09/25/2019

Tips for Removing Clothing Stains

Many times, stains and spills on your clothes can be easily dealt with at home. You simply spray on your favorite grocery store spotter, launder according to the care label’s directions, and your clothes look as good as new. Then there are the other times where it’s not that easy. Here are six tips to help you deal with stains at home or to help you recognize when it’s time to call on a professional.

Stain Removal Tips

1. Don’t Wait. This applies to whether you are taking your stained garment to a professional or if you are attempting stain removal at home. Allowing a stain to sit too long on a garment will make it even more difficult to remove. Even a professional cleaner will have trouble getting the stain out if he or she doesn't receive the garment soon after the stain occurred.
2. Avoid Using Bleach. Using bleach to remove a stain should be an absolute last resort. Ordinary three percent hydrogen peroxide bleach, available at grocery and drug stores, is the easiest to use, but test the bleach first on an unexposed seam or a sample of the material. Pour some bleach on the sample piece of fabric. Wait five minutes for a reaction. Many white fabrics contain an optical brightener that will turn yellow when bleached. Very bright-colored fabrics may contain optical brightening agents as well and using bleach may cause these colors to become dull.
3. Recognize Tough Stains. Some stains don't lend themselves to home methods. Most medicine stains, fingernail polish, adhesives, and paint are difficult to remove and should be taken to a professional cleaner.
4. Use Caution When Dealing With Rust Stains. There are rust removers sold at grocery stores; please use them only on washable garments or fabrics that will be laundered immediately afterward. Laundering will rinse out the rust remover. If it is not removed, it can burn the skin. Do not use a rust remover on any fabric containing metallic threads.
5. Invisible Stains. Many fruit juices and drinks disappear into the fabric and leave no visible stain, though the sugars are deposited there. When you wash a garment with such a stain, the heat can brown the area causing a stain that doesn't come out. If you spill juice or soda on a fabric, flush it out immediately with water - even though the stain is invisible. For more specific advice, ask us. We're always happy to help.
6. Delicate Fabrics. Do not attempt home stain removal on leather, suede, furs, vinyl, fabrics that are heavily sized like taffeta and organdy, nets, satins, and those with colors that bleed easily.

We appreciate the opportunity to make your clothes and you look and feel their very best. We look forward to working with you to keep your wardrobe at its finest with our expert stain removal services for those tougher stains. Stop by or call any one of our locations if we can help.