All Natural Stain Removal Guide

By Mary Findley

Time is tight, dinner is cooking and the dog just had an accident on the carpet. Let's take a look at some ideas to quickly remove stains using natural products - perhaps with an exception or two.

First a few general rules for removing stains:

1.My number one rule: Give your product time to work. Rubbing alcohol

removes ink off most surfaces but not the minute you blot it on. Dab

on your cleaner then allow a 30 minute wait. This gives the product

time to dissolve the residue eliminating all the rubbing and

scrubbing.

2.Always get to a spill immediately. The longer a spill sets the worse

the stain.

3.Rinse the cleaner out of fabrics especially carpets with one-quarter

cup white vinegar in two cups of water. Then repeat with plain water.

4.Blotting properly prevents fraying of fabric. Blot using a damp

towel. Form a knuckle with your index finger and push into the towel.

Rock you finger back and forth, move the towel then rock your finger

left to right. Repeat. Reapply the cleaner if needed. After the second

application of cleaner, again make a knuckle with your index finger.

Push your knuckle and the towel into the carpet then twist your wrist

clockwise. Carpet fibers are twisted clockwise. This removes the stain

from between the fibers without leaving them fuzzy.

5.Use heat of any kind even hot water. Heat sets stains. Dryer heat

particularly means certain death for easy removal.

6.Put a clean rag under the fabric you are working on to prevent the

stain from spreading to another surface.

Most stains land in 4 categories; food, grease etc., dirt and who

knows. Throw in easy solutions for wax and gum and most perplexing

problems tuck their tails and run.

Washing Clothes

Do your white clothes appear dingy even though you bleach them?

Bleach causes the discoloration. Add one-half to 1 cup of hydrogen

peroxide per regular washer. The first time allow the clothes to soak

in the washer for 30 minutes. Then wash normally only use less

detergent. White clothes return to their normal brightness and colored

cloths perk up as well. Add one quarter cup of baking soda to your

washer for additional freshness.

Back to basics on laundry. Begin filling your washer with water

(not for front loading machines.) Add your detergent and peroxide then

the clothes. The detergent can't clean unless it dissolves. Switch to

liquid detergents for front loading washers.

Fill your tub only three-quarters full. Clothes clean by the

agitating action amongst themselves. Crowd them and this cleaning

action comes to a halt. Pretreat most stains with a dab of liquid dish

soap. Add a few squirts to a spray bottle filled with water. It's

cheaper than prewash sprays, works better too

Remember heat sets stains. Don't dry clothes unless the stain is

gone.

Food

Food never spills down your front unless you are out in public

where it quickly makes a mockery of your front side. Should, that

happen, head to the closest restroom. Gently dab a bit of liquid soap

on the spot and resist the temptation to rub. Let the soap set. It may

look funny until you get home, but the food stain comes right out.

Popsicles, red wine and other red dye stains

Cherry popsicles are a favorite treat except when they land in

your lap. Mix a 50/50 solution of hydrogen peroxide and cool water.

Spray on and let it set 30 minutes. Rinse with a vinegar and water

solution. It may take a treatment or two but it comes out. Peroxide

is bleach, so always test a spot first.

If a favorite shirt has an old stain, soak it in a 50/50 solution

of peroxide and water for 30 minutes. It might surprise you and come

out, even after going through the dryer.

Coffee, coke, mustard and the likes of whatever your dish soap

doesn't remove: First dab on liquid dish soap and let that set several

hours. Blot and rinse as above. If the stain insists on being

stubborn, try foaming shaving cream. Spray on the spot, no need to rub

it in, and wait 30 to 60 minutes. I've had more good luck removing

food stains with shaving cream. It contains 2 or 3 kinds of alcohol

and they do an excellent job. The gel shaving cream does not work so

use foaming.

Grease, oil, ink and magic marker

Grease and oil

In the driveway or garage: Kitty litter will absorb most of the

oil and grease. Apply and use a brush to work it into the concrete. In

the evening, pour on concentrated orange cleaner letting it set

overnight. It pulls any oil or grease to the surface. Use old towels

to absorb what you can and hose down.

Oil or grease on fabrics or other surfaces: Dab on a bit of a

natural orange cleaner and let that set at least an hour. Then blot

with a clean cloth. It may take a treatment or two, but it works.

PLEASE follow this advice very carefully. If you spill gasoline

on your clothes or in your car, dispose of your clothing properly and

replace the carpeting in your car. Gasoline and water don't mix

making complete removal impossible. Gas spontaneously combusts

especially when the weather turns hot.

Always put a container of gas inside a plastic tub when carrying

it in your car. If the tank spills over, the tub keeps the gas

contained saving your carpet.

Ink

Rubbing alcohol does a great job every time. Remember to let the

alcohol set for 30 minutes. If regular rubbing alcohol doesn't work

ask your pharmacist for denatured alcohol.

Magic Marker

Permanent magic markers mean just that. They are nearly

impossible to remove. Try dabbing on a bit of concentrated orange

cleaner. Let it set even overnight. Rinse to remove. Sometimes

toothpaste will help lighten marker stains.

Dirt

Grass stains and knees It's a given, walk across the lawn and

they appear from nowhere. Immediately rub in some liquid dish soap,

let it set overnight, wash as usual.

Treat dirt or red clay on children's baseball uniforms in the

same manner. For really stubborn spots mix a paste of dishwasher

detergent and work in. Don't rub real hard, or you could damage the

fabric.

Baseball Caps

Wash on the top rack of your dishwasher. Remove before the dry

cycle and air dry.

Gum and Wax

Freeze gum with an ice cube. Ice hardens it making removal easy.

Oh those drip less candles. They can and do drip, but nobody told

you. First freeze the wax with an ice cube in a Ziploc plastic bag.

Then chip off as much as you can with the blunt side of a knife. Using

a hair dryer and a plain white paper towel, heat the wax blotting with

the paper towel as it melts. This works just fine for carpets as well

as fabrics. Remember to put plastic under a fabric so the wax doesn't

transfer to the other surface.

Underarm stains.

Place a white paper towel both on top of the shirt and on the

ironing board to protect the ironing board. Set your iron to medium

heat and iron the area. The wax melts into the paper towel.

Then spray the stain with hydrogen peroxide. Allow it to set 30

minutes and launder. If the shirt has cycled through the dryer, the

stain may be more difficult to remove.

Rust

Squeeze the juice from a lemon on the spot. Sprinkle on some salt

and let it set several hours keeping the spot damp with lemon juice.

Who Knows

This is the order of business: 1) Dab on liquid dish soap; 2) Try

WD40; 3) follow with hydrogen peroxide/water mixture or club soda and

finally; 4) Break cleaner. If all those fail, send in your

suggestions.

Pet Problems

So your pet got sick after lunch and your carpet now has red

stains. First of all switch food. It's the red dye in the dog or cat

food that causes the problem. Dogs and cats are colored blind so they

can't tell the difference. They want good tasting food not good

looking food.

Follow the directions for popsicles above to remove the stain.

Pet accidents. Always keep a bottle of a live enzyme product

handy. Nature's Miracle is an excellent product. Remember when liquid

hits the padding it spreads. A stain on the padding is twice as large

as the surface stain. Unless the entire area is treated the pet

continues to return to that spot. Pour enough enzyme product on the

spot to saturate to the padding. Follow bottle directions allowing the

enzymes time to eat away the residue. Then rinse with ½ cup white

vinegar per quart of water then again with plain water. Vinegar also

helps neutralize odors.

Copyright 2003 Mary Findley

Mary Findley spent 12 years professionally cleaning homes. Her book "Whistle While You Work" is the first ever written for the care of

RVs. It also covers home cleaning as well. She writes articles for several magazines and conducts informative and humorous seminars. You

are welcome to print out her complete stain removal guide from her website at www.GoClean.com.