm water, then in cool water, adding a little table vinegar.
Rust
One of the most difficult pollution, since iron oxides destroy them during long contact with the fibers of the material. However, you can try a couple of proven methods.
Method No. 1. Lemon juice. Soak a cotton swab in freshly squeezed juice and go over the rust with it. Cover the area with a clean, undyed cloth and iron it with a hot iron. Then re-walk over the rust with juice and rinse the material with warm running water.
Method No. 2. Glycerin + laundry soap. The method is suitable for dyed clothes. Finely rub the soap, pour it into hot water, let it dissolve completely. Then add glycerin (take all components in equal proportions). Apply the resulting composition to the rust stain and leave to act for a day. Then wash in a convenient way.
Ink
Contrary to popular belief, ink marks are fairly easy to remove. Use one of several easy ink removal methods:
Glycerol – apply a dense layer of the substance on the ink stain, leave to act for 40-80 minutes. Then wash with laundry soap.
clabber – soak the soiled area of the material in heated sour milk for a couple of hours. Then wash the product by hand in soapy water with the addition of ammonia.
Turpentine + industrial alcohol – a mixture of these substances (in equal proportions) will easily remove the ink trace. It is enough to gently wipe the ink stain with an effective composition and leave, if necessary, to act for 3-5 minutes.
Mold
With traces of mold on a cotton product, chalk will help to cope. It is enough to sprinkle the area covered with mold with chalk, after grinding it into powder, cover with a blotter or paper towel and walk on top with a heated iron. If the mold does not immediately go away, the steps can be repeated several times.
Attention! This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.