STAIN REMOVAL
How to Remove Stains
From Clothes

• Try to find out what the stain is, since some can be set by the wrong treatment. When in doubt, rinse or soak in cold water before laundering or applying a stain remover.
• Check colorfastness of item. If unsure whether a treatment will harm the fabric or color, apply the recommended stain remover to a hidden part or a sample of the fabric, such as a clipping from the seam allowance. Rinse out and let dry. If the color or fabric is not damaged, proceed with the treatment.
• When using any bleach, treat the entire item. This will prevent uneven color change, should any occur.
• When removing stains such as lipstick, candle wax or tar, place the stain face down on paper towels and treat from the underside to avoid driving the stain through the fabric.
• Always launder washable items after treating to remove residues of both the stain and the stain remover.

• Whether done in a basin, laundry sink or washer, soaking can effectively loosen heavy soils.
• A product containing enzymes can be helpful in removing protein-based stains.
• A laundry presoak, detergent and/or an appropriate laundry additive should be mixed in water or added before the clothes.
• When there’s a quantity of items to treat, the washer is handiest place to presoak.
• Use either an automatic soak cycle or manually set the controls as needed.
• Sorting before soaking is important to prevent dye transfer from one item to another or to keep a white or light item from picking up color that has bled into the water.
• Soak whites separately from colors.
• Soak colors that bleed separately or with fabrics of like color.
• Follow label directions for the presoak, detergent or other additive as to soaking time and temperature.
• Generally, they call for a 30-minute or longer period in warm or cool water.
• Spin or wring solution out of the garment before beginning the wash cycle.
• Elasticized garments should be soaked separately for just a short period of time.
• Yellowing can occur with prolonged soaking.

• Taking less time than soaking, a prewash provides an agitated washing of loads with heavy or greasy soil that might not come out in a single regular washing.
• Some washers have a prewash cycle that includes a short soak period; the washer may also advance to the regular wash automatically.
• Refer to appliance instructions for either an automatic cycle or for setting controls manually to agitate and then spin.
• A presoak product, detergent and/or other laundry additive should be used in a prewash.
• Follow with a regular wash using detergent according to label directions.

This involves treating and sometimes completely removing individual spots and stains prior to laundering. Some of the common methods are:

• Using a prewash soil and stain remover,
• Applying and rubbing in a liquid detergent, or a paste of water and powder detergent, or a laundry additive, or bar soap.

Detergent forms powders and liquids.  They are effective in removing most soils:

• Powders: especially effective on clay and ground-in dirt
• Liquids: especially effective on food, greasy and oil stains

Soap forms are powders or bars.

• Uses: When used with washing soda, soap is effective in removing crayon.
• Bars are especially effective in removing fabric softener, perspiration and tobacco stains.

Detergent boosters come in the form of powders or liquids.

• Uses: Especially effective in hard water.

Bleaches come in the form of sodium hypochlorite, oxygen or color removers.

• Uses: Bleaches – All bleaches aid in stain removal and help whiten and brighten fabrics.
• Sodium hypochlorite bleach is a laundry disinfectant.
• Color Removers – Reduce or completely remove colored dyes from garments.
• Effective in removing rust stains or dye stains which have transferred to white garments.

Enzyme presoaks come in the form of powders.

• Uses: Especially effective in removing protein stains such as egg, blood, grass, baby formula, dairy products, chocolate and body fluids.
  

Prewash soil and stain removers come in the form of: aerosols, pump sprays, gels, sticks, liquids.

• Uses: Especially effective on polyester fibers and on oil-based stains such as body soils, cosmetics, cooking oils, animal fats and motor oils.

• Read instructions on all products and keep them out of children’s reach during use and storage. Keep products in their original labeled containers.
• Thoroughly wash any utensils used.
• DO NOT COMBINE STAIN REMOVAL PRODUCTS, especially ammonia and sodium hypochlorite bleach; some chemical mixtures may release irritating gases.
• Never use a highly flammable solvent, such as gasoline, because vapors can explode.
• Solvents, such as cleaning fluid, denatured alcohol or turpentine should be used only in a well-ventilated room away from open flame and pilot lights. They should never be inhaled.
• Clothes treated with solvents should be rinsed before washing.