Stain Removal
FROM FABRICS.
home methods
FARMERS’ BULLETIN NO. 1474
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
To Remove Stains Successfully
TREAT THE STAIN while it is fresh. KNOW YOUR CLOTH—What is it made of? Does it wash well? WORK CAREFULLY but quickly. TRY SIMPLE METHODS FIRST. For a nongreasy stain, sponge with cold water. For a greasy stain, try carbon tetrachloride. AVOID HOT WATER on an unknown stain. Hot water sets many stains. TEST FOR COLOR CHANGE on a sample of the cloth before using any stain remover. USE REMOVERS SPARINGLY. Many brief applications are better than one long one. USE LIGHT, BRUSHING MOTIONS—never rub a remover into the stain. NEUTRALIZE acids with alkalies; alkalies with acids. RINSE WELL—never let a chemical dry on the cloth. SPREAD a liquid remover unevenly into the cloth around the stain. DRY RAPIDLY to help prevent rings.
Washington, D. C.
Revised September 1942
Slightly revised April 1951
STAIN REMOVAL FROM FABRICS
HOME METHODS
by
MARGARET S. FURRY, Assistant Textile Chemist