Stain Removal Tips

Everything under the sun has the potential of being stained at one time or another.

Like it or not, sooner or later you’ll find a stain of something or other on your favorite t-shirt, blouse, suit, or even on outdoor furniture.

A slip, a spill, working on cars, making meals, etc. Stains happen and luckily many types of stains on a variety of surfaces and clothing can be removed. Some may take more work than others but it can be done.

Ah, if only we could be stain-free all the time – right?

“What and Where” of Stain Removal

The word “stain” is defined as a “a colored patch or dirty mark that is difficult to remove” Determining the components of the stain will determine what agent you will employ to effectively lift and remove the stain itself.

Most stains are relatively easy to identify. They may be juice or fruit stains, blood, grass, tomato or other food stains, oil and grease (edible or not), rust, water spots, etc. They may also be caused from moisture, chemicals, minerals, mildew and rot.

• Organic Stains
• Mineral, Rust or Metallic Stains
• Petroleum, Grease or Oil Based Stains
• Environmental, Smoke or Dust Stains
• Water Stains

Obviously, the location or material that has the stain ultimately dictates how you will go about getting the stain removed. If it’s an automotive oil stain on the concrete of your garage, it will not respond to the same treatment you use for removing salad oil from your good dress. Can’t you just see it now? “Use a few drops of liquid dish detergent on the concrete, scrub lightly and toss into the washer!”

Kidding aside, let’s get serious about treating serious stains.

Removing Organic Stains

The rule of thumb is to treat stains with like-substances. Organic stains can be anything from A to Z that grows naturally and includes apples, avocado and grass stains, blood stains, berry stains, tobacco stains, urine stains, coffee stains, leaves, bird and animal droppings, etc.

Organic stains respond to cleaners that contain hydrogen peroxide, enzymes (complex organic substances that are found in cells of plants and animals), ammonia and oxygen. Organic stains may also be removed by flushing with white vinegar, lemon juice OR plain water and allowed to dry in bright sunlight. Sunlight itself is known for its bleaching effect.

Again, dependent upon the material that contains the stain, use caution before applying any stain remover. There are a lot of disparities between objects and/or materials. For instance, an organic stain on marble should NEVER be treated with a remover that contains acid – that means, no lemon juice, no white vinegar, nothing acidic.

Removing Stains from Marble

Marble surfaces are beautiful. It’s a natural stone and its surface is porous. In the home marble can be used on floors and countertops. If spills happen, they should be cleaned quickly or the surface can be damaged. So, what do you use on marble?

Note: Clean surface prior to stain removal method and keep the stained area slightly wet prior to stain removal product. Do not use any items that can scratch the surface.

Removing Ink Stains

Saturate a paper towel with the household strength hydrogen peroxide (6 percent) and blot the ink stain until it is gone. This should work but if it does not completely remove the ink stain, make a poultice of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda about the consistency of peanut butter.

Apply to stained area, cover with plastic wrap and apply masking tape to edges to keep it from lifting and drying out before the poultice can do its job. Let sit 24 to 48 hours.

Remove carefully from the surface then wipe down with a damp clean cloth and dry.

Removing Rust Stains

Rust stains are one of the toughest to deal with. There are many different types of poultice products on the market that work well. Just follow the instructions.

If you want to DIY your rust stain, you can make a poultice with household strength hydrogen peroxide and ammonia. Make sure to test in an inconspicuous spot prior to use.

• First tear a big enough piece of good thick strong paper towel to cover the rust stained area (try not to use more than you need for the area of stain) and place in a bowl. Then add the hydrogen peroxide to saturate the paper towel. Then add in a few drops of ammonia.
• Place the wet paper towel over the stain. Cover with plastic wrap and secure edges. Depending on how old the rust stain is on the marble, this poultice will need to sit for 24 hours up to 3 days. You may need to repeat this step.
• Remove paper towel and wipe down the surface with water and dry.

Removing Rust Stains from Denim

Removing rust stains from denim can be difficult but it can be done. First, resist the urge to wipe it off. Rubbing in this way can result in the stain getting bigger and being pushed deeper into the fibers.

A stain removal product from the store will work great but if you have cream of tartar, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide in the house, this can also help without fading the fabric. The hydrogen peroxide should not fade the denim but it’s best to test in an inconspicuous place first.

Mix together 1 teaspoon each of cream of tartar and baking soda. Add in just a few drops of hydrogen peroxide to make a thick paste. Apply to the stain and let sit at least 30 minutes. Rinse, repeat if necessary. Wash as usual but don’t put denim in the dryer until the stain is gone.

Removing Grease or Oil Stains from Garage Floor

Just about every garage floor is bound to get a little grease or oil stain. After all, it’s where we house our cars and change the oil and do other mechanical repairs.

Garage floors are typically made of concrete. Concrete is a porous surface meaning it will absorb easily into the floor. So, the faster you get to the stain, the more success you’ll have cleaning it completely. This can even work on older stains as well.

• First use shop towels or paper towels to absorb what you can.
• Spray either brake cleaner or carb cleaner (a generous amount) over the stain and brush it in with a broom.
• Then pour some cat litter (a fair amount) over that and let it sit for a few minutes.
• Use a flat head shovel and scoop up the cat litter. Sweep up cat litter that you couldn’t get with the shovel.
• The stain should be gone after one application but repeat if necessary.

Tip: If you are someone that works on cars fairly often in the garage and these types of stains happen more often than not – keep the cat litter in a five-gallon bucket and reuse until you can’t reuse anymore.

Cleaning Smoke or Dust Stains on Walls

Some stains just happen – you didn’t drop or spill anything but they are there – and you don’t even realize it. Maybe you decided to move furniture around which involves moving pictures on the wall to a different location. You take one down and find the wall around it is dirty.

Atmospheric dirt and dust are constantly around us – indoors and out. This atmospheric contamination, which may also contain smoke residue if you have cigarette smokers in the house or use a wood stove, clings to walls. It eventually sets and can slightly alter the color of your walls.

You may choose to repaint the walls but before you do, wash the walls first, and when you’re done – maybe you won’t want to repaint?

In a large bucket, mix together the following:

• 1 cup household ammonia
• 1/2 cup liquid colorless detergent
• 3 gallons of warm water

Ammonia can be strong, so it’s best to work with plenty of ventilation by keeping windows open to air the room. Ammonia can also be pretty hard on bare skin so protect your hands with rubber gloves. It might be a good idea to wear some old work clothes to do this as well.

Lay old sheets on the floor to catch drips. Using a large household sponge, begin at the top and work your way down. Yes, this can be time consuming but it will clean the walls and if you are going to repaint, you will need to clean walls first.

Work in sections cleaning the sponge often. If the walls are really dirty, you will most likely have to change the cleaning solution a time or two.