Suit the Remover to the Stain
Find out what the stain is, if possible, before trying to remove it. The wrong treatment may set a stain so that it is impossible to take it out. Always test water or any chemical stain remover on a sample of the cloth or on a hidden part of the garment (seam or hem) to be sure it will not change the color. You may have to choose between the stain and a faded spot.
Water
If the stain is not greasy, first try to remove it with cold water. Hot water sets many stains and makes them harder to remove. Always test a sample of the cloth to see if water spots it. If not, place a pad of clean cloth underneath the stain, with the stain face down. To sponge, use a soft cloth, dampen it with cold water, and cover with a layer of dry cloth so that it is not too moist. Then sponge the stain with light, brushing motions, working from outside of stain to the center. Spread the moisture into the cloth around stain to keep a ring from forming.
The trick is to spread, or “feather out,” the liquid around the stain until there is no definite edge when the material dries. It may help to go over the spot with a cloth wet with alcohol mixed with 2 parts water. As alcohol changes some colors and dissolves acetate rayon, use it sparingly. Finally pat the spot with a dry cloth. Dry rapidly to prevent water rings.
Sponge a nongreasy stain with water. Work from the outside of the stain to the center. Spread moisture unevenly into the cloth around the stain.
To remove a water ring, rub the cloth between the hands; then scratch with the fingernail.
If a ring has formed, remove it either by sponging the material with clean water or by shaking it in the steam from a briskly boiling teakettle. Scratching with the fingernail or a stiff brush or rubbing the cloth between the hands will sometimes remove a ring.
Other solvents
If a stain seems to be greasy, try a grease solvent, such as carbon tetrachloride, Stoddard solvent, gasoline, benzene, turpentine, ether, acetone, or alcohol. Most of these do not change the color of fabrics, but ether, acetone, and alcohol are apt to. So use them carefully on colored materials; always mix alcohol with 2 parts water. Either sponge the stain with the solvent or dip into a bowl of the liquid.
To sponge a grease spot, lay the stained material, wrong side up, on a pad of soft cloth. Apply the remover to the back of the cloth, so that the stain is washed from the material without having to pass through it. Sponge with a clean, soft, lintless cloth. Dip the cloth in the liquid and wring out most of the moisture. Sponge with light, brushing motions, working from the outside of the spot to the center. Work rapidly and use the solvent sparingly. It is better to apply the solvent several times quickly than to apply it once and leave it on for a long time.
Sponge a greasy stain with carbon tetrachloride, gasoline, or benzene. Lay the stain face down on a pad of cloth.
Use light brushing motions, working from the outside of spot to the center. Change the pad as it becomes soiled.
Sprinkle talcum, cornstarch, or chalk on a fresh grease or oil stain. Rub it in well, and let stand until it absorbs the grease; then brush off.
Avoid rings by spreading the cleaning fluid into the area around the stain and at the same time blowing lightly on the spot to dry it quickly. Do not rub—rubbing may cause light and worn-looking spots that are as bad as the stain. Change the pad as it becomes soiled. Finally pat the material with a dry cloth.
Always use these solvents out of doors or in a well-ventilated room, as it is harmful to breathe the vapors. Gasoline, naphtha, and ether catch fire easily and often explode, so never use them near a fire. Sometimes just rubbing a garment that is soaked with gasoline will cause it to burst into flames. Benzene, turpentine, alcohol, and acetone also are inflammable. For this reason, cleaning with large amounts of these fluids at home is not recommended. Grease-spot removers made entirely or in large part of carbon tetrachloride will not catch on fire.
Absorbent powders
Absorbent powders—chalk, talcum, corn meal, cornstarch—work well on light, freshly made stains such as grease spots or splatters of salad oil. Also such powders brush off readily and are safe to use on all materials. This method is not always successful, however, if the stain is very large or has become set or dry. To remove a stain with an absorbent powder, lay the stained article on a table and sprinkle a layer of the powder over the stain. Spread the powder around, and when it becomes gummy, shake or brush it off. Repeat this several times or until the stain disappears. If after several treatments the stain still shows, place the stain between clean blotting papers and apply a warm (not hot) iron for several minutes. Stains made by solid fats, such as butter, must be melted before the blotters can absorb them.
Use Javelle water to bleach stains from uncolored cotton or linen. Apply with a medicine dropper; rinse quickly in water. Apply a few drops of “hypo,” vinegar, or oxalic acid to stop the action of the chlorine.
Bleaches
Use bleaching chemicals carefully because most bleaches remove the color as well as the stain, besides weakening the cloth. Colored material in particular must be treated rapidly and rinsed well in water afterwards. Javelle water and other chlorine bleaches (sodium hypochlorite solutions) remove certain stains from uncolored cotton, linen, or rayon cloth. Do not use them on colored materials or on silk or wool.
To prepare Javelle water: Mix ½ pound washing soda in 1 quart of cold water. Add ¼ pound of bleaching powder (commonly called chloride of lime). Strain this liquid through a piece of muslin and store in a bottle with a tight cork or stopper ready for use.
To remove a stain with Javelle water, stretch the stained part of the cloth over a bowl filled with cold water and drop the Javelle water on the stain with a medicine dropper. (If the stain is large, dip the entire garment in the Javelle water). Never let the Javelle water remain on the stain for more than 1 minute; it rots even linen and cotton materials if allowed to remain on them longer. Rinse quickly by dipping in the water.
Next apply a few drops of a solution made up of ½ teaspoon of sodium thiosulfate and 1 to 2 teaspoons of vinegar in 1 pint of water. This stops the action of the chlorine remaining in the cloth after the treatment with Javelle water. Then rinse the cloth well in clean water. You may use vinegar alone or oxalic acid solution (1 teaspoon oxalic acid to 1 pint water) instead of the thiosulfate solution, but they are not so satisfactory. To remove the stain completely you may have to repeat the Javelle water-thiosulfate treatment several times.
Sodium perborate is one of the safest bleaches for all types of materials. The treatment must be rapid and the sodium perborate well rinsed from the material, however, or it will take out the color. It will not remove some ink stains, iron rust, dyes and running color, or metal stains.
For small, fresh stains, sponge with a liquid made up of 4 tablespoons sodium perborate to 1 pint lukewarm water. Or stretch the stained cloth over a bowl of hot water, dampen the stain with water, and dust the powdered sodium perborate on it. Let stand a minute or two; then sponge or rinse well with water.
For a large stain, soak the entire garment for a half hour or longer in sodium perborate and soapsuds (4 tablespoons perborate to a pint of soapy water). To remove grass, beverage, mud, scorch, and some perfume stains, mix 1 level teaspoon sodium perborate with 1 pint hydrogen peroxide. But use this mixture immediately, as it soon loses its strength. Rinse in water.
Sodium perborate is particularly good to use on white woolens; it leaves them soft and fluffy.
Hydrogen peroxide, obtained at drug stores, is a good bleach for light scorch stains. The action of hydrogen peroxide is quicker if a few drops of ammonia water are added just before use. Or you can add 1 level teaspoon of either borax or sodium perborate to 1 pint of peroxide. Apply it to the stain with a medicine dropper, a glass rod, or sponge the stain with it. Follow by careful sponging or rinsing with water.
Oxalic acid is poisonous and should be handled carefully. Label it “Poison” and keep it out of the reach of children. Prepare a solution as follows: Dissolve about 3 tablespoons of the crystals of the acid in a pint of lukewarm water. Put in a bottle, stopper tightly, and use as needed. Stretch the stained cloth over a bowl of clean water and apply the oxalic acid to the stain with a medicine dropper or glass rod. Allow it to remain for a few minutes; then rinse quickly by dipping in the water. Apply a weak solution of ammonia water, borax, or sodium perborate to neutralize the action of the acid and rinse again. Never use oxalic acid on weighted silk.
Hydrosulfites are very useful to remove dye stains, iron rust, ink, mildew, grass, and fruit stains. Sodium hydrosulfite, the one most often used, may be bought at drug stores under many trade names as a dye or color remover for preparing cloth for redyeing. It should be stored in a tightly closed can so it will not become damp. To use, dissolve 2 teaspoons of the sodium hydrosulfite in 1 pint of warm water and either sponge or dip the stained article in it. Or sponge the stain with water first, sprinkle the powder on the stain, and work it in well with the fingers. Rinse quickly. If used on colored material, hydrosulfites are apt to remove the color; so apply the treatment quickly and rinse well in water afterwards. Do not use on weighted silks.
Pepsin and other enzymes
Enzymes will remove certain stains from all kinds of materials. You can buy pepsin, the best known of the enzymes, at the drug store. It softens stains containing albumin (found in blood, gelatin, glues, certain medicines, eggs, milk, and ice cream), so that they wash out in water easily. Pepsin will soften these stains, even after they have been set by heat or alcohol. First be sure there is no soap or other alkali on the stain, or the enzyme will not react. Then dampen the stain with lukewarm water and sprinkle with pepsin powder. Let it stand for half an hour, keeping the spot damp. Or mix the pepsin with water (2 teaspoons to 1 pint lukewarm water) and sponge the stain with it. Sponge or rinse well with water.
Soaps and synthetic detergents
Soaps and synthetic detergents (nonsoap cleaners) are helpful in removing grease and food spots, blood, and many other stains. For washing silks and woolens, select a mild soap. One with added alkaline salts may cause the colors to run and the cloth to become stiff and harsh. Also use a mild soap on all other delicate materials and on cotton, especially on those that are not guaranteed colorfast. If you are washing in hard water, add a water softener such as one of the special phosphates—sodium hexametaphosphate or tetrasodium pyrophosphate (sold under brand names)—which prevent the formation of hard-water scum. This scum is caused by the reaction of the soap and the calcium and magnesium compounds in the water. It settles on the clothes in gray or brown specks that are hard to remove.
Synthetic detergents come in powder, paste, and liquid form. Most of them suds and lather well, although a few clean without sudsing. They do not make a scum with hard water.
Synthetic detergents, like soaps, may be mild or alkaline. The mild synthetics are excellent for washing silks and fine fabrics, blankets, and sweaters. They are relatively safe for colors. The alkaline synthetics, which contain alkaline salts to aid in soil removal, are all-purpose washing agents for washing heavily soiled garments.
The nonalkaline detergents can be used in place of glycerine to loosen fresh tannin stains made by soft drinks and some fresh fruits. The other type should not be used because alkali tends to set tannin stains. Soap, even the mild type, is also alkaline enough to set these stains.
There are also special dry-cleaning soaps or benzene soaps, which, added to dry-cleaning fluid, aid in softening the stain and removing the dirt. Or, to soften a heavy grease or wax stain, put these soaps directly on the stain, especially on silk and wool cloth. Then rinse well in carbon tetrachloride, Stoddard solvent, gasoline, or benzene.