Say Farewell to Stains!

Say Farewell to Stains!

The complete Accademia Firenze Guide on how to remove the most difficult stains from fabrics.

First some tips:

1. Act quickly. Fresh stains make stain removal an easy task. Give yourself the upper hand by treating stains as promptly after they happen as possible. If your stains are on a non-washable fabric, take them to the dry cleaners as soon as possible. Be sure to point out the stain to the dry cleaner and describe the nature of the stain. This makes the likelihood of success greater.

2. Follow the directions. Follow the directions on any stain removal products you use. Don't forget to follow washing directions on the stained clothes. Getting the stain out, won't make much difference if you ruin the clothing in the process.

3. Test in a hidden area. Don't forget to test any stain removal methods on a hidden seam or other inconspicuous spot. You want to check for colourfastness before applying a treatment to a large or noticeable area of the clothing. Do not use if the colour changes.

4.Remove stains from the back. Place the stained garment with the stain upside down on top of a clean white cloth. Apply stain treatment to the back of the stain. The goal is to remove the stain from the clothing instead of making it travel all the way through to the other side. Make sure to move the stained clothing to a fresh spot as the stain begins to remove itself from the clothing and onto the cloth.

5. Be careful with dry cleaning solvents. Make sure to rinse thoroughly, and allow to air dry any garment that's had dry cleaning solvents used on it. These solvents can be a fire hazard in a washing machine. Remember never to put dry cleaning solvents directly into the washing machine.

6. Be wary of colour removal with bleach. Bleaching only one stained spot on a garment may result in uneven color removal for the entire garment. Consider using the appropriate bleach listed in the garment tag to bleach the entire garment.

7. Don't mix stain removal products. Mixing different chemicals can cause toxic odors and mixed results on your clothing.

8. Wash stain treated items. Remember to thoroughly wash items that have treated with stain removal products to remove product residue along with the stain residue.

9. Be patient. Stain removal can take time. Sometimes repeat treatments may be required. Be sure to thoroughly check the garment before drying to determine if a repeat treatment is necessary. Drying will cause a stain to set.

10. Some stains won't leave. For some stains, no stain removal idea or tip can get rid of them without damaging the clothing or its color. But take heart in the fact that the other 9 general stain removal tips will give you a fighting chance against all the stains in your laundry basket. Just a few simple guidelines can take the guesswork out of stain removal.

Then the specifics:

vinegar: use cold water and ammonia, then rinse.

watercolor paints: use water and ammonia.

biro ink: use 90% alcohol; on wool and leather dab with petrol, use bleach on whites.

beer rinse with warm water.

burns: use water and ammonia, or hydrogen peroxide.

cocoa: soak the head in water that has been used to boil potatoes!

coffee: wipe with alcohol and water, and wash with soap and water.

candle wax: scrape off as much as possible, place two sheets of absorbent paper over and under the stain, and iron. Move the sheets so that the stain is better absorbed.

chewing gum:  harden the gum to by brushing with an ice cube. Remove it with a knife.

chocolate: use ammonia and water (5ml in 500ml of water); silk: dab with lemon juice or a few drops of ammonia.

glue: see chocolate.

colours: mix one part of hydrogen peroxide and 4 of cold water, a few drops of ammonia, and use the solution to dab.

oil paints: use turpentine.

grass: use 90% alcohol on cotton and linen. On wool use a warm water solution - 3 parts, - alcohol - 2 parts -, ammonia - 1-part. Rinse with water and vinegar.

mud dry brush and dab with water and vinegar (wool), with water and ammonia (cotton, linen, silk, synthetics).

fruit: use lemon juice or salt and lemon. Rinse and put in the washing machine or hand wash, dab cotton and coloured linen with warm milk, white cotton and linen with perborate; wool with water and ammonia; silk with hydrogen peroxide diluted in water at a rate of 1 to 6; carpets and carpeting, first dab with water, and then with acetone or trichlorethylene.

ice cream: generally wash off immediately with soap and water, also try with water and borax in a solution of 15ml x 500ml of water.

fats in general: dissolve salt in surgical spirit or ammonia, brush and wash in hot soapy water. Or, immediately sprinkle with talcum powder, let it absorb, iron with a hot iron, brush. To remove any streaks, wash directly with soap and water. Or try with water and ammonia.

ink: put on a paper towel and dab the stain with lemon juice or 90% pure alcohol, or hot milk.

liqueurs: dab with water and glycerin, rinse with water and vinegar, on wool and silk dab with water and ammonia.

shoe polish: dissolve with turpentine and wash with warm water and fruit and honey soaps: rinse with water.

mold: soak in water and perborate for one night, then wash, rinse with water and lemon.

car oil: ammonia, and then soap and water.

oil: dab with turpentine, then with diluted ammonia, and then rinse in water, on silk, wool and synthetics, dab with turpentine diluted in lemon juice.

marker pen: lemon juice or surgical spirit on the stain, and then the washing machine.

raw tomato: first with water, then cover it with talcum powder.

cooked tomato: remove with water and ammonia.

perfume: dab with water and hydrogen peroxide at 12:1, rinse with water and white vinegar.

blackcurrant: wash with a solution of lemon juice and vinegar but no water, then rinse.

lipstick: dab with alcohol and then wash normally, if the lipstick is indelible pre-treat the stain with a solution of glycerin and warm water.

rust: lemon juice and salt; on wool only use water and ammonia on the stain or immerse the head in the water and glycerin.

sauces: water and ammonia.

blood: ammonia and water, and then wash normally.

nail polish: Try nail polish remover, complete the operation with surgical spirit; with acetates avoid solvents and disinfectants.

fruit juice: use water and ammonia.

sweat: dab with hot water and sodium perborate or with a solution of hydrogen peroxide at 20 vol. and cold water in a 1 to 6 solution; on colours and wool, dab with a solution of hot water and ammonia, if the fabric is discoloured, dab with a solution of white vinegar (15ml in 250ml of hot water). Wool and silk can be washed and rinsed with hydrogen peroxide at 12 vol. and white vinegar.

tea: use water and lemon juice.

make-up: use a cotton pad with cleanser on all fabrics except synthetics.

egg: use water, soap and a few drops of ammonia.

paint: use turpentine oil, or white spirit.

wine: use red wine against white wine and vice versa. Or cover the stain with fine salt, after half an hour rub with hot lemon juice, then wash. If the stain is on silk, rub with water and white vinegar before washing normally. If it is on wool, dab with hydrogen peroxide, or alternatively, use water and ammonia on wool, and warm milk on silk and synthetics.

www.accademiafirenze.net  - Luxury Italian Cashmere, Bedding & Bath Linen