This situation surely sounds familiar to you: you are wearing your favorite shirt or you are enjoying a comfortable armchair when, suddenly, the mustard bottle misfires, or your coffee cup goes flying, and a tremendous disaster is created.
While you can’t turn back time, if you act quickly and appropriately, stains may not win the day, says Kathlyn Swantko, president of consumer textile information outlet FabricLink.
Basic rules for dealing with stains
To help you keep your home and your clothes stain-free, we’ve put together the best tips and most effective tools and simple to remove the most common stains, starting with food. First, some ground rules:
Take care of any mess ASAP. The sooner you treat it, the easier it will be to remove.
Drying many of the stains is usually beneficial. Use white paper towels or a clean white cloth (cotton or microfiber, and dry unless otherwise noted) to wipe up spills.
Dries from the edges of the spill towards the center. If you do it the other way around, you can spread the stain.
Be careful with water when cleaning upholstery fabrics. You will avoid ending up with a water ring stain.
Check the labels for washing recommendations. “Dry clean only” means the washing machine may ruin the fabric or trim.
After using a prewash treatment product on a garment, it is ok to wash it with other clothes. Do you want to use bleach (or chlorine)? Check that the other fabrics do not fade. If in doubt, wash stained clothing separately.
If you are concerned that your garment may fade, test your existing cleaning product using a cotton swab . Do it first in a small and imperceptible area.
Avoid scratching hard surfaces . Use a non-abrasive scouring pad on stone countertops and other hard surfaces.
Be patient. Do not put a garment in the dryer before the stain has disappeared. Heat may set the stain.
Whenever you need to use a detergent solution to remove stains, this is the right mix: 1 teaspoon of a mild white or clear dishwashing detergent (Dawn is often recommended) , without chlorine, in 1 cup of warm water.
Keep these products on hand at home
Check out our tool kit to treat stains on home.
Coffee, tea, wine
These drinks are of vegetable origin, and have the power to stain due to their vegetable dyes.
Washable fabrics: work from the reverse side of the fabric, rinsing it with cold water, and then apply a pre-wash enzyme treatment for clothes (See CR’s short summary of top-rated products below.) Rub a little laundry detergent into the stain and wash it in the water at the temperature recommended on the label. Repeat until stain is gone.
Upholstery: Dry vigorously, then splash with carbonated water; let dry and repeat. Didn’t work? Moisten with water, apply the detergent solution with a clean sponge, and allow to dry. Repeat until upholstery is stain-free. Clean with water to remove detergent, and let dry.
Leather: Dry with a damp cloth as soon as possible.
Carpet: Dry the affected area well. Mix 4 cups of water, a tablespoon of dish soap, and a quarter cup of white vinegar, and apply with a clean sponge, soaking the stain. After 5 to 10 minutes, wipe dry again with a clean cloth. Read more about treating carpet stains.
Natural stone countertops (such as granite and marble, but not non-porous quartz): Make a paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, says Lenny Sciarrino, president, CEO and co-founder of Granite Gold, a stone and quartz furniture care company. Cover the stain and let it sit for several hours.
Non-Wood Floors: Rub gently with a scouring pad and a cloth moistened with hot water, or with 3% hydrogen peroxide.
Ketchup/Tomato Sauce
Stains from these foods are often doubly difficult to treat, says Swantko, because the red pigment in tomatoes acts as a dye, and any oil it contains (for example, a pasta sauce) tends to saturate and adhere to the fibers of the fabric.
Carpet: Blot or scrape with a butter knife to remove excess, then, using a spray bottle, saturate the stain with an ammonia solution (1 tablespoon clear household ammonia per ½ cup water), and; let dry well. Next, apply a little detergent solution (1 teaspoon of mild dishwashing liquid to 1 cup of warm water), and dry well. Spray the area with water, and dry. Re-spray then cover with a paper block or cloth towels weighing it down to dry. (Got a brick? Perfect!)
Washable fabrics: saturate the area with a pre-wash enzyme treatment for clothing, such as OxiClean MaxForce Spray (see above), and wait a few minutes. If it is a large stain, rub it with liquid laundry detergent, and then wash it in cold water.
Upholstery: dry to remove excess. Dampen the fabric with a small amount of water, let soak for 1 minute, and dry with a paper towel. Repeat until the stain is gone; dry with paper. Is the stain still there? Dampen the area, use a sponge to apply a small amount of detergent solution (see instructions for carpet, above) to the stain, and blot until smooth. disappear.
Leather: This is a tricky business. You can try the same recipe as for mustard later, or ask your furniture dealer or dry cleaner for advice.
Mustard
Turmeric, the spice in mustard, curry and many other foods, contain curcumin, that gives the tone to the seasoning. The problem: curcumin is not soluble in water, so it is a challenge to remove it.
Washable fabrics, upholstery and carpets: Scrape off the seasoning first. Mix a detergent solution (1 teaspoon of mild dishwashing liquid to 1 cup of warm water) and apply to the fabric, rinse well, and dry in the sun. (Curcumin is very sensitive to sunlight, nature’s bleaching agent.) Another method for washable fabrics: Soak in diluted color-safe bleach (or chlorine bleach) for at least an hour or overnight, then wash. Repeat as many times as necessary.
Leather: Mix a mild soap solution (such as Ivory) in warm water, stirring to create foam. Apply only the foam on a sponge and clean the area. Wipe again with a clean cloth dampened with clean water. Dry with a soft cloth, then apply a commercial leather conditioner.
Non-wood floors: clean as much as you can with a detergent solution (see “Washable Fabrics, Upholstery and Rugs” above). If possible, let sunlight into the area for a day or two to help fade the stain. There is no sun? Drying with 3% hydrogen peroxide may also help.
Oil/Edible Fat/Salad Dressing
Oil-based dyes are notoriously challenging, in part because oil and water don’t mix. So a simple rinse will not work. Be sure to avoid heat (hot water or a dryer), which sets these stains. These techniques are also good for mayonnaise, butter, and body lotion.
Washable Fabrics: Dry then use a enzymatic prewash treatment for clothing, such as OxiClean MaxForce Spray (see above), following label directions. Rub in a little laundry detergent with your fingertip; wash with cold water. Repeat the steps as many times as necessary before drying.
Upholstery: Follow the instructions of a stain remover or cleaning solvent in dry, such as Picrin, or call a professional.
Leather: Leather is likely to absorb a stain caused by a oil. You can try this method: blot with a clean, dry cloth, and then cover the area with a layer of cornstarch. Let it sit overnight, then wipe it off with a new rag. Repeat if necessary. Is the stain still there? A commercial leather cleaner may remove some of the color from the leather along with the stain, so ask your furniture dealer or dry cleaner for advice.
Carpet: Apply a small amount of dishwashing detergent to the damaged area with a rag, then blot dry with paper towels. If it doesn’t work, put a small amount of dry cleaning solvent on a new rag. Dry with paper, and rinse. Didn’t it take off? Sprinkle with baking soda; vacuum once stain is absorbed.
Natural stone countertops (such as granite and marble, but not non-porous quartz): In a small bowl, add baking soda to a tablespoon or two of acetone-based nail polish remover until you achieve the consistency of pancake batter. Cover the stain with the mixture and let it sit overnight. The acetone breaks down the oil, and the baking soda absorbs it. Repeat if necessary.
Blood
Blood is a protein stain; if heat is added to it, it could become permanent. The key to getting it out: “Cold water and fast,” says Swantko.
Washable fabrics: Rinse with cold water, then spray with a prewash enzyme treatment for clothes, such as OxiClean MaxForce Spray (see above). Once it has taken effect, apply a little detergent to the stain and wash with cold water.
Upholstery: dry to remove excess blood. Moisten the fabric with a minimal amount of water, wait 1 minute, and then blot dry with a paper towel. Repeat the wet/dry procedure until no stain appears on the towel; dry with paper.
Leather: Mix a mild soap solution (such as Ivory) in cold water. Shake to create foam. Apply only the foam with a clean sponge, rubbing gently, being careful not to spread the stain. Dry the area with a clean, soft cloth.
Carpet: put a small amount of cold water on the stain as quickly as possible, and clean the area with a cotton cloth. Repeat until the stain disappears.
Makeup
Long-lasting pigments in makeup (from minerals, dyes and colorants), and emollients that hydrate the skin, making it difficult to remove this type of stain.
Washable fabrics: dry with nail polish remover at acetone base, and then try a supermarket cleaning solvent such as Alba or Goo Gone.
Upholstery & Carpet: dry to remove excess. Apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol or dry cleaning solvent (such as Picrin), and immediately blot the stain. When working on upholstery, be careful not to get the fabric wet or you could end up with a watermark. When treating a possible stain on the carpet, be careful not to completely soak it with alcohol; may damage latex backing.
Leather: reads “Edible oil/fat/salad dressing”, above, already which are typical oil-based stains.
Non-Wood Floors: first, clean everything that you can with a paper towel, and then use a fine steel wool pad with all-purpose detergent and water. For a no-wax finish or embossed vinyl floor, use a plastic pad instead of a steel pad.
Water rings
These are usually formed by leaving a wet glass on a surface of wood. If the stain remains after following these steps, you may need to repaint the furniture.
Wood Surfaces: dry with a paper towel or cloth, wipe with a damp cloth, and dry with a soft cloth. Do you still see the ring? In the direction of the wood grain, rub with a dab of non-gel toothpaste, or a liquid or cream car polish. Wipe with a clean, dry cloth and polish if desired.
Stains that really stick
“There are a couple of stains that get into the ‘good luck getting it out’ category,” says Tom Swantko, FabricLink’s chief content officer. These are permanent hair dyes, which are made to add intense color and stay put over time. You can try specially formulated products (“there are bleaches on the market,” Swantko says), but you could also remove the original color from the fabric or a surface. Consult a dry cleaner or upholstery cleaner, but you may not be successful.
3 Stain Removal Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make
Drying a stain
Heat can set an unwanted mark, often permanently, so check to see if the stain has come off before putting the garment in the dryer; you may need to wash it a few more times. But if you don’t notice the stain in time, all may not be lost: some people say they have success repeating the pre-wash/wash treatment steps even after drying.
Bleach (or chlorine) on everything
This liquid is not safe for all fabrics. If you use it on some colored garments, it might help remove stains, but it will likely also remove the tone of the fabric, rendering the garment unusable.
Adding Too Much Detergent
With today’s concentrated detergents, a little goes a long way. If you use too much, it could build up on fabrics and make them dirty. The washing machines have an extra rinse cycle, a rinse and spin cycle, or even a soak cycle to safely remove residual detergent.
Note From the Editor: This article was also published in the March issue of 2022 of Consumer Reports magazine.
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2022, Consumer Reports, Inc.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with the advertisers on this site. Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works with consumers to create a fair, safe, and healthy world. CR does not endorse products or services and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2022, Consumer Reports, Inc.