THINGS YOUR LAUNDRYMAN WOULD NEVER TELL YOU 3

HOW TO REMOVE PLANTAIN SAP STAINS 

FROM CLOTHES 

Plantain stains? Does that sound familiar? At some time you must have had some nasty experience with plantains/unripe bananas, unless you never had anything to do with the kitchen. During peeling, plantains and unripe bananas ooze a white sap that turns brown on exposure to air. This can wreak serious havoc on cloth and cooking utensils. On cooking utensils, rubbing oil on the utensil before washing off with liquid soap can help. But on clothes, plantain stains are usually permanent and cannot be removed by common washing detergent. But there is hope. Below are 4 different ways on how to remove them easily by yourself.

1. Alcohol: According to an article by LifeTips.com, alcohol is known to remove chlorophyll and other botanical stains. Depending on the type of fabric, alcohol may not completely remove the plantain/banana stain, but it may fade it so it appears less conspicuous. Soak the stained cloth in a bowl filled with rubbing alcohol for half an hour. Then wash the garment as usual on the warmest setting recommended for the fabric. If the plantain stained a small spot on the fabric, dab the spot with rubbing alcohol several times before washing.
2. Lemon Juice: According to Useful Cooking Tips, remove plantain stains can be removed from the hands by applying lemon juice. Likewise for clothing, apply lemon juice to the affected area(s), allow the lemon juice to dry on the clothing before washing off in warm water.

NB: Lemon juice can bleach some coloured garments, as such, you may want to test a small area before dousing your garment.

3. Vinegar: Here we come again with vinegar. Because of its high acidity, vinegar is effective in removing most difficult stains from fabrics. Soak the stain in a solution of equal parts white vinegar and warm water. After soaking the fabric, apply the vinegar directly to the stain. Then wash the garment as you normally would use your preferred laundry soap and warm water.
4. Salt: According to the Indian Beauty Blog, plantain or raw banana sap stains can be removed by immersing the stained fabric in concentrated salt solution. Allow the garment to soak for two to four hours, and then wash it in warm water.

Do not hesitate to comment if you got any other home tips to add on removing plantain/banana sap stains from clothing. 

Up next: How to remove paint stains from clothing.

THINGS YOUR LAUNDRYMAN WILL NEVER TELL YOU 2

10 WAYS TO REMOVE SWEAT STAINS FROM CLOTHES

Sweat, especially when it combines with chemicals in antiperspirants and deodorants, can cause stains under the armpits of shirts. This can cause a nice shirt to look untidy. To remove this type of stain, there are various methods that can be used. It would be rather surprising to know that each of these methods would probably require the use of something in your kitchen or medicine cabinet. They are: 

1.        WASHING DETERGENT: Before you use any of these alternative methods, try soaking the clothing in warm water containing laundry detergent. Allow to sit for 3-4 hours before rinsing off. If the sweat stain persists, as it most times happen on white fabrics, try the following.

NB: This method is not recommended for coloured clothing as some laundry detergents tend to decolorize clothing.

2.        ASPIRIN: Crush 2 tablets of aspirin and mix with ½ cup of warm water. Soak the clothing in it for 2-3 hours before washing. OR

3.        TABLE SALT: Sponge affected part of fabric with a solution of hot water and table salt before laundering. OR

4.        LEMON JUICE: Douse sweat stains with equal parts lemon juice and water. Allow to sit for some time. Thereafter, rub the stains with your fingers until the stain lifts. Rinse with clean water and allow to dry. OR

5.        WHITE VINEGAR: Turn the shirt inside out and douse the underarm area with full-strength white vinegar.  Completely soak the area and let it set a few minutes up to an hour.  Using an old toothbrush, slightly brush the area and gently rub the vinegar into the stain. Wash off thereafter with warm water and dry. OR

6.        BAKING SODA: Add water to baking soda and make a paste of it. Then apply the paste to the stain. Allow it to sit for an hour to a few before washing. OR

7.        HYDROGEN PEROXIDE: mix equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and water. Add the resulting solution to sweat stain and let sit for a 30 mins before washing off.

8.        MEAT TENDERIZER: Meat tenderizer contains enzymes that help to dissolve the sweat stain. Moisten the sweat/deodorant stain with warm water. Sprinkle the stain liberally with meat tenderizer. Work the meat tenderizer in the stain with your fingers. Allow the stained garment to sit for 30-60 minutes. Launder as usual. Repeat the process if need be. 

9.        BORAX: Run warm water through the stain. Sprinkle on a generous amount of Borax - don’t go crazy, but use enough so that you can see it like a good shake of salt on the stain. Rub it together with your fingers. Launder as usual.

10.    SALT AND VINEGAR: Salt and vinegar is a miraculous ingredient in removing stains too. Mix 1 cup salt, 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups hot water, 1 Tbs. dish washing liquid together. Soak your stained garments for 1-2 hours then launder as usual.

 

THINGS YOUR LAUNDRYMAN WILL NEVER TELL YOU 1

HOW TO REMOVE RUST STAINS FROM FABRIC

No one loves clothes with stains on them, especially rust stains. They could be very annoying. And rust is one of the most difficult stains to remove, especially when they have been on the clothes for a long time. Rust stains cannot be removed by normal laundering. However, there are a variety of ways they can be removed. You probably have a laundryman that takes care of your clothes, but there is no harm done if you know these basic facts.

These methods are as follows:

1.      Lemon juice and salt: Lemon juice and salt are readily available, much less toxic and will often give great results. Lay the stained area over a towel. Sprinkle some salt on the stain. Squeeze lemon juice onto the salt and let the saturated area sit in the sun. Keep moistening the stain with lemon juice until it goes away. The sun and lemon juice together will bleach the stain out of the fabric. But before you apply it on the stains, first test on an inconspicuous spot to see if fading or bleaching occurs. If it does, well, you know best not to go on with it. You should have no problems with white fabrics.

2.      Lemon juice and steam: Spread the stained area over a bucket of steaming hot water. Make sure the flame is off so you don't start a fire. Sprinkle lemon juice on the stain and let sit for some minutes. Thereafter, rinse the stain. Repeat as necessary.

3.      Vinegar and Salt: This works especially well on old stains that has been washed and dried before. Moisten a soft cloth with white vinegar and blot the stained area with the vinegar soaked cloth.  Rub a thin layer of salt together with the vinegar onto the stains. Then allow it to sit on top of a towel in direct sunlight. Thereafter, rinse in water.

4.      Commercial rust remover: If all else fails, use some commercial rust stain remover. The remover ingredients combine with the iron and loosen it from the fabric, then hold it in suspension in the wash water. The compounds are poisonous if ingested, extremely toxic and can burn skin and damage appliance finishes. Use them carefully according to the manufacturers' directions, and rinse the clothes thoroughly. Just apply a few drops on the stain(s) and allow it to soak. Thereafter, rinse with water. Any acid remaining deteriorates fabrics so make sure to rinse a second time before hanging out to dry.

ADDITIONAL TIPS:

• If after treatment, the stains remain, you can repeat the steps.
• Do not put the clothing in the dryer because high heat will set the rust stains.
• Using chlorine bleach will make them permanent, so, avoid it.
• Do not dry the garment until the stain is completely removed. The heat from the dryer will set the stain and make it harder to remove.
• For sensitive fabrics, such as wool and silk, the best thing to do is to meet a professional laundryman.