10
Dealing with difficult stains
Marks from sweat, blood, fruit, wine, chocolate, etc. generally disappear with detergents
containing biological ingredients, but other stains need specific treatment
before
going
in the machine. First of all, test the material in a place not too visible and rinse freely.
If you apply a stain remover, always begin at the outside of the stain to avoid rings.
Remember that, in general, stains treated at once come off easily. However, old
stains that have been ironed or dried in a tumble dryer cannot be removed.
GRASS
: soap carefully, treat with dilute
bleach. For wool, alcohol at 90° may give
good results.
BALL-POINT PEN
: dab with a cloth
dampened with clear alcohol at 90°. Take
care not to spread the stain.
RUST
: for slight marks, cover with salt,
press the juice of a lemon onto the salt and
leave overnight. Rinse liberally and wash.
For more serious stains, use a special
rust cleaner, carefully following the
manufacturer’s instructions.
SCORCHES
: if the material is only very
slightly scorched and the colours can take
it, soak in water with some bleach added;
otherwise moisten the material with 10
volume hydrogen peroxide and leave it to
act for 15 minutes.
CHEWING-GUM
: chill it with ice. Once it
is hard enough, scrape it lightly with a nail
to remove it.
LIPSTICK
: dab with ether if it is on wool or
cotton, with trichlorethylene if on silk.
NAIL POLISH
: put the material’s stained
side onto absorbent paper, then moisten
the back of the material with nail polish
remover, taking care to change the paper
under the mark frequently. Make certain
that the type of material can withstand the
solvent.
GREASE - TAR
: use liquid stain remover
or, if not available, put a piece of fresh
butter on the stain, let it sit, then dab it with
turpentine.
PAINT
: do not let the stain dry. Treat it
immediately with the solvent named on the
paint can (water, turpentine, white spirit).
Soap it then rinse.
WAX
: scratch the wax with a blunt blade
so as to remove as much as possible, then
layer it between tissue paper and iron the
stain.
RECENT MOULD STAINS
: for cotton and
linen, rinse in bleach diluted with 5 volumes
of water and a teaspoonful of vinegar, then
wash immediately. For other white fabrics,
use hydrogen 10 vol. peroxide and wash
immediately.
USING STAIN REMOVERS:
We recommend that solvents or aerosol sprays are not used near your washing machine
and more generally, near electrical equipment in a poorly ventilated room so as to avoid
any risk of explosion.
