Self Help

Try the following technique before you toss that garment out or make it into a dusting cloth. Repeat the process if a stain doesn’t come out the first time. Don’t put the garment into the dryer if the stain is still visible after air-drying; doing so could make the stain permanent.

Chocolate: Make a paste of borax and water and spread over the stain. Allow to dry and then launder as usual.

Tea or Coffee: Immediately flush with cool water. Then soak in a borax and water solution
before laundering.

Egg: Scrape off any dried material. Douse the remaining stain with a mixture of 2 teaspoons
lemon juice and 3 drops sweet orange or lemon essential oil. Wash in cold water.

Grease: Cover the stain with a mixture of 2 teaspoons each of cornmeal, salt, and baking soda. Let this mixture stand for 30 minutes or more to absorb as much grease as possible, then wipe away. Soak the remaining stain in 1/2 cup vinegar, 5 drops lemon or orange essential oil or grapefruit seed extract, and 1/4 cup water until the stain breaks free. If the fabric can tolerate it, wash in hot water.

Ink: Place a cloth under the fabric and dab the stain repeatedly with undiluted eucalyptus essential oil until it begins to break up. The ink will begin to transfer to the underlying cloth. Remove as much of the stain as you can with this method. Then soak the garment in a solution of equal parts of vinegar and milk before washing.

Linens: Linens can sometimes yellow if stored in a trunk or closet for a long time. The best prevention is to wrap them carefully in acid-free paper before storing. If yellowing does occur you can soak them in a tea made from 2 or 3 fresh rhubarb stalks and 3 cups boiling water. Allow the material to dry in the sun. Repeat as necessary until the stains have disappeared. You can also use 1 cup lemon juice diluted in 2 cups water in place of the rhubarb tea.

Blood: Immediately rinse the garment thoroughly in cool water. Let the garment soak in a solution of laundry soap and water for several hours. For light-colored fabrics, try wiping with a soft cloth moistened with hydrogen peroxide. Hang the garment in the sun and keep applying hydrogen peroxide until all traces of the stain are gone. Dry and launder as usual.

Mold and mildew: Sometimes towels are left in a duffel bag after a day at the beach, or clothes are put into storage while still damp, resulting in mold or mildew stains. Pretreat these stains with a solution of 1/4 cup vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 6 drops tea tree essential oil. Launder as usual.

Mustard: Mustard contains turmeric, which yields a bright yellow dye. To break up the stain, apply some glycerin and let stand for 30 minutes. Then gently massage some laundry soap into the stain and wash as usual.

Nail polish: Blot the stain with rubbing alcohol. If this doesn’t work, test some nail polish remover in an inconspicuous place on the garment. If the test area of the fabric isn’t damaged, proceed to the stain.