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A guide on how to remove tough stains | Oscar Jacobson

How to get rid of the stains

How to get rid of the stains

The festive season means parties, and parties mean stains. Oscar Jacobson is here to help ensure your favourite garments last longer, as our motto is ‘spilling means living’. Our guide will help you get rid of the toughest stains.

The following points are universal principles that applies irrespective of the type of stain you're tackling:

BE QUICK

Don’t let the stain take hold, as the more time that passes before you take action the more difficult it will be to remove the stain.


DON'T RUBB

Rubbing just spreads the stain further and can damage the material


TEST FIRST

It’s a good idea to first test the stain treatment on part of the garment that doesn’t show. If it causes no damage you can go ahead and treat the stain.


DISSOLVE WASHING POWDER

Don’t let washing powder come into direct contact with the garment until it is dissolved in water.

Types of stains:

BLOOD

Try not to cut yourself, but if you do: Salt and water – 1 tablespoon of salt in 100 ml of water. Soak and rinse the stain in cold water. Dried-in stains on cotton and linen should first be treated with ammonia and then with soft soap. For coloured fabrics, you can mix cold water and lemon juice.


INK

For water-based ink: soap and lots of water!For non-water-based ink: First, loosen the stain with some methylated spirits and then treat with soap solution and water. Rinse thoroughly!


BERRY STAINS

Here the key things are vinegar, boiling water or soured milk. Apply the vinegar carefully and use boiling water only if the fabric is robust enough. Use soured milk on dried-in berry stains and leave overnight.


CHOCOLATE

The nemesis of party clothes. It’s so tricky to remove that the only thing that helps is to wet the stain with chemically pure petrol. Then coat the stain in glycerine and rinse. Other household remedies are to work soured milk or soft soap into the stain before laundering, or to treat the stain with (colourless) alcohol or ammonia.


DEODORANT

These yellow stains can be removed by mixing washing-up liquid with powdered citric acid. Iron over the stain and wait a while before rinsing with water.


FAT

This requires time – and potato flour. Allow the flour to absorb the fat for a few hours, then brush off and wash with soap and water. You can also soak with hot water, ammonia solution and washing detergent.


GRASS

This is a tricky one. For white clothes, start by treating with methylated spirits and dry-cleaning fluid, then rinse in ammonia mixed with soapy water. For coloured fabrics you can use washing-up liquid and green soft soap.


COFFE

This is the classic stain. Fresh stains should be treated with cold water.Use boiling water for white garments, but treat coloured fabrics with the rather odd combination of lukewarm water and whisked egg yolk.Older stains should be soaked and rubbed in hot water.


KETCHUP

Rub with washing-up liquid and warm water. Use methylated spirits if the stain is dried in.


GLUE

Wipe the stain with cooking oil, leave for a while and then launder as usual.


LIPSTICK/MASCARA

First use liquid laundry detergent and then launder as usual. Heavy stains may need to be treated first with white spirit. Other remedies include Vaseline or rubbing the stain with dry white bread.


OIL

This is a tough one. Loosen with white spirit or other grease remover – then use ordinary soap and water. You can also rub butter into the stain and then rinse off with soap and water. For delicate garments, chemically pure petrol is recommended.


RED WINE

Use soda water or just cold water. Apply quickly! For dried-in stains, hot milk has long been used.


SHOE POLISH

Use alcohol for white, more robust garments. For delicate coloured fabrics, the alcohol can be mixed with a little water.


CANDLE WAX

Three steps: Scrape off, place kitchen paper between the garment and an iron and iron over the stain (which is absorbed by the paper), then moisten the stain with white spirit and launder as usual.


SWEAT

Soak the stain in white vinegar solution for about 15 minutes.


TEA

Vinegar, lemon juice or citric acid solution is used to bleach the stain. Remember to rinse thoroughly!


TOMATO SAUCE

Rinse with cold water and then soak in glycerine for an hour. Then wash the garment in soapy water.


CHEWING GUM

Place the garment in the freezer and break off the chewing gum when frozen. Tip: place ice cubes directly on the chewing gum stain.


BEER

Water and colourless alcohol are key to treating beer stains. Moisten the stain, then launder as normal.

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