If there is one sure thing in life, it's that your kids will destroy their clothes one chocolate ice cream spill at a time. Lucky for us, the textile experts at the University of Illinois Extension have published an enormous, comprehensive list of stain solving solutions. Take a peek at the full list or check out some of the usual suspects, below.
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Candy
What you'll need:
- 3% Hydrogen peroxide
How to do it:
- Blot up as much of the stain as is possible by blotting with a white paper towel or scraping with a dull knife. A wet vacuum is useful if a large quantity of liquid was spilled.
- Apply a small quantity of detergent solution to the spot. (To make the detergent solution mix 1/4 teaspoon of a hand dishwashing detergent which does not contain lanolin or bleach with 1 quart of water.) Use a blotting motion to work the detergent into the affected area. If spot is being removed continue applying detergent and blotting with a white paper towel until spot is removed.
- Rinse with tap water using a spray bottle, blot to remove excess moisture.
- Spray lightly with water, do not blot this time; apply pad of paper towels and brick and allow to dry.
- If there is still some stain on the carpet and blotting is not removing it, then moisten the tufts in the stained area with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Let stand for one hour. Blot and repeat until carpet is stain free. Light will cause peroxide to change back to water so no rinsing is necessary. Apply pad of paper towels and weight down with brick.
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Felt Tip Marker
What you’ll need:
- Pretreatment laundry stain remover
- Heavy-duty liquid detergent
- Chlorine bleach or oxygen bleach
- Dry cleaning solvent
- Absorbent paper towels
How to do it:
- Saturate area with pretreatment laundry stain remover (aerosol types work better on greasy stains). Wait one minute for product to penetrate the stain. For stubborn stains, rub with heavy-duty liquid detergent. Launder immediately.
- If color stain remains, soak/wash in chlorine bleach if safe for fabric, or in oxygen bleach.
- For extra heavy stains, apply dry cleaning solvent to back of the stain over absorbent paper towels. Let dry, rinse. Proceed as above.
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Grass
What you’ll need:
- White vinegar
- Rubbing alcohol
How to do it:
- Mix one tablespoon of white vinegar with 2/3 cup of rubbing alcohol.
- Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with the vinegar/alcohol solution.
- Blot until the liquid is absorbed.
- Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the stain disappears.
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Fruit Punch
What you’ll need:
- Detergent
- Ammonia
- White vinegar
- Rubbing alcohol
How to do it:
- Mix one teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent and one tablespoon of ammonia with two cups of warm water. (Caution: Never mix chlorine bleach and ammonia—fumes are hazardous.)
- Using a clean white cloth, sponge the stain with the detergent/ammonia solution.
- Blot until the liquid is absorbed.
- Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the stain disappears or is no longer absorbed into the cloth.
- If the stain remains, mix one tablespoon of liquid dishwashing detergent and one tablespoon of white vinegar with two cups of warm water.
- Sponge the stain with the detergent/vinegar solution.
- Blot until the liquid is absorbed.
- Repeat Steps 6 and 7 until the stain disappears or is no longer absorbed into the cloth.
- Sponge the stain with rubbing alcohol.
- Blot until the liquid is absorbed.
- Sponge with cold water and blot dry.