THINGS YOUR LAUNDRYMAN WILL NEVER TELL YOU 6

How to Remove Ink Stains from Clothing

Before you embark on removing ink stains, first of all find out the type of ink. It cloud be water-based, ball-point pen ink or permanent ink. Water-based inks are pretty much easier to remove; permanent inks can really be very difficult, so are ball-point pen inks. Here are some suggestions to remove the ink from washable clothing at home. However, it is best to act very fast because once they set, ink stains can be very stubborn to remove.

1. WATER-BASED INKS:

Lay the stained clothing on top of a clean dry towel or cloth. Apply water to the stained area and blot with another clean cloth. While you blot, the stain will begin to transfer onto the cleaning cloth. Apply a small amount of liquid laundry detergent onto the ink stain and allow the fabric to sit for about 5 minutes. Using the hottest water recommend for the fabric type, wash normally.

Before drying, check to make sure the entire stain was removed. If any trace of the stained area remains, repeat the steps above. Drying the stained area before everything is removed will make it nearly impossible to remove later.

2. PERMANENT INK STAINS

Permanent ink is a very difficult stain to remove. If it is a white fabric and bleaching does not remove the ink, the following tips may help to at least fade the stain.

1. Alcohol/Methylated Spirit: Either of these is ideal to remove ink stains, especially if they have not dried and set.

Soak the affected part in rubbing alcohol or methylated spirit, and then wash as normal. The alcohol would neutralize the pigment in the ink and make it disappear. OR

Grab a clean white towel and put the stained item on top. The white towel is to absorb the ink that would leach from the stained fabric in the course of treatment.

Dip a clean cotton swab into rubbing alcohol and dab at the stained spot of the clothing. Repeat as many times as possible with a fresh swab while moving the garment to a clean dry section of the towel to keep from picking back up any of the removed ink. Repeat till the stain is gone. Thereafter, Dip another fresh cotton swab or sponge into cold water and dab the area to remove the alcohol from the fabric. For best results, let the fabric dry before trying to remove the ink stains again. Rubbing alcohol works best on a dry fabric, but after each application you must rinse it with water several times.

2. Ammonia/methylated spirit/vinegar: Soak the stained clothing in a mixture of 1 part ammonia to 2 parts methylated spirit. Add vinegar to neutralize the ammonia. Thereafter, wash as usual.
3. Fingernail Polish Remover: The ladies will definitely find this easy to procure, though most never know it could work wonders in removing inks. This works best for dried stubborn stains as this is a very strong reagent. Before applying, be sure to test first on an inconspicuous area of the clothing. The chances are that it could damage the fabric. It nothing happens, blot in the same way as you did with the rubbing alcohol. Thereafter, rinse properly and dry.
4. Milk: I do not understand how this works, but folks testify to the stain-removal abilities of milk. After dabbing up the excess fresh ink with paper towels, soak the stain in milk for half an hour. Wash as usual. Or, you may want to heat the milk first to lukewarm. Pour the lukewarm milk into a suitable container and soak the stained part of the garment in the warm milk as soon as possible. Rinse after soaking and wash as usual.

3. BALL-POINT PEN INKS

Ball-point pen inks are not as difficult to remove as permanent inks. Try the alcohol and/or fingernail polish remover treatments as for permanent inks above.

The above are tips you can use to remove ink stains at home. If after trying the above methods the ink stains are still not removed from your clothing, do not hesitate to try a professional drycleaner for help.

Do you know of any other method to remove ink stains? Comment, please.

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THINGS YOUR LAUNDRYMAN WILL NEVER TELL YOU 5

How to Remove Blood Stains

You must have had some encounter from blood stains. It could be from a cut finger, bleeding nose, or menstrual flow on your favorite white cotton panties. When dried, blood stains could be very hard to remove because on exposure to air, the hemoglobin in the blood would bind with the fibers in clothing. It is easiest to remove blood when it is still wet.

1.      Saline solution: The best and easiest way to remove a blood stain, especially fresh, is with saline (salt water). The Red Blood Cells are filled with protein (high osmolality) and need to be in osmotic balance with their surrounding fluid. If exposed to water (low osmolality), the water will rush into the cells, bursting them. A saline solution (higher osmolality) would tend to shrink them, making the blood more removable from the fabric.

Make a saline solution from 1 cup of salt with 2 quarts water. Let the stain soak in the solution for 30 minutes. Thereafter, blot off the stain carefully with a cotton cloth dipped in the salt solution. This will remove the stain with no damage to the fabric, and no one would tell it ever got stained before.

2.      Hydrogen Peroxide: If the above method does not work for you, you may as well want to try dabbing a little bit of hydrogen peroxide on the stain and rinse. Hydrogen peroxide can wear down the fibers of your clothing and weaken the fabric, so you might want to be careful when applying it. When the stain is removed, wash the clothing in cold water with detergent or mild soap depending on the specifications of the fabric.

3.      Other methods: Other methods recommended include soaking the stain in milk overnight and then washing. 

You may as well try spitting on it, especially if it is your own blood. It may work even better to rub with both spit and mild soap simultaneously. Sounds bizarre. Ain’t it?

NB: Never use warm water. Arm water speeds up the setting process and makes the blood stain more difficult to remove.

 UP NEXT: HOW TO REMOVE INK STAINS FROM CLOTHING

THINGS YOUR LAUNDRYMAN WILL NEVER TELL YOU 4

HOW DO I REMOVE PAINT STAINS FROM FABRIC

The method for paint stains removal depends on the type of paint that got on the clothing. Paint stains can be water-based paint (latex) or oil-based paint. With either type of paint, it is best to remove the stains before it dries on the clothing. If you can't treat it right away, keep the area wet until you can. These techniques are for washable fabrics. For dry-clean only garments or home accessories take to a reputable cleaner immediately.

Water-based paints

Water-based paint stains are much easier to remove, especially when not dried.

1.     First, flush the fabric from the wrong side with a stream of warm water. Soak the cloth in a washing detergent-water solution for some time before scrubbing gently with a brush till the paint is gone.

2.     If the stain persists, try kerosene. I have personally used kerosene on paint-stained clothes before and it worked well. Apply some drops kerosene on the stains. Then rub vigorously with the fingers or scrub lightly with brush. Thereafter, wash off with detergent, rinse and dry. Repeat the steps if stain persists before drying.

3.     Use alcohol. In most cases, if you are allergic or uncomfortable with the use of kerosene, try alcohol. Pour some quantity of rubbing alcohol on the affected part(s) of the clothing. Scrub gently and launder as usual.

4.     If the paint has dried, Use a dull knife or the edge of a credit card to gently scrape away the paint the dried paint. Thereafter, try any of the above methods. 

Oil-Based Paint

1.     First, wipe off any paint as you can from the fabric (if the paint has not dried).

2.     Place the fabric on a towel to help absorb any paint that would seep through the back of the fabric.

3.     Pour some quantity of paint thinner or turpentine on the stains.

4.     Scrub off the paint with brush or with another cloth folded into a pad.

5.     Repeat the process till much of the paint is gone.

6.     Thereafter, soak the fabric overnight in a solution of washing detergent and water before washing off. By then the paint must have gone.

Feel free to leave a comment behind. And do not hesitate to share the information.

UP NEXT: HOW TO REMOVE BLOOD STAINS FROM CLOTHING

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.