Tips and tricks to removing common stains

By Ally Foster

news.com.au·

3 Nov, 2019 01:33 AM5 mins to read

From red wine to chocolate, here is how to remove them. Photo / Getty Images

There's not much more infuriating than enjoying your morning coffee and accidentally spilling it all over your clothes and leaving a huge stain.

Now swap out the coffee for a glass of red wine, a melted chocolate bar or a number of other substances and almost everyone has had a similar experience.

But fear not because news.com.au has complied a list of the best ways to remove stains, which will have you confidently eating a big bowl of spaghetti bolognese while wearing a white shirt in no time, News.com.au.

Here are ten of the most common stains and how to get rid of them:

RED WINE

Nothing ruins a relaxing evening faster than spilling a glass of red wine on your clothes, lounge or carpet.

The best chance you have of getting this stain out is dabbing warm water on the area immediately and soaking up as much of the wine as possible.

Afterwards cover the area in salt. This will help absorb the wine and the salt should start to turn pink.

If it is an item of clothing you can either wash as normal or soak it overnight in your preferred detergent and then wash it.

If the stain is on carpet or upholstery you can vacuum up the salt and if the stain is still visible blot the area with a mix of dish washing liquid and water until the stain is gone.

MAKEUP

If you spill a blob of foundation on your clothes the first thing you should do is scrape the excess off, being careful not to push the foundation any further into the fabric. A butter knife or the edge of a card can work well in this situation.

After this apply a layer of shaving cream to the area and let it sit for a few minutes.

Then rub it into the stain using your fingers or a clean cloth. For stubborn stains you can also add some rubbing alcohol to the shaving cream and work it into the fabric.

Afterwards rinse the area with cold water and wash as normal.

For lipstick stains cover the area in hairspray and let it sit for about ten minutes.

Afterwards dab the stain with a wet cloth until it lifts, then wash as normal.

COFFEE

Run the area under cold water from the back of the stain to prevent it from penetrating further into the fabric.

Continue running cold water through the area for a few minutes until the water coming out of the other side runs clear.

If there is still a stain you can apply a bit of liquid laundry detergent or liquid dish soap and let it sit for a few minutes before working it into the fabric.

Remove the liquid with water and then wash as normal.

BLOOD

For fresh stains, rinse the area with cold water immediately and blot the stain until you have gotten as much excess blood off as possible.

After this dab a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on the stain and give it a scrub with an old toothbrush.

Allow the peroxide to sit for about 15 minutes. It may start fizzing, which means it is working.

After this rinse the item and wash as normal.

If the stain is on darker clothing and you are worried about removing the dye then you can also use dish washing soap to remove this stain as well.

TOMATO

The best chance you have of removing most stains is to treat the area straight away. Photo / Getty Images

This one works for any tomato-based substances.

The first step is to remove carefully remove any excess sauce with a butter knife or similar item, being careful not to push it into the fabric.

Then rinse the stain under cold water from the opposite side. As you are doing this, add some dish washing liquid and rub the area while running it under the water until the stain is mostly gone and then wash as normal.

SWEAT

To remove yellowing from sweat stains make a paste out of bicarb soda and water and cover the area.

Rub the mixture in for stubborn stains and let it dry for a couple of hours.

Then remove the paste and wash in the hottest water recommended for the fabric.

CHOCOLATE

The first step is to remove as much excess chocolate as possible. An easy way to do this is to refrigerate the item for a couple of minutes until the chocolate hardens.

This makes it easier to scrape off without spreading it over the fabric.

Next mix detergent with water and dab it on the stain until it disappears, then wash as normal.

MUD

This is one of the rare cases where working on the stain straight away can actually make it worse.

The best thing to do is wait until the mud is dry and then shake or brush as much of the dirt off as you can.

Apply liquid washing detergent and to the area and rub it in. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, occasionally working the detergent into the stain.

Afterwards rinse and wash as normal.

INK

A a bit of hairspray should do the trick on an ink stain. Photo / Getty Images

Like lipstick, this stain can also be lifted with hairspray.

Spray a liberal amount onto the stain and let it soak for a few minutes before blotting the stain with a clean cloth. Repeat as necessary.

If this doesn't work add a bit of rubbing alcohol to the area, sponge it in then rinse and wash as normal.

GRASS

Rinse the stain with cold water and rub in some laundry detergent to the area.

Methylated spirits will also help lift the green pigmentation caused by grass. You can dab a small amount on the area using a clean cloth and then rise with water.

After rinsing wash the item as usual.