Medicines
Because of the great number and variety of substances used in medicines, it is not possible to give methods for removing all such stains. If you know what the medicine is made of, it will aid in choosing the remover. For instance, a tarry or gummy medicine can be treated in the same way as a tar spot (see [p. 27]); a medicine containing much iron can be removed in the same way as iron rust (see [p. 20]). Medicines in a sugar sirup usually can be washed out with water; those dissolved in alcohol sometimes can be removed by sponging the stain with alcohol. Many of the medicines used in swabbing sore throats contain silver nitrate and should be sponged with a solution of sodium thiosulfate (“hypo”)—1 teaspoon of the crystals in 1 cup of water.
If you cannot find out what kind of medicine caused the stain, you may have to try several methods to find one that will do the job. Each of the following methods will remove certain medicine stains.
Boiling water.—For washable materials, pour boiling water on the stain from a height of 3 or 4 feet, as for fruit stains, or launder in warm soapy water.
Denatured alcohol or carbon tetrachloride.—Some color stains can be sponged or soaked out with alcohol. Sponge greasy stains with carbon tetrachloride. A dry-cleaning soap helps to loosen them. Finally sponge with fresh carbon tetrachloride.
Bleaches.—Use bleaches only on white materials. Try one of the following:
Hydrosulfite.—Use one of the hydrosulfite dye-stripping agents available at drug stores. Follow instructions on the package.
Javelle water.—For stains on linen, cotton, or rayon, dip in Javelle water for 1 minute (no longer), remove the chlorine from the cloth with a sodium thiosulfate solution, rinse well in water. (See [p. 6] for more detailed instructions.) Do not use Javelle water on silk or wool.
Mercurochrome
Mercurochrome stains are very hard to remove unless you treat them promptly. Proceed as follows: