DigsMagazine.com | lounge: STAIN Rx, basic remedies for common household stains

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a home + living guide for the post-college, pre-parenthood, quasi-adult generation

12.11.2000

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other recent LOUNGE articles:
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o Build a Bookcase
o Fix-up a $1 Lamp
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o The Great Roommate Search
o the Dining Chair Slipcover Debacle
o Post-Posters

stain Rx
basic remedies for common
household stains

Blame it on absent-mindedness, blame it on lousy coordination, blame it on plain old bad luck. Whatever the reason, there’s no getting around the undeniable fact: I’m a complete klutz. If I’m walking with a cup of tea in hand, I’ll trip and spill it. If there’s a glass of wine within armspan, I’ll knock it over. If there’s a person holding a beer behind me, you can bet I’ll clumsily back into them – bottle goes crash, beverage goes splash. Not surprisingly, I’m pretty much constantly trying to remedy one sort of stain or another. Even if you’re fortunate enough not to be a mess-magnet, however, you’re sure to find a stain on your new dining chair, or white carpet, or good table linens at some point or another. Before you pitch a hissyfit over your ruined goods, try these stain removal tactics …

The common culprits:
Click on an image to find out how to remove its stain ...

The cleaning agents:
• diluted detergent solution: 1 tsp. detergent (non-bleach) to 1 cup water
• diluted vinegar solution: 1:1 water to vinegar
• diluted ammonia solution: 1 tbsp. ammonia to 1 cup water
• white towels (the dye in colored towels can transfer to whatever you’re trying to clean)
• other handy products: baking soda, carbonated water, pre-wash stain remover, bleach (note: NEVER mix it with ammonia)

General rules:
1. Your first instinct will no doubt be to scrub furiously. Bad idea – it’ll only serve to set it further. Remember: blot, don’t rub.
2. Hot water can actually set some stains. When in doubt, use cold water.
3. Work from the outside of the stain towards the center.

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