11
Removing Stains from Fabrics

Tolerating stains … Recognizing a potential stain … Common staining substances … What removes what … Stain-removing substances to stock in your home … Chemical vulnerabilities of certain fibers … Uses of detergent and water, bleaches, acids, alkalies or ammonia, solvents, enzymes … Common stains that respond to solvent-based removers … Common household solvents … Commercial stain removers and pretreatment products … Removing printer toner powder … Stain-removing techniques … Stain removal mistakes to avoid … Removing unknown stains … Guide to Stain Removal

If a beautiful object has a tiny flaw, some people do not notice it and others notice nothing else. In dealing with stains, the most important skill you can acquire is the ability not to be bothered by small imperfections that you cannot fix. Many fabrics are ruined by overzealous and unrealistic attempts to make them perfect. If you find that your pleasure in a favorite textile object is spoiled by a minor flaw, consider whether this is because you equate stains with dirt. Stains are not dirt; they are inadvertent dyeings. While dirt should continue to arouse your fighting spirit, it is perfectly all right to surrender to insignificant stains. But when stains threaten to pass your tolerance threshold, you should be prepared to act quickly.

Sometimes acting quickly means running for help. When a stain afflicts a very valuable or obscure material, the wisest course, usually, is not to tackle it yourself but to seek the help of an appropriate expert. Where clothing and household fabrics are at stake, that is usually a dry cleaner; if the care label on the article advises dry cleaning, in fact, going to the dry cleaner is usually the only thing you can do other than apply drycleaning fluids or solvent spot removers yourself. Take the article to the dry cleaner as fast as you possibly can. Point out the area of the stain and explain what caused it. Do not leave it to the dry cleaner to notice the stain and guess what it is. If the object is an antique, an heirloom, or a work of art, consult a conservator. Check the yellow pages of your telephone directory or the directory of the nearest city, or call a local reputable antique dealer. Dealers often know of a good conservator who can deal with your problem.

COMMON STAINING SUBSTANCES

Red wine

Purple grape juice

Berries, cranberries, and their juices

Chocolate

Grease or oil from food, cars, machines, tools; cosmetics

Blood

Tar

Crayon

Paint, latex or enamel

Ink, including felt marker ink

Rust

Wax, candle or other

Dyes

Nail polish

Shoe polish

Lipstick and other makeup

Perspiration (sometimes)

Mud (sometimes)

Grass

For times when you decide to deal with stains yourself, you will want a compact chart, like the Guide to Stain Removal at the end of this chapter, that tells you what substances and techniques are likely to be effective for removing common types of stains. Tape a copy of it to the wall in your laundry room. This chapter describes the basic materials you should keep in the house for fabric stain removal purposes and explains the basic ideas and techniques that will help you deal with most household stains successfully.

Recognize a Potential Stain When You See One

Whether a substance will actually stain depends on the fiber and the fabric and what sorts of stains they are particularly vulnerable to. It also depends on what cleaning procedures the fabric in question can tolerate. Delicate antique lace that will not take bleaching or rubbing is a far more difficult case for stain removal than sturdy cloth, carpets, or upholstery that you can subject to vigorous cleaning measures.

What Removes What

There is more than one way to remove a stain. You will read widely different remedies for the same kind of problem, all of which may work. But there are some stains that you have to give up on. Some stains will respond gradually, so that you will have to apply your remedy a half dozen or more times before you are completely successful. You may need all your patience. Test the effect of any substance you choose to use on an inconspicuous area of the fabric. Many substances that will remove stains sometimes cause fabrics to deteriorate or affect dyes or finishes.

The following collection of home stain-removing agents will serve for most purposes. The majority of the items included are also used in other ways in the home.

All-purpose detergent

White vinegar

Lemons

Bleaches

Hydrogen peroxide (3 percent solution)

Commercial oxygen (all-fabric) bleach

Household chlorine bleach

Ammonia

Rubbing alcohol

Fingernail-polish remover (acetone type)

Solvent-type cleaning fluids, drycleaning fluids, or spot removers (for use on items that require dry cleaning)

Nonsolvent stain or spot remover (these contain detergents and water and cannot be used on items that require dry cleaning)

Enzyme pretreatment product or detergent

Laundry stain pretreatment product (some contain solvents)

1. Detergents. The best stain remover for practically all types of textile “stains” is plain detergent and water. I follow common usage in referring to just about any soil as a “stain,” but in my family we used that word to refer only to marks that would not come out at all after ordinary efforts. When you read ads for substances that remove food and grease “stains,” don’t be deceived. Rarely should extraordinary efforts be necessary to remove spaghetti sauce or butter smears from your child’s clothes. Usually, if you simply scrape off the excess, rub in a little liquid detergent, and throw the article into the washer with hot water and more detergent, the “stain” disappears. Generally speaking, granular detergents are better at stains that respond to builders, such as mud and clay, because these detergents rely more on builders for their cleaning power. Liquid detergents are better at organic stains such as gravy, blood, and grass because they rely more on surfactants for their cleaning power. But most detergents of either type will remove food stains and oils and grease effectively.

Most stubborn food soils respond readily to pretreatment, whether with a pretreatment product or a little liquid detergent rubbed into the spot. Oil stains on synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon are the most resistant. For these, a solvent-containing prewash stain remover is particularly helpful. See chapter 22, pages 369-70. In general, when fabrics are prone to staining or just to be sure, you should pretreat spots. Presoaking laundry is also highly effective. Enzyme presoak products help with food soils.

If, after washing, you find a spot, do not dry the article and certainly do not iron it. Heat sets many stains. Instead, try to treat the stain again while the article is still wet, and pretreat, presoak, and launder again.

2. Bleaches. Bleaches are used in stain removal to render the staining material colorless and invisible, as well as to help actually remove it. A mild bleach such as hydrogen peroxide will be safe for almost every white fabric. It will remove most fruit stains. Test it before using on any colored fabrics. Chlorine bleaches can be tried on chlorine bleach-safe fabrics (most whites, some colorfast colors) to lighten or remove a wide variety of stains, among them those caused by coffee, tea, soft drinks, Popsicles and fruit ices, children’s medications, grass, mustard, fruits or fruit juices, ink, or blood. But chlorine bleaches will not work on rust.

3. Acids. Acids are used on rust, oxides, and mineral deposits. If a clothes hanger leaves rusty marks on a shirt, you might apply a solution of lemon juice with water or white vinegar mixed with water, then rinse thoroughly and launder (or see “Rust,” page 167, in the Guide to Stain Removal). You could try the same solution on brown or yellow spots in stored linens, as these tend to be caused by oxidized residues of soil or detergent. (In each case, half-and-half proportions are usually good enough, but you might sometimes try full strength for more effect. Some people add salt to the lemon juice solution. You must test a vinegar or lemon juice solution on an out-of-sight area of the article, just as you test detergents and spot removers, as such a solution can adversely affect some fibers and some dyes.) Refer to chapter 12 for a discussion of common household acids and bases and related subjects. There are also commercial rust-removing preparations, such as RoVer or Whink, that you can buy at home centers, houseware and hardware stores, or stores where washing machines are sold. These commercial preparations contain acids (hydrofluoric acid or oxalic acid); read their labels and follow all cautions carefully.

Warning! Do not mix acids or acid-containing substances with chlorine bleach or substances containing chlorine bleach. This will produce hazardous fumes.

4. Ammonia. Ammonia, which is alkaline, is sometimes used to neutralize acid substances. For example, you are sometimes advised to apply ammonia to fresh perspiration stains or stains from antiperspirants, which tend to be acidic. With old perspiration stains, you are advised to apply white vinegar because they will have oxidized. You are also advised to try ammonia on fresh urine stains and white vinegar on old, for the same reasons. Then rinse and wash the garment.

Warning! Do not mix ammonia or preparations containing ammonia with chlorine bleach or substances containing chlorine bleach. This will produce hazardous fumes.

5. Solvents. Use appropriate solvent-based cleaners to remove nonwater-soluble substances. You can remove enamel paint or varnish with turpentine but not with plain soap and water. (See the Guide to Stain Removal at the end of this chapter.) Although some stains, such as oily or greasy soils, can be removed both by solvents and by water-and-detergent solutions, others can be removed only with some sort of solvent. Solvents, which are nonpolar liquids, remove stains caused by substances that are not water soluble. (See chapter 12 for an explanation of polarity.) Water is very highly polar. Polar substances remove stains caused by water-soluble substances. The more nonpolar a substance is, the more nonpolar a solvent you need to dissolve it. Drycleaning fluids are nonpolar solvents. Below is a list of substances that may require or respond to solvent-based removers. Note, however, that stains from these substances—especially ink—may be permanent no matter what you do. (They may also respond to other methods of removal than the application of some solvent. Check the Guide to Stain Removal at the end of this chapter.)

Chewing gum

Lipstick

Eye makeup and other makeup

Shoe polish

Fingernail polish

Tar/asphalt

Enamel paints

Grease

Ballpoint pen ink

Felt-tip marker ink (unless labeled “washable”)

Wax

Crayon

Glue (some types)

When you are dealing with an unknown stain, begin working on it with water, which is highly polar, or a water-and-detergent solution. If this does not work, try solvents in order of decreasing polarity—rubbing alcohol, then a commercial solvent-containing spot cleaner, and so forth. The following list of common household solvents gives them in order of decreasing polarity.

Rubbing alcohol (30 percent water and 70 percent isopropyl alcohol) (polar)

Fingernail-polish remover (ethyl acetate) (slightly polar)

Commercial stain removers containing ethylene dichloride (very slightly polar) or other solvents

Hydrocarbons (nonpolar)—extremely flammable and volatile

Drycleaning fluids (perchloroethylene, trichloroethylene petroleum distillates, Varsol)

Turpentine

Hydrocarbons are dangerous. Keep tightly sealed. Use only with plenty of ventilation and always far from potential sparks or flames. Fabrics treated with hydrocarbons should always be rinsed before washing. Less volatile solvents may also pose risks. Always read label cautions carefully and follow them to the letter.

6. Enzymes. Enzymes help to remove organic and protein-based stains. Such stains include bodily substances (blood, mucus, feces, urine, vomit), most food stains (egg, ketchup, gravy and meat, grease, milk and milk products), grass, mud, and some glue. Because not all enzymes work on all such stains, enzyme-containing products for the laundry usually contain more than one enzyme. Heat may set some protein-containing stains. Thus you are advised to soak many of them in cold water. This is standard advice for stains of blood, egg, meat or gravy, milk or ice cream, urine, or feces. As food stains are likely to contain more than one staining substance—say, both ketchup and grease—you usually work on the protein part first so as to avoid setting it.

Even when diluted, chlorine bleach damages wool, silk, mohair, leather, and other protein-based fibers. It also harms nylon and spandex.

Acetone (contained in nail-polish remover and pait thinner) harms acetate, triacetate, and modacrylic.

Cellulosic fabrics are more vulnerable to acids, and protein fibers are more vulnerable to alkalies.

Polypropylene (olefin) is damaged by perchloroethylene, the drycleaning solvent most commonly used by dry cleaners. (Polypropylene can be drycleaned with other solvents.)

COMMERCIAL SPOT REMOVERS AND PRETREATMENT STAIN REMOVAL PRODUCTS

Commercial spot removers may conatin solvents or surfactants or both. Among the solvents that may be present in spot removers are ethylene dichloride and isopropyl alcohol. Some laundry pretreatment soil and stain removal products contain drycleaning fluids.

7. Color Removers. Color removers may be used on certain white fabrics. (See “Color removers,” pages 75-76.) These contain sodium hydrosulfite, a strong bleaching agent. Make sure it is safe for the fabric you intend to use it on.

Stain-Removing Techniques

  1. Act quickly before stains have a chance to penetrate too deeply or to set. On the other hand, do not use any new substance, including laundry pretreatment products and “safe” stain removers, on any fabric without first testing it on an out-of-sight place to see if it damages the fabric or color. Always follow instructions on labels and packages. If a fabric’s care label prescribes dry cleaning, spot and stain removal, too, must be done with drycleaning fluids. Practice triage when you mop up spills. To save the heirloom tablecloth from what promises to be permanent damage, sacrifice your cotton shirttail, if that happens to be the only absorbent material you have at hand. (Rational triage presupposes that you know which spills are likely to be highly staining and which are likely to be easy to remove.)
  2. When you have more than one potential remedy, always begin with the gentlest and end with the strongest.
  3. In order for your efforts to be successful, a stain remover must penetrate as deeply into the material as the stain. It must be of a type able to dissolve the particular kind of stain. It must be applied in sufficient quantity to dissolve all of it.
  4. Gently blot up liquids with a clean, absorbent white cloth or paper towels or sponges. In theory, you could se colorfast cloth, but it is best not to take a chance that the wiping cloth would compound the problem. Do not let your blotting material get so wet that you cannot carry it off without causing new drips to fall in new places. Scrape off solid material with a knife or spatula. Do nothing that could spread the stain: wipe, pat, blot, or scrape from the outer edge to the center of the spot. (If you are using a solvent-based cleaner, be sure to provide plenty of ventilation. If your cleaner is flammable, keep it far from sources of sparks or flames.)
  5. When removing stains from clothes and linens, work from the wrong side of the cloth to the right side to ensure that you do not simply force the stain in deeper when you apply a cleaning agent. One way to do this is by draping the article wrong side up over a basin and pouring the stain-removing substance through it. Another is to make an absorbent pad under the fabric of clean white paper towels or other absorbent material, and lay the fabric, wrong side up, upon it. In the latter case, you then apply a small amount of your cleaning solvent or agent on a clean white cloth and begin to pat the stain (from the wrong side), working from the outside toward its center so as not to spread it. When the absorbent material underneath begins to absorb the staining material, change it for fresh. Continue in this fashion until the entire stain is removed.
  6. When there is no danger of spreading the stain farther, and only on sturdy fabrics—such as denim, muslin, or gabardine—that can stand the abrasion without pilling or tearing, you might try rubbing or scrubbing with your cleaning agent. Mechanical action helps the cleaner to penetrate and act effectively.
  7. Once you have removed the stain, you must rinse thoroughly and then launder the fabric to remove entirely any last traces of your cleaning agent or soil. You must wash out dry cleaning fluids (and spot removers containing dry cleaning fluids) before placing an article that has been cleaned with them in the dryer. Otherwise you create a fire hazard.
  8. Do not mix different stain removal products together. Not only is there no guarantee that the mixture will be effective, but you may inadvertently mix a chlorine bleach with ammonia or some other substance that will react and produce dangerous reactions or hazardous fumes.
  9. In stain removing, there are a number of common mistakes to take care to avoid:

Removing Unknown Stains

The following procedures for attempting to remove stains of unknown origins are provided by the University Extension, University of Missouri.* Follow each step until the stain is removed. Then wash the garment according to instructions on the care label.

If the stain remains after all these steps have been completed, nothing can be done to remove it.

GUIDE TO STAIN REMOVAL FROM CLOTHES, LINENS, AND OTHER HOUSEHOLD FABRICS*

General Rules

[See also the Guide to Carpet and Upholstery Stain Removal at the end of chapter 16, page 241.]

Adhesive Tape, Chewing Gum, Rubber Cement. Harden surface with ice; scrape with a dull knife. Saturate with a prewash stain remover or cleaning fluid. Rinse, then launder.

Baby Formula. Pretreat or soak stain using a product containing enzymes; soak for at least thirty minutes or several hours for aged stains. Launder.

Beverages (coffee, tea, soft drinks, wine, alcoholic drinks). Soak stain in cool water. Pretreat with prewash stain remover, liquid laundry detergent, or a paste of powder detergent and water. Launder with the bleach safe for that fabric. Note: Older stains might respond to treatment with an enzyme product, then laundering.

Blood. Soak freshly stained garment in cold water for thirty minutes. Rub detergent into any remaining stain. Rinse, then launder. Dried stains should be pretreated or soaked in tepid water with a product containing enzymes, then laundered. Note: If stain remains, rewash, using a bleach that is safe for that fabric.

Candle Wax. Harden with ice, then remove surface wax with a dull knife. Place wax stain between clean paper towels and press with a warm iron. Replace paper towels regularly to absorb more wax and to prevent transferring the stain. Place stain face down on clean paper towels. Sponge remaining stain with a prewash stain remover or dry-cleaning fluid; blot with paper towels. Let dry, then launder. Note: If any color remains, relaunder with a bleach that is safe for that fabric.

Catsup/Tomato Sauce. Panse in cold water, then soak in cool water with ¼ cup detergent per gallon of water. Spray with a prewash product; launder with a bleach that is safe for that fabric.

Chocolate. Treat the stain with a prewash spray or pretreat with a product containing enzymes. If stain remains, relaunder with bleach that is safe for that fabric.

Coffee, Tea (plain or with sugar/sweetener). Flush stain immediately with cool water if possible; or soak for 30 minutes in cool water. Rub the stain with detergent and launder with bleach that is safe for that fabric.

Coffee, Tea (with cream only). Sponge stain with a dry-cleaning solvent. Air dry. Rub with detergent, then launder in hottest water safe for that fabric (with bleach that is safe for that fabric). Pretreat or soak older stains with an enzyme product, then launder.

Collar/Cuff Soils. Rub area with a stain stick product and let remain for 30 minutes, or longer for heavy stains; launder.

Cosmetics. Pretreat with stain stick, prewash stain remover, liquid detergent, or a paste of granular detergent or laundry additive and water, or rub with bar soap. Work into dampened stain until outline of stain is gone; rinse. If greasy stain remains, soak in an enzyme product. Rinse and launder.

Crayon (few spots). Treat the same as for candle wax, or rub dampened stain with bar soap. Launder with hottest water safe for that fabric. Washer load of clothes can be washed in hot water, using a laundry soap (not detergent) plus 1 cup baking soda. If colored stain remains, launder again, using chlorine bleach, if safe for the fabrics. Otherwise, pretreat or soak in a product containing enzyme or an oxygen bleach using hottest water safe for fabric, then launder.

Dairy Products (milk, cream, ice cream, yogurt, sour cream, cheese, cream soup). Pretreat with stain stick or soak in an enzyme presoak product for thirty minutes if stain is new, or several hours for aged stains; launder.

Deodorants, Antiperspirants. Treat light stains with a liquid detergent and then launder. Pretreat heavy stains with a prewash stain remover. Allow to stand 5 to 10 minutes. Launder, using an all-fabric bleach.

Dye Transfer (white garment that has picked up bleeding dye from other garment). Remove stains with a commercial color remover; launder. If stain remains, launder again with chlorine bleach, if safe for that fabric. For colored fabrics and whites that cannot be chlorine bleached, soak in oxygen bleach or an enzyme presoak product, then launder. Note: Proper sorting before laundering and not allowing wet clothing to stay in washer after cycle is completed helps prevent this type of stain.

Egg. Pretreat with an enzyme product for 30 minutes for new stain, or several hours for aged stains; launder.

Fabric Softener. Moisten stain and rub with bar soap. Rinse, then launder. If stain remains, sponge area with rubbing alcohol or dry-cleaning solvent. Rinse thoroughly and relaunder.

Fingernail Polish. Try nail-polish remover, but do not use on acetate or triacetate fabrics. Place stain face down on paper towels and flush with remover. Replace paper towels regularly. Repeat until stain disappears; rinse and launder. Some polishes may be impossible to remove.

Fruit Juices. Soak garment in cool water. Wash with bleach that is safe for that fabric.

Grass Stains. Pretreat with stain stick or soak with an enzyme product. If stain remains, and if safe for dye, sponge stain with alcohol (dilute alcohol with 2 parts water for use on acetate). If stain still remains, launder in hottest water safe for fabrics, with bleach that is safe for that fabric.

Grease (motor oil, animal fat, mayonnaise, salad dressing, butter, cooking oil and car grease). Light stains can be pretreated with a spray stain remover, liquid laundry detergent, or a detergent booster. Launder in hottest water safe for fabric. Place heavy stains face down on clean paper towels. Apply cleaning fluid to the back of stain. Replace towels frequently. Let air dry; rinse. Launder in hottest water safe for that fabric.

Ink. Test stain with water or dry-cleaning solvent by placing a drop of each on stain. Use method that removes more of the ink. Ballpoint ink stains can be placed stain face down on white paper towels. Sponge with rubbing or denatured alcohol or dry-cleaning solvent, or rub detergent into stained area. Repeat if some stain remains. Rinse; launder. Drawing ink usually cannot be removed. Try flushing with cold water until pigments are removed; rub liquid detergent into stain; rinse. Repeat process. Soak in warm sudsy water to which 1 to 4 tablespoons of household ammonia per quart of water have been added. Rinse thoroughly. Launder in hottest water safe for that fabric, with bleach safe for the fabric. Felt tip or India ink—Usually cannot be removed. Try pouring water through the stain before it dries, until pigments are removed. Allow to dry. If you notice some reduction in stain, sponge with dry-cleaning solvent. Allow to dry. Rub liquid household cleaner into stain. Rinse. Soak stain (possible overnight) in warm water to which 1 to 4 tablespoons of household ammonia have been added. Rinse and repeat treatment if necessary; launder.

Iodine. Rinse from back side of stain under cool, running water. Soak in solution of color remover, or sponge with a solution of sodium thiosulfate crystals (available at drug store). Rinse and launder.

Lipstick. Place face down on paper towels. Sponge area with dry-cleaning solvent, or use a prewash soil and stain remover. Replace towels frequently; rinse. Rub light-duty liquid detergent into stain until outline is removed; launder. Repeat treatment if needed.

Liquid Paper. Sponge the stain with amyl acetate (banana oil). Air dry. Repeat treatment if necessary. Rub gently with detergent, then launder.

Mercurochrome or Merthiolate. Rinse out as much of the stain as possible under cool, running water. Soak for 30 minutes in a solution of ½ teaspoon ammonia per quart of water. Rinse; if stain remains, soak in a solution of 1 quart warm water and 1 tablespoon vinegar for one hour. Rinse thoroughly and allow to dry. Launder with detergent and bleach. For delicate fabrics, apply alcohol and cover with pad moistened with alcohol. Change pads frequently until stain is removed. Rinse; launder.

Mildew. Launder stained items using chlorine bleach, if safe for that fabric. Otherwise, soak in an all-fabric bleach and hot water, then launder. If some stain remains, sponge with hydrogen peroxide. Rinse and relaunder. Dry in sunlight. Badly mildewed fabrics may be damaged beyond repair.

Mud. Let dry, then brush off as much mud as possible; or rinse under running water and let soak overnight. For light stains, pretreat with a paste of dry detergent and water, liquid detergent, or a liquid detergent booster; launder. Pretreat heavy stains by presoaking with a laundry detergent, a product containing enzymes, or a container of water with ¼ cup each of ammonia and liquid detergent; launder. Red clay can be rubbed with a paste of vinegar and table salt. Leave for 30 minutes. Launder with hottest water safe for that fabric and bleach. Repeat if needed.

Mustard. Treat with a prewash stain remover, or dampen with water and rub with bar soap. Launder with chlorine bleach, if safe for that fabric, or use an all-fabric bleach.

Paint. Water-based paint, such as latex acrylic stains, should be rinsed in warm water while stain is still wet; launder. This stain usually cannot be removed after it dries. For oil-based paints, including varnish, use the solvent listed on the label as a thinner. If label information is unavailable, use turpentine. Rinse. Pretreat with prewash stain remover, bar soap, or detergent. Rinse and launder.

Perfume. Treat with prewash stain remover or liquid laundry detergent; rinse and launder.

Perspiration. Treat with prewash stain remover, or dampen stain and rub with bar soap. If the color of the fabric has changed slightly, apply ammonia to fresh stain or white vinegar to old stain; rinse. Launder in hottest water safe for that fabric. Stubborn stains may respond to pretreating with a product containing enzymes, then launder using an all-fabric bleach.

Pine Resin. Sponge the stain with cleaning fluid; let air dry. Rub with detergent and launder as usual. If stains persist, apply a few drops of household ammonia. Air dry. Launder, using liquid laundry detergent.

Pollen (tree or flower). Sponge, then flush with dry-cleaning solvent. Let air dry. Rub gently with detergent. Launder as usual, using bleach that is safe for that fabric.

Rust. Apply a commercial rust remover. Follow manufacturers instructions. Do not use chlorine bleach on rust.

Scorch. Launder with chlorine bleach, if safe for that fabric. Otherwise, soak in an all-fabric bleach and hot water, then launder. Note: Badly scorched stains cannot be removed.

Shoe Polish. Pretreat liquid shoe polish with a paste of dry detergent and water; launder. Use a dull knife to scrape residue of paste shoe polish from the fabric. Pretreat with a prewash stain remover or cleaning fluid; rinse. Rub detergent into dampened area. Launder with chlorine bleach, if safe for fabric, or an all-fabric bleach.

Tar. Act quickly before stain dries. Use a dull knife to scrape excess tar from the fabric. Place stain face down on paper towels. Sponge with cleaning fluid. Replace towels frequently for better absorption. Launder, using hottest water safe for that fabric.

Tobacco. Moisten stain and rub with bar soap; rinse. Pretreat with stain stick or soak in an enzyme solution; launder. Note: If stain remains, launder again using chlorine bleach, if safe for fabric, or use oxygen bleach.

Urine, Vomit, Mucus, or Feces. Treat with prewash spray or pretreat with a product containing enzymes. Launder with chlorine bleach that is safe for fabric, or use an all-fabric bleach.

Yellowing of White Cottons or Linens. Fill washer with hot water. Add twice the detergent as normal. Place items in washer and agitate four minutes on regular cycle. Stop washer and soak clothes for 15 minutes. Restart washer and agitate 15 minutes. Complete the wash cycle. Repeat process if needed.

Yellowing of White Nylon. Soak garment overnight in an enzyme presoak or oxygen bleach. Launder, using hot water and twice as much detergent as usual with an oxygen bleach.

* Reprinted with minor alterations from “Stain Removal from Washable Fabrics,” by Sharon Stevens, Department of Textile and Apparel Management, University of Missouri—Columbia (1993).

* Excerpted from “Stain Removal Guide,” prepared by Dr. Everlyn S. Johnson, Extension Apparel and Textiles Specialist, Mississippi State University Extension Service, and published on the Service’s Web site, http://msucares.com.