How To Care For Fabrics and Remove Stains
Caring for fabrics is one of the major cleaning responsibilities every consumer faces. And it’s also one of the thorniest. Removing stains safely and quickly, for example, is a challenge, and keeping them from happening is a task that requires constant vigilance. It all adds up to a task complex enough to make a person want to give up on adulthood entirely. From piles of smelly laundry, to tablecloths that mysteriously retain ketchup stains even after the most punctilious bleachings, to white couches that gradually turn as gray as weeks-old snowdrifts -- keeping fabrics looking fresh is a big enough responsibility to make even the most responsible person wish he or she could just revert to childhood, mom and dad’s house, and that seemingly perpetual washing machine.
But don’t despair. Fabric care is doable, if you remember a few simple rules.
First of all, pay attention to those labels. Most of us ignore them, but they are there to explain what special needs, if any, this fabric has, and to let the consumer know how roughly or gently the article must be cleaned.
The most basic option for cleaning spills, stains, or soiling that results from ordinary use and dirt/dust exposure is cold water, or cold water with soap. Why not hot water? For cleaning up after ordinary use, cold water is actually best, and for removing stains, cold water is absolutely essential. Heat kills germs, which is a consideration only if your garments have been exposed to much more than ordinary levels of soilage. Otherwise, though, cold water is superior in every way: it gets the job done; it will not cause colors to run (as hot water will); it won’t cause stains to set (as heat will), and thus it makes removing stains easier; and it’s easier on your electric bill.
Ordinary soap will work OK for spot-cleaning extremely coarse, durable fabrics. But it isn’t much good for removing stains. The dyes in some soaps will create a stain of their own, and also, the scrubbing that we tend to do with soap actually causes the stain to spread, making removing that stain all but impossible. Soap also tends to leave a scum. That’s why commercial synthetic detergents were invented. To wash clothes after ordinary use, it should be enough to use only the amount of detergent called for by the instructions on the bottle. (You may be tempted to use a shortcut, overloading the washing machine and trying to compensate by putting in more detergent than is needed. This does not work. Nor does overusing detergent in order to get your clothes “extra clean” -- all that happens is that the extra detergent renders the texture of your clothes stickier, making them more liable, on their next wearing, to pick up extra dirt.)
However, commercial detergents don’t work as well for things that can’t be thrown into the washing machine -- upholstered furniture, for example -- so it helps to have some items on hand that will help in removing stains.
The first thing to remember, to prevent a spill from becoming a stain in the first place, is to get a dry, soft, clean towel as quickly as possible, and gently place it atop the spilled material. Do not press the towel against the spill as, again, this simply embeds the spill more deeply into the fabric, making removing the stain more difficult and increasing the likelihood of a permanent blot. Wipe, don’t press, and don’t scrub. Use cold water to clean up.
If a stain happens despite your best efforts, again, don’t despair. You have several options.
Some people keep commercial dry-cleaning chemicals on hand for these sorts of incidents. But dry cleaning chemicals are so harsh that the main one, Perchlorethylene, is considered by the Clean Air Act to be, in heavy concentration, a pollutant. (This is also why you should air out your clothes after bringing them home from the dry cleaner’s.) Dry cleaning is hard on fabrics, and should only be used as a last resort.
Others rely on hand-washing detergents (a special kind of detergent supposedly made to be gentler on hands than are typical washing machine detergents). These are not necessarily any gentler on skin, however, and their basic cleaning power is not any different from regular detergent.
A special stain removal spot cleaner is an essential part of the home cleaner’s arsenal for removing stains -- easier to handle than any of the above alternatives.
Thankfully, there are new innovations in stain removal that are made from ingredients to safely remove ink and other stains from a variety of surfaces. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Partnership Program, Design for the Environment’s (DfE) Safer Product Labeling Program has recognized a number of cleaners with the DfE Safer Product label. The DfE mark enables consumers to quickly identify and choose products that can help protect the environment and are safer for families.
But don’t despair. Fabric care is doable, if you remember a few simple rules.
First of all, pay attention to those labels. Most of us ignore them, but they are there to explain what special needs, if any, this fabric has, and to let the consumer know how roughly or gently the article must be cleaned.
The most basic option for cleaning spills, stains, or soiling that results from ordinary use and dirt/dust exposure is cold water, or cold water with soap. Why not hot water? For cleaning up after ordinary use, cold water is actually best, and for removing stains, cold water is absolutely essential. Heat kills germs, which is a consideration only if your garments have been exposed to much more than ordinary levels of soilage. Otherwise, though, cold water is superior in every way: it gets the job done; it will not cause colors to run (as hot water will); it won’t cause stains to set (as heat will), and thus it makes removing stains easier; and it’s easier on your electric bill.
Ordinary soap will work OK for spot-cleaning extremely coarse, durable fabrics. But it isn’t much good for removing stains. The dyes in some soaps will create a stain of their own, and also, the scrubbing that we tend to do with soap actually causes the stain to spread, making removing that stain all but impossible. Soap also tends to leave a scum. That’s why commercial synthetic detergents were invented. To wash clothes after ordinary use, it should be enough to use only the amount of detergent called for by the instructions on the bottle. (You may be tempted to use a shortcut, overloading the washing machine and trying to compensate by putting in more detergent than is needed. This does not work. Nor does overusing detergent in order to get your clothes “extra clean” -- all that happens is that the extra detergent renders the texture of your clothes stickier, making them more liable, on their next wearing, to pick up extra dirt.)
However, commercial detergents don’t work as well for things that can’t be thrown into the washing machine -- upholstered furniture, for example -- so it helps to have some items on hand that will help in removing stains.
The first thing to remember, to prevent a spill from becoming a stain in the first place, is to get a dry, soft, clean towel as quickly as possible, and gently place it atop the spilled material. Do not press the towel against the spill as, again, this simply embeds the spill more deeply into the fabric, making removing the stain more difficult and increasing the likelihood of a permanent blot. Wipe, don’t press, and don’t scrub. Use cold water to clean up.
If a stain happens despite your best efforts, again, don’t despair. You have several options.
Some people keep commercial dry-cleaning chemicals on hand for these sorts of incidents. But dry cleaning chemicals are so harsh that the main one, Perchlorethylene, is considered by the Clean Air Act to be, in heavy concentration, a pollutant. (This is also why you should air out your clothes after bringing them home from the dry cleaner’s.) Dry cleaning is hard on fabrics, and should only be used as a last resort.
Others rely on hand-washing detergents (a special kind of detergent supposedly made to be gentler on hands than are typical washing machine detergents). These are not necessarily any gentler on skin, however, and their basic cleaning power is not any different from regular detergent.
A special stain removal spot cleaner is an essential part of the home cleaner’s arsenal for removing stains -- easier to handle than any of the above alternatives.
Thankfully, there are new innovations in stain removal that are made from ingredients to safely remove ink and other stains from a variety of surfaces. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Partnership Program, Design for the Environment’s (DfE) Safer Product Labeling Program has recognized a number of cleaners with the DfE Safer Product label. The DfE mark enables consumers to quickly identify and choose products that can help protect the environment and are safer for families.
So when tough stain removal is the objective, remember that there are safe, natural stain removal products on the market today. Today’s natural stain removal products can safely remove even the toughest stains while also protecting fabric, leather, vinyl, and many other surfaces from future stains.
About StainHotline.com
StainHotline.com, operated by The Casite Company, offers safe, environmentally friendly stain removal and upholstery protection products.For stain removal products to help with leather stains, carpet stains, wine stains, ink stains, and for odor removal, please visit http://www.stainhotline.com.
