Defeating The Clothing Stain

Being in the sorority shirt manufacturing business, we constantly receive questions about how to get stains out of shirts. Everything from grass stains from intermural games to lipstick and makeup. We thought we would share our tips for getting stubborn stains out of clothes with you. We recommend pre-treating any stains with a liquid detergent, turning your garment inside out, then machine washing in cold water. You may then machine dry and iron garment on lowest steam setting. If you have heavy duty stains, read suggestions below.

Stain Tips for Cotton & Cotton Blends

While no detergent can remove all types of stains, for the best chance of success, here’s what we recommend:

Coffee, Tea

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Pre-treat with Liquid detergent.

Soak up to 30 minutes by adding 1/2 cup of liquid detergent per gallon of water. Use a PLASTIC bucket. Weight the item with a WHITE towel to keep submerged. Discard soak solution prior to laundering.

Wash in 1 use of Cheer® in warm water.

Line or air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Fruit, Juice, Wine

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Rinse in cold water to dilute the stain.

Soak up to 30 minutes by adding 1/2 cup of liquid detergent per gallon of water. Use a PLASTIC bucket. Weight the item with a WHITE towel to keep submerged. Discard soak solution prior to laundering.

Wash garment in warm water.

Air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Spaghetti Sauce

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Pre-treat with liquid detergent.

Wash garment in warm water.

Air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Chocolate

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Physically remove the stain by scraping with a dull knife, then shake.

Pre-treat with liquid detergent.

Wash garment in warm water.

If there is any stain remaining . . . Soak up to 30 minutes by adding ½ cup of liquid detergent per gallon of water. Use a PLASTIC bucket. Weight the item with a WHITE towel to keep submerged. Discard soak solution prior to laundering.

Repeat procedure if necessary.

Ballpoint Pen Ink

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Apply Ink Remover to stained area of the item. Use paper towels to absorb the ink coming off the item and to avoid transfer. The recommended ink remover is NCP Jinx Ink®, available by calling 1-800-776-8688.

Pre-treat with liquid detergent.

Wash garment in warm water.

Air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Paint, Oil-Based

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Apply Turpentine or Paint Thinner to stained area of garment.

Pre-treat with liquid detergent.

Wash garment in warm water.

Air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Liquid Shoe Polish

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Rinse in warm water to dilute the stain.

Treat stain using a bar of Ivory® soap. Rub gently. If stain is lighter, but not gone, apply more soap. When stain is gone, wash.

Wash garment in warm water.

Line or air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Candle Wax

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Physically remove the stain by scraping with a dull knife, then shake.

Place stain face down on a WHITE paper towel and place another paper towel on top of the item. Press with a WARM, but not HOT, iron, being careful to keep the iron on the paper towel. Keep changing the paper towels until no more stain transfers.

Pre-treat with liquid detergent.

Wash garment in warm water.

Line or air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Lipstick

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pretesting the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

For heavy stains . . . Physically remove the stain by scraping with a dull knife, then shake.

Use a spot remover or take the item to a professional dry cleaner for treatment.

Pretreat with liquid detergent.

Wash garment in warm water.

Line or air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Nail Polish

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pretesting the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Use fingernail polish remover or acetone which can be found at your local drug store.

Pretreat with liquid detergent.

Wash garment in warm water.

Line or air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Waterproof Cosmetics

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pretesting the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Treat stain using a bar of Ivory® soap. Rub gently. If stain is lighter, but not gone, apply more soap. When stain is gone,wash. Or Use the cosmetic remover specified by the manufacturer.

Pretreat with liquid detergent.

Wash garment in warm water.

Line or air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

If there is any stain remaining (Cottons only). . . Soak up to 30 minutes by adding 1/2 cup of liquid detergent per gallon of water. Use a PLASTIC bucket. Weight the item with a WHITE towel to keep submerged. Discard soak solution prior to laundering.

Air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Dirt/Mud/Clay

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Brush excess stain off the surface using a soft bristle brush.

Rinse in cold water to dilute the stain

Wash garment in warm water.

If there is any stain remaining . . . Pre-treat with glycerine or Crisco® Shortening by rubbing either of these into the stain. Allow it to sit for a minimum of 2 hours or a maximum of overnight. Turn stain face down on a paper towel and treat with a solvent like Energine Cleaning Fluid®.

If there is any stain remaining . . . Apply Whink Rust Remover® or other liquid rust removers following the package instructions. Work over a PLASTIC dishpan to avoid damage to surfaces.

Rinse in 1 quart of water to which 3 tablespoons of baking soda has been added.

Repeat procedure if necessary.

Grass

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Soak up to 30 minutes by adding 1/2 cup of liquid detergent per gallon of water. Use a PLASTIC bucket. Weight the item with a WHITE towel to keep submerged. Discard soak solution prior to laundering.

Wash garment in warm water.

Air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Rust

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Apply Whink Rust Remover® or other liquid rust removers following the package instructions. Work over a PLASTIC dishpan to avoid damage to surfaces.

Rinse in 1 quart of water to which 3 tablespoons of baking soda has been added.

Wash garment in warm water.

Air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Blood

Before treating any garment, always refer to the care label instructions first.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Brush excess stain off the surface using a soft bristle brush.

Rinse in cold water to dilute the stain.

Soak up to 30 minutes by adding 1/2 cup of liquid detergent per gallon of water. Use a PLASTIC bucket. Weight the item with a WHITE towel to keep submerged. Discard soak solution prior to laundering.

Wash garment in warm water.

If there is any stain remaining . . . Apply Whink Rust Remover® or other liquid rust removers following the package instructions. Work over a PLASTIC dishpan to avoid damage to surfaces.

Rinse in 1 quart of water to which 3 tablespoons of baking soda has been added.

Air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

Unknown Stain

Refer to the care label for handling precautions and test any stain removal technique suggested in a hidden area in order to avoid damage to the item.

Colored items must be protected by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the item.

Use a spot remover or take the item to a professional dry cleaner for treatment.

Treat stain using a bar of Ivory soap. Rub gently. If stain is lighter, but not gone, apply more soap. When stain is gone, wash.

Soak up to 30 minutes by adding 1/2 cup of liquid detergent per gallon of water. Use a PLASTIC bucket. Weight the item with a WHITE towel to keep submerged. Discard soak solution prior to laundering.

Wash garment in warm water.

Air dry and repeat procedure if necessary.

The Author:

Greg & Leigh King