Common stains and remedies

We’ve all been there. A fantastic shirt, pristine and white – utterly ruined by a curry, a sauce or a spill of something pigmented.

It’s horrible, and can immediately feel like the money spent (usually a small fortune) on the shirt was a total write-off.

Fear not, you don’t need to go out looking like a hobo, or admit to a more domestically-fluent friend, family member or loved one that you messed up your shirt.

Instead, you can follow these common remedies to some of the most likely stains you’ll encounter.

1) Make sure you go about dealing with any stain with water as fast as you can.

2) Keep it away from any kind of heat source as it can cause it to set in.

3) Avoid any kind of pressure, too; dab lightly and be cautious; this is just to stop the majority of it spreading and setting.

The wetness might look a touch embarrassing, but it can stop the stain from ruining that shirt, coat or whatever you have spilled something on.

 

Materials

Wool

Wool is probably the hardest to deal with for most gents.

For anything made of wool, which you are likely to have plenty of, you need to be very gentle.

Wool does not handle heat well, so you need to soak it and then lay it down flat.

Use a detergent that expressly states it is for wool; avoid any form of bleach or acidic-based treatment.

Get it dry cleaned if you can; it’s more likely to give you a better result.

 

Cotton

Cotton clothing is relatively common and quite easy to handle.

Avoid any kind of dry heat, but warm water will be fine.

White cotton can be bleached, but will make the fabric very rough so avoid if you can.

Most of the time, vinegar and lemon juice can make a strong combination for getting a coloured cotton item nice and clean without too much stress.

 

Synthetics

If you are wearing a synthetic-material then it really does depend on the material; you would do best to check the label or get them to a dry-cleaner.

 

Common Remedies

What about home remedies you can use in an emergency on everyday objects, though?

Salt

Believe it or not, salt is great for this exact issue. When put on top of most wetted stains it will begin to absorb a lot of it. Useful for dealing with everything from blood stains to wine stains.

 

Water

Water will do the trick with most things and is suitable for just about everything. Won’t be too great for greasy or oily stains, usually needs something else with it to do proper cleaning work.

 

“Acids”

Acidic treatments like lemon juice and vinegar work very well, too, so be sure to try them out at one stage if you can. It’s terrible for wool, though, as it will just ruin it, so avoid at all costs!

 

Using the above, you should be a little bit more likely to avoid an absolute disaster when getting ready for a night out.

Be sure always to have a backup look, though; the damage might mean it needs to be cleaned overnight or professionally beforehand!