How to Remove Most Stains in Fabric

Need to remove a bad food stain from a tablecloth, grass stains from pants, blood from sheets, or formula stains on babyclothes, well this is a surefire stain remover. It will also whiten whites such as socks and underwear and will not harm colors

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Washing machine, sink or plastic dish pan.
• granular dishwashing soap
• liquid bleach

1. Fill your washing machine, laundry tub, sink or dish pan with the hottest water your have available.

2. Measure equal amounts of granular dishwashing detergent and bleach.
   For a washing machine I recommend 1/2 cup each. For a smaller container such as a small laundry tub or deep sink , a tablespoon of each.

3. Add the bleach and dish detg. granuals to the hot water. Agitate your machine for a minute or two to mix well, or if a sink or tub agitate to mix with a large plastic spoon.

4. Add your fabric. If its a washing machine - agitate for 5 minutes, lift the cover and allow to soak for 20-30 minutes. In a sink or tub submerse the fabric and allow it to soak for 15-30 minutes. Your fabric does not have to be wet first and color is not a problem. The combination of the bleach and granuals does something chemically so color is not stripped out. This method had been used to remove blood from navy blue sheets, splattered hair dye which had dried from a white/blue plaid fabric shower curtain, and grass stains from the elbows of a red sweatshirt, and the knees of jeans. Colored fabric does not fade, as long as you have mixed or agitated the bleach and granuals first.

5. After the clothing or fabric has soaked I then add laundry detergent and run the machine full cycle. If hand soaking, add a small amount of laundry detg, swish and squeeze the item, then rinse well. I recommend if you dry the item in a dryer, use the air only cycle with as little heat as possible, or hang the item to air dry.

Tips & Warnings

• The very hot water should not be scary. It will not fade colors. I have used this cleaning method to remove stains on everything from vintage ladies floral hankies, sheets, colored tee shirts, sweatshirts, dress shirts, jeans, dishtowels, shower curtains etc. As long as you used equal amounts (measure well) of the bleach and granular dishwashing detergent you will be ok. I buy the really cheap dishwaster detg in the box from my local dollar store.
• If your skin is delicate, do not mix the bleach and granuals with your hand in a tub or sink. Use a big plastic spoon. Do not use a metal spoon. And always, always, run a full rinse cycle on your washing machine, or rinse a couple of full sinkfuls if hand rinsing.