Stain Removal

Front 1

Ballpoint ink

Back 1

Rub lightly w cotton swab soaked in denatured spirit or methylated spirit. It may be soaked in glycerine to soften it and then treated

Front 2

Betal leaf (paan)

Back 2

Bleach with 1% potassium permanganate (the fabric turns brown) then soak in 1% oxalic acid or 1% sodium bisulphite (till brown colour disappears). Launder

Front 3

Blood/Chocolate, cocoa

Back 3

Soak in cold water for about an hour. Then transfer to lukewarm water containing an enzyme detergent. Soak for 30 mins. Launder

Or

Soak the stain in acetic acid for about 2 hours. Rub gently. Neutralize with ammonia sol.

Front 4

Candle wax

Back 4

Scrape off surface wax with a blunt knife. Place the stain b/w 2 sheets of tissue paper or blotting paper and press w warm iron

Front 5

Catechu (kathha)

Back 5

Apply a dilute sol. of potassium permanganate on the stain. Apply sodium bisulphate and treat with solvent soap.

Front 6

Chewing gum

Back 6

Remove surface gum with a blunt knife. Apply ice to the stain. Allow to soak in ice-cold water for a few minutes. Launder

Front 7

Coffee, tea

Back 7

Pour boiling water over the stain. Apply borax sol and allow to dry. Pour boiling water over it. Launder

Front 8

Curry (turmeric and oil)

Back 8

Apply soap and then bleach in sunlight. When dry, if the stain has not disappeared, wet it and put it back in sunlight again.

Or

Wash w soap and water. Put in the sun to bleach. Apply borax. Soak in potassium permanganate. Bleach with javelle water.

Front 9

Dye

Back 9

Steep the fabric in water. Wash with soap. Treat with ammonia. Treat w acetic acid. Bleach w javelle water if required.

Front 10

Egg

Back 10

Soak in enzyme detergent or in warm salt sol. Launder

Front 11

Fruit, fruit juice

Back 11

White fabrics may be bleached with sodium hypochlorite. Coloured fabrics may be soaked in warm borax sol. Launder

Or

Apply starch paste on the stain and leave for one hour. Rub off the paste. Pour boiling water over it. Rub borax and salt over the stain. Pour boiling water over it

Front 12

Ghee, Oil

Back 12

Rub French chalk on the stain and brush off. Repeat if required. Wash with soap and warm water. If the stain still remains, wash with a solvent.

Front 13

Grass

Back 13

Steep methylated spirit. Bleach if required. Launder

Front 14

Grease

Back 14

Dab w swab soaked in a solvent. Launder with hot water

Front 15

Gum, glue

Back 15

Steep in hot water containing a few drops of glycerine. Launder in hot water

Front 16

Henna

Back 16

Soak in warm milk for half an hour. Launder

Front 17

Ice cream, milk

Back 17

Rinse through with cold water and launder or apply petrol or carbon tetrachloride. Launder

Front 18

Ink - blue and balck

Back 18

Hold under running water to remove as much of the ink as possible. Then treat using one of the following methods: Apply lime juice and salt and leave for 30 minutes and launderOrSoak in sour milk or curd for 30 minutes and launder.

OrSteep in dilute oxalic acid for 10 minutes and rinse thoroughly in dilute borax solution. Launder.

Front 19

Ink - red

Back 19

Wash the stain with soap and water. Steep in borax solution. Treat as for dye stain if it still remains.

Front 20

Iodine

Back 20

For fresh, wet stain, apply starch paste and leave it to absorb the stain. For a dry stain, steep in 1% sodium thiosulphate sol. Afterwards, in both cases, launder as usual

Front 21

Lipstick 💄

Back 21

Soften the stain by working glycerine into it. Apply methylated spirit. Launder

Front 22

Makeup (mascara, rouge)

Back 22

Sponge with denatured alcohol or petrol or ammonia. Launder in hot water.

Front 23

Med

Back 23

Steep in warm water. Wash with soap and water. Steep in oxalic acid. Wash with borax sol. Steep in methyl alcohol. Bleach.

Front 24

Mildew

Back 24

Soak the stain in dilute potassium permanganate (1% solution) for 15 minutes. Rinse in cold water once. Dip in warm 1% solution of sodium bisulphite till the brown colour of thebrown colour of the potassium permanganate disappears. Launder.OrBrush mildew off the fabric. Wash with soap and water. Bleach in the sun. Soak lime juice. Spread salt over it. If the stain persists, bleach with Javelle water.

Front 25

Mustard

Back 25

Scrape off excess mustard. Work a little perchloroethylene into stain. Allow to dry. Soak in water and vinegar. Flush with water. If stain persists, bleach for 10 minutes in hydrogen peroxide solution to which a drop of ammonia has been added. Launder.

Front 26

Mud

Back 26

Allow the garment to dry and dust off as much of the mud as possible, then soak the stain in an alkaline bath (20 g/litre of sodium carbonate) for a couple of hours. Launder

Or

Brush off the mud when dry, Wash with soap and water. If the stain remains, treat it with potassium permanganate and oxalic acid. Bleach with Javelle water

Front 27

Nail polish

Back 27

Place the stain against a clean absorbent towel and dab with a cotton swab soaked in acetoneor a mixture of acetone and amyl acetate or a commercial nail polish remover. After a few dabs, shift the stain to a clean area of the towel. Repeat till the stain disappears. Launder. This process cannot be followed for acetate fabrics.

Front 28

Paint, varnish

Back 28

Follow the same process as for nail polish, but as remover, use turpentine or kerosene or denatured spirit.

Front 29

Perspiration

Back 29

Soak in 1% oxalic acid for 10 minutes. Rinse through with water and soak for 10 minutes in hydrogen peroxide.

Front 30

Perfume

Back 30

Do not let the stain age. Wash immediately, preferably in hot water. A weak solution of acetic acid or ethyl alcohol helps. Bleach if required.

Front 31

Rust

Back 31

A patented rust remover may be used or the stain may be soaked in cold 1% oxalic acid for about 15 minutes. Rinse in dilute borax solution and then launder.

Front 32

Sealing wax Scorch marks

Back 32

First use methylated spirit to soften the stain. Then remove with perchloroethylene. Launder.Bleach with hydrogen peroxide or with sodium perborate. Launder.OrWash with water and soap. Bleach it in sunlight. Rub dry borax over the stain and wash. Step in dilute ammonia and expose to sunlight.

Front 33

Shoe polish

Back 33

Sponge with liquid detergent. Steep the stain in carbon tetrachloride or turpentine. If the stain is old, soften with glycerine first. Bleach if required.

Front 34

Soot

Back 34

Apply starch paste and launder

Front 35

Tar

Back 35

First scrape off surface excess with a blunt knife. Lay on clean cloth and rub with oil and grease. Launder in hot water

Front 36

Urine, vomit

Back 36

Treat as perspiration

Or

Apply ethyl alcohol and allow to evaporate. Then apply chloroform and allow to evaporate. Launder