Stain Removal – What You Need to Know – Part III

Welcome to the third and final part in our series on stain removal. In the May issues, we provided some fundamentals on stains and basic treatments. In the June issue, we discussed general rules, immediate treatment, home vs. professional removal, materials and stain removal methods. Once again, we thank The International Fabricare Institute (I.F.I) for contributing to the general information that appeared in the previous articles and what follows in this issue.

Everyone has been taught a home stain removal remedy or two by their mother or grandmother. In the case of many of these quick-fix solutions, there is a grain of truth to them, but overall, either the proposed method may do more damage than good, or there simply may be a better way.

To debunk some of these old wives’ tales, we separate the facts from the fiction

• MYTH: In a pinch, apply club soda to a stain. It is a great first aid remedy.
  
  TRUTH: In some instances club soda will remove a clear colourless water-based stain, but so will good old fashioned cool water. When applying club soda to a water-based stain, both the soda and the stain must be flushed out completely right away. Otherwise a residue surrounded by a water ring will remain that could result in a permanent stain when dry.
  
  
• MYTH: To remove a scorch mark from an iron, rub the scorched area with a piece of raw onion for a short time, soak it in cold water and the scorch will fade.
  
  TRUTH: Rubbing an onion on a scorch mark does not remove the stain. Light scorch will sometimes rinse out with just cold water. Heavier scorch needs bleach to remove the stain. Since there has probably been some fabric damage if the scorch is severe, it would be best to try 3% hydrogen peroxide. We do not suggest chlorine bleach. If the damage has gone beyond scorching and has burned the fabric, it has been permanently damaged.
  
  
• MYTH: Applying saliva will help remove milk stains, blood stains and other types of food stains.
  
  TRUTH: Although unpalatable, saliva contains enzymes that help break up some stains through a digestive process – just as the saliva in your mouth begins to digest the foods you eat. There are more preferred methods of stain removal, such as an enzyme pre-soak, which can be purchased at grocery stores or the digester used by drycleaners.
  
  
• MYTH: For ink stains from a ballpoint pen, apply hair spray and water.
  
  TRUTH: Hairspray and water can indeed remove ballpoint ink, but you may be trading one problem for another. That’s because hairspray contains alcohol and oils such as resins and lanolin. The alcohol in hairspray can cause colour damage, especially on silk; likewise, oils and other ingredients could lead to