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.