How to Clean Yellowed Age Stains
Remove yellow age stains by making your own stain removing paste. These stains come from old sweat and oxidized spills. Deodorant causes these marks when sweat leaks past the perspiration fighting agent and causes the runoff to settle on your shirt. You have two options to eliminate the problem: apply a stain remover or prevent the stains from happening. You can prevent stains by storing your clothes properly and purchasing outfits that keep over time. You also can buy a stain removing solution from a store. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Bleach
- White vinegar
- Towel
- Clothing care instructions
- Clothesline
- Clothes hangers
- Fabric storage bags
Instructions
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Apply Stain Remover
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Soak the clothing in cold water for 30 minutes.
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If you're using a commercial stain remover, before you soak the clothing, blot the yellowed stains with a cloth or tissue to absorb excess moisture after the stain's first appearance.
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3
Combine 2 parts white vinegar to 3 parts baking soda to make your own stain remover. Make the solution before application. Apply directly to the stained area.
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4
Apply the homemade stain remover to a small towel. Scrub the stain with the towel for 15 to 20 seconds.
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If you're using commercial stain remover, rub the commercial stain remover into the areas. Start at the back sides of the affected areas and then move to the front sides of the stains.
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Add the correct bleach (color safe or chlorine, depending on clothing type) to clean your clothes. Check the clothing's care label for instructions about the appropriate cycle and bleach. Wash on the hottest cycle you can. Run on a warm cycle for wools and use a slightly warmer cycle for nylon.
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Hang the clothes on a line until the stain is removed.
Preventing Stains
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Wash your clothes or have them dry cleaned before storage.
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Store clothes in fabric bags to protect them -- avoid plastic bags. Wrap clothes using an old bed sheet if you do not have fabric bags.
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Purchase durable clothing. Find high-quality clothes that last by paying attention to the seams on the fabric. Grip the material where the seams come together. Gently pull the fabric apart. Check to see if the material tears slightly. If the material stretches apart, it is of a low quality. Two inches of hemline on pants also point toward long lasting fabric.Try to avoid silk fabric because it develops yellow stains as the material ages.
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Tips & Warnings
Apply stain remover to a hidden part of the affected outfit to avoid damaging clothes while testing the solution.
Change towels often to keep the stain from getting worse.
Make stain remover just before application to avoid problems with the mixture.
Heat allows a stain to set in. Don't iron your clothes until the stain is removed.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images
