Everyday Cleaning---Stains.Continue

Stains:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------enzymes) per 1/2 gallon of warm water. Then launder in the washing machine in the hottest water that is safe for the fabric, using laundry detergent and not soap. Natural soaps---including soap flakes, bar soap, and detergent containing soap--make tannin stains harder to remove. To remove stubborn  tannin stains, you may need to wash with bleach. If all the sugars from one of these stains aren't removed, they could turn brown when put into the dryer, as the sugar will caramelize.

For tannin stains in carpeting or upholstery, lightly apply a solution of 1/4 teaspoon mild dishwashing liquid and 1 quart water. Use a blotting motion to work the solution into the affected area. Blot with a clean paper towel to remove the solution. Rinse by lightly spraying with water and blotting to remove excess water. Do this until all the suds are gone. Then spray lightly with water again, but don't blot. Instead, lay a pad of paper towels down, weight it, and let it dry. If the blemish persists, the procedure using a solution of 1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent (preferably one containing enzymes) per 1 quart of water. If that doesn't completely remove the stain, moisten the tufts in the stained area with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. Let stand for one hour. Blot and repeat until the stain has disappeared. No rinsing is necessary following this procedure. To dry, lay down the weighted pad of paper towels mentioned above.

Tracking Down Mystery Stains
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You don't always have the luxury of knowing what caused a stain, as anyone who has children can attest. So how do you handle a mystery stain? Like a detective, of course.
  Start by using your senses to pick up clues: how the stain smells, what color it is, and where it is on a garment, for example:

• You typically find food stains on the front of clothes.
• Black grease, the kind you find on cars and other heavy machinery, often turns up on pants and skirts at the level of your car  door latch.
• Colors can be misleading. For instance. old dried blood can be black, not red.
•   If you can't figure a stain out, use trail and error to remove the stain. First off, avoid washing unknown stains in hot water, which will set protein-based stains, such as egg or blood. Try the mildest method first, then escalate:
• Soak in cold water, which just might remove a protein-based stain.
  If that doesn't work, pre-treat by rubbing with liquid laundry detergent and then wash with warm or hot water.
  If that doesn't work, try spraying with a pre-treatment product or blotting with dry-cleaning solvent.
• Still no luck? Time for the bleaches, beginning with oxygen (all-fabric) bleach. Use a diluted chlorine bleach soak as a last resort.
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> DYE STAINS include those from blueberries, grass, and mustard. Dye stains can be doozies. After all, dyes are usually meant to stick. They're what color our clothes.

For dye stains in washable fabrics, pretreat with a commercial prewash stain remover. Or apply liquid laundry detergent directly to the stain, work the detergent into the stain and rinse well. Next, soak the fabric in a diluted solution of oxygen bleach (identified as "all-fabric" or "perborate" on the label), following the directions on the packaging. Launder. Inspect the item to see whether the stain is still there. If so, try soaking the entire garment in a solution of chlorine bleach and water. (Again, follow the directions on the bleach container.) But be careful: Bleach can drastically alter colors and weaken fabric.

For dye stains in carpet or upholstery, good luck. You may have to call a professional cleaner or, in the case of a solid-colored carpet, cut the stained part out and patch it with clean carpet. But before you go that far, try the procedure described above for tannin stains on carpet and on weaken fabric.

> COMBINATION STAINS contain both oils or waxes and dyes. They are commonly divided into two categories:

• Group A combination stains include those from lipstick, eye makeup (mascara, pencil, liner, eye shadow), furniture polish, and shoe polish.
• Group B combination stains include chocolate, gravy, hair spray, face makeup (foundation, powder, rouge), peanut butter, and tomato-based foods.

          To remove these stains, you first must remove the oily or waxy portion, and then you can try to remove the dye. As with any tough stain, your access is not guaranteed. But by following the steps below, you do stand a chance, especially if you get to the stain while it's fresh.

For washable fabrics with stains in Group A, begin by applying a dry-cleaning solvent, such as k2r or Carbona. Next, rub with a liquid detergent and scrub in hot water. This should remove the oily or waxy part. Then launder, using a laundry detergent and an oxygen or all-fabric bleach. Inspect before drying. If the stain persists, try washing with chlorine bleach.

For washable fabrics with stains in Group B, skip the dry-cleaning solvent. Rub the stain with a liquid laundry detergent and launder in the washing machine in the hottest water possible for the fabric. If that doesn't work, try first the oxygen bleach and then, if that fails, the chlorine bleach.

OOPS!
 
Last-minute Leaf Cleaning >

In preparation for a holiday party, a butler working for a family in San Francisco had just finished refreshing all the foliage in his employer's house. "The day of the party, I was doing a walk-through to inspect the house," recalls the butler, "when I noticed that all of the plants--orchids, palms, fresh flowers--had a sticky whitish substance covering them. Half the orchids had wilted. I had a mini heart attack!" Rallying his domestic troops, the butler and his crew cleaned every leaf and replaced every orchid in time for the evening's party. The mystery was solved when the butler learned that the family's children, ages 9 and 11, had decided to help by filling their Aveda hair spray bottles with water and watering every plant in the house. The problem was that they didn't empty out the hair spray first.