How to Remove Food Coloring Stains From Clothes

Getting a stain on your favorite item of clothing is never fun, and it's especially annoying when that stain is food coloring. Food coloring is extremely difficult to get out of fabric completely, and it has a tendency to bleed, turning a small stain into a big one quickly. Fortunately, there are some tricks that will help you get food coloring stains out of even the most delicate fabrics.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Laundry detergent
• Bleach (optional)
• Stain remover (optional)

1. Identify and treat the stain as quickly as possible. Food coloring, like other stains, is much more difficult to get out if it has time to set.

2. Rinse the stain thoroughly with cool water. Be sure to isolate the stain and run the water through the fabric so that waste water (with food coloring residue) doesn't run over the unstained areas.

3. Pretreat the stain. Use your favorite laundry detergent, a pretreating spray or a dilute bleach solution (on white items) to pretreat the stain. Apply the product generously to the stained area after testing for colorfastness and work into the stain with your fingers or a soft brush. Allow to sit for at least two hours.

4. Wash item. Items should be washed according to manufacturer's directions.

5. Dry item. Check the stained area and make sure the stain is completely gone before drying the item---the heat from the dryer will set the stain. If the stain remains, repeat Steps 3 and 4 until the stain is completely removed.

References

• Stain Removal at eHow.com