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It's summertime and the livin' is easy. . .until your daughter's white tennis shoes turn green
with grass stains and raspberry kool-aid dyes your son's soccer shirt pink. There's more.
Antiperspirant and calamine lotion can stain mom's summer duds, and
grease from the car or lawnmower can set back dad's day, too.
SO, what can you do to remove those nasty stains so they don't ruin your summer?
For starters, consider purchasing a home recipe packet that represents 50 years of
practical, clinical and scientific investigation into what stains are made of, how they occur, and
what procedures are most likely to remove them.
To order the packet, Home Methods of Stain Removal...An Easy Retrieval System,
contact Ann Zander, Colorado State University Extension in Boulder County at 303-776-4865 (metro line 444-1121).
These stain removal recipes use common household cleaning products, the type most of us
keep in our cupboards or closets. Cost is $3.75 (add $1 for shipping and handling) and enclose a
check for the entire amount made payable to Boulder County Extension.
Knowledge is power, even when it comes to laundry. Often our favorite clothes are the
toughest to care for because of the fabric they're made of. Whether you're a laundry novice or a
professional (a.k.a. Mom), here are the basics to help you brush up on your skills in the laundry
room. This information about stain removal will help you solve just about every laundry
mystery....except for find that missing socks!
What to do after you say "Oops"
Pretreating Stubborn Stains
Depending on the severity of soils or stains on your garments, you may want to pretreat,
presoak or prewash.
Pretreat: Use for a few small spots. Apply undiluted laundry detergent with a bleach
alternative; undiluted liquids dishwashing detergent; or rub with a bar of soap directly on the
stained area. Launder immediately.
Presoak: Used for those deep-set soils, older stains, extensive staining or protein stains
such as blood, grass or body soils. Soak stained items in a plastic bucket or laundry tub with the
warmest water safe for the fabric and a good heavy-duty laundry detergent for one to three hours.
Bleach-sensitive stains, such as fruit juice or drink mixes, should be rinsed in cold water, then
washed with a non-chlorine bleach product. If stains remain, colorsafe items can be laundered
with a colorfast bleach, and bleachable items can be laundered with chlorine bleach.
Prewash: Used for heavily soiled garments, such as work clothes, Gardening clothes or
play clothes. (Cloth diapers should be rinsed in cold water and placed in a soak solution of a non-chlorine bleach and water, until they can be laundered.) Run through the prewash cycle with
recommended amount of detergent. When wash cycle is complete, drain the rewash solution and
launder in the hottest water recommended by the manufacturer.
Choosing the right water temperature
The temperature of your wash water directly affects cleaning and wrinkling. Proper
choice of water temperature also can minimize dye transfer from unstable colors. Check your
garment care labels for recommended wash temperature. If care label advice isn't available, use
the following as a guide:
Hot Water provides the quickest and best cleaning. Use it for sturdy whites; colorfast
pastels and light prints, cloth diapers and similarly soiled baby items; heavily-soiled work and play
clothes.
Warm Water cleans while minimizing dye loss, removes wear wrinkles and helps reduce
wrinkling in the washer. Use it for permanent press, all colorfast dark or bright colors, synthetics
made of nylon, polyester, acrylic and washable woolens.
Cold Water can help protect sensitive dyes, minimize washer wrinkling and save hot
water. It doesn't, however, clean as well as warmer temperatures. Use it for bright red and
orange dyes that release color without losing intensity; lightly-soiled fabrics, removal of some
protein stains such as blood. Cold water is excellent for rinsing all loads, regardless of the
washing temperature.
NOTE: Laundry detergents are formulated to clean well at temperatures above 60
degrees F.
Back when laundry was done with soap flakes, suds level was an indicator of cleaning
performance. So, many people today think that a good rich level of suds is necessary for clean
laundry. This, however, is no longer true, Today's detergents are formulated to make any suds
level desired without affecting cleaning performance.
Top Summertime Stains
Grass
Whether your child is playing baseball or wrestling the dog, your laundry is bound to see
an increase in grass stains. To remove grass stains on washable fabrics, first treat with amyl
acetate (banana oil...sold in drug stores...do not use oil-type nail polish remover) to remove the
chlorophyll. If stain remains, use a mild detergent and ammonia (1 T. ammonia with 1/2 cup
water). If stain remains, use a mild detergent and white vinegar (1/3 cup vinegar with 2/3 cup
water). Bleach to remove final traces of stain (do not use chlorine on wool, silk or spandex).
Flush with water after each bleach application. Apply vinegar solution to remove excess chlorine,
then flush with water.
Perspiration
Warm weather fabrics often need extra care to rid them of perspiration stains. These stains
not only are unsightly, they can weaken a fabric, eventually destroying it.
Sponge fresh stains with a solution of 1 T. of ammonia to 1/2 cup of water. If this is not
effective, use a white vinegar solution of the same proportions. Rinse the garment and check for
an oily residue. If an oily stain remains, let the area dry and then apply an oil solvent such as
Carbona or K2R. Spray the solvent on the stain, let it dry and then brush it off.
Yellowing often is an undesirable side effect of perspiration stains. If your fabric has
yellowed and is bleach safe, wash it with bleach. Never iron a fabric discolored by perspiration
because this will set the stain.
Even after the stain is removed, an odor may remain. To remove odors after washing,
soak the garment in a solution of several spoonfuls of salt dissolved in one gallon of warm water.
The list goes on as does the summer with food stains, tempera paint, sunscreen, perfume,
body lotions, makeup, grease, oil, jello, and more. Contact Colorado State University
Extension in Boulder County to purchase the resource packet Home Methods Of
Stain Removal. Or go to your local library and browse the internet for the Stain Detective.
For more information, contact Ann Zander, Colorado State University Extension agent, Consumer and Family Education, Boulder County, Colorado at (303) 776-4865
or e-mail: boulder@coop.ext.colostate.edu
or contact your local
Colorado State University Extension office.
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