How to remove stains or spots from our clothes, a carpet, furniture or wood is always a mystery : there are so many materials that can be stained (cotton, wool, nylon, …) and so many materials that can stain (ink, grease, wine, chocolate, ketchup, …) !
For given staining and stained materials, there are also sometimes various techniques to remove the stain.
This is all clearly disturbing and Claudine, a French specialist who wrote bestseller books about cleaning and stain removal, shares with you here her best advice for solving your issue.
As time passes, this website will contain more and more articles to help you find the most precise solution to your stain problems.
But remember that, whatever the advice and the stain, it is impossible to predict if your stain will finally be totally gone or not : you will have to try to see if the advice works ! and try it before on a hidden part of the stained material …
Good luck on your mission !
Some interesting tips and tricks for stain removing
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Removal of carrot stains on baby clothing
Babies are not able to eat without staining their clothes. Carrot stains are frequent among them and knowing how to remove carrot stains on baby clothing is therefore a must for any young parent. Continue reading
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How to remove blood stains
How to remove blood stains : blood stains are common issues and fairly hard to remove. Find here our best tips to get rid of them and mistakes not to make. Remove them like a pro. Continue reading
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Removal of ink stains on imitation leather
Imitation leather is not leather and professional techniques to remove stains on it differ from techniques to remove stains on leather. Learn the tips, tricks and grandmother recipes in our article ! Continue reading
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Removing a grease stain on the collar of a leather jacket or coat
Grease stains on the collar of leather jackets may give a really dirty look. Tips and tricks to clean and remove them will help you look so much better: get here our best advice on that topic. Continue reading
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Removal of ketchup stains
Tips to remove ketchup stains and recover your fabric. Ketchup stains are frequent by kids and very noticeable: it is unavoidable to remove them. Continue reading
I used a baking soda and vinegar paste and was able to remove all the blood stains from a pine mates bed. It took a lot of elbow grease and a lot of patience. I wore several tooth brushes out but the blood did eventually come off. As I was rubbing away I got discouraged because it didn’t seem to be working but eventually the blood did start to come off. I thought the furniture was ruined, thank you so much for this tip.
Thanks for your kind words, Lynne.
A tweet or a facebook like is also welcome if you can.
Have a nice day.
[Nicolas’s advice – not tested by Claudine]
To remove spots of blood from clothing, use 3 percent hydrogen peroxide — the kind you find in the first-aid section of the store. Soak the stain with the peroxide, use your fingernail or the blade of a butter knife to help loosen and scrape away the blood, then rinse it away with more hydrogen peroxide. In most cases, you’ll have better luck removing stains — especially blood stains — if you treat them immediately after they happen, before the stains have a chance to dry.
Use cold water. Hot water will only set the stains and make them nearly impossible to remove. The pre-soaking techniques will usually take care of stains. Inspect the uniform before you put it into wash and treat any remaining stains with a pre-treater or by rubbing in extra detergent.
The most popular use of diatomaceous earth is as a filter medium. Diatomaceous earth, an ultra-fine silicate composed of microscopic hollow particles, works to filter extremely fine particles that would normally pass through or clog a paper filter. The most common noncommercial use of diatomaceous earth is as a pool-filter medium. The silicate can cause serious health hazards. If inhaled it can cause silicosis. If handled without gloves, it can cause serious drying of the skin leading to cracked and bleeding skin. Follow special precautions when disposing of diatomaceous earth. Does this Spark an idea?
Hi Nettie,
This is no longer fully true
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diatomaceous_earth#Safety_considerations
Claudine
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Thanks for these tips. What I like about this is that it does not stain the wood and preserves it without the use of abrasive materials. It can be applied to timber decking floors as well.
I have a tippex stain on the front of my brown leather chair in my lounge can you please advise me how to remove it
Hi Arlene,
I already answered Abby the same question, but here is a more secure trick (so as not to spoil your leather), still making use of white spirit :
put some make-up remover on cotton wool, add a few drops of white spirit or lemon -based stain remover and delicately dab the stain with it.
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I meSsed tippex on a leather couch and does not want to come off with acetone or anything..hw can I remove it??
Hi Abby,
You can try to remove your Tipp-Ex stain with white spirit (do not forget to try on a hidden part before).
Proper care and cleaning is needed if you want to get ink stains off from your favourite suit or dress. One can try to avoid getting stains on his/her clothes but if it does happen, knowing the right things to do can save you money in the long run. Thank you for providing such helpful tips!
Hi – my water bottle leaked in my handbag, causing the leather dye to run all over a favourite cotton skirt. I have it soaking in a bucket of cold, soapy water. Any suggestions? Thank you.
Hi Rhia, an other possibility could be to try the same method as for removing ink stains on clothing.
Hi Claudine,
Thanks for your reply. I didn’t try the bleach (was a bit frightened as the stain is quite a large area – about 30 x 20 cms), however, I had great success soaking it with Napisan, with Sard Wonder Stick rubbed directly on the disaster zone. The stain has faded so much that I can’t see it at all in my laundry light (we’ll see how it looks in sunlight tomorrow morning). I think it will be ok 🙂
Best,
Rhia
Hi, I saw your blog today. I really enjoyed reading the whole article. I found it very informative. Thanks for writing this article. It was a worthwhile read. I have to book marked this blog site, so I can share it with friends, I’m sure they will be going to love this stuff. It was kudos to you in sharing this blog with us. Keep it up.
You’ve got great insights about wine, keep up the good work!
I am loving it
it is so convenient …!
Hi, worked for me, thanks!
Do you plan to give also advice on house cleaning? Would be great, I guess.
Thanks Vanessa,
House cleaning ? I am thinking of it, maybe later.
Claudine
Tried on my 500 bucks jacket – goddam worked! Thanks so much!