News Article

For: May Issue

To: Gulf Coast Womens News

By: Linda K. Bowman, Ext. Agt. IV - Family & Consumer Sciences

Santa Rosa County Extension Service

Telephone: 850/623-3868 or 939-1259, ext. 1360

When Spring Stains Sprout

A Guide to Getting Them Out

When balmy spring weather arrives, everyone gravitates to the outdoors. A leisurely stroll for an ice cream cone, an afternoon spent gardening, or a jump-the-season picnic is often followed by mysterious stains.

Here are some tips for keeping your wardrobe as fresh and clean as a spring breeze. Act quickly. The longer a stain sets, the harder it will be to remove. But, before attempting to remove it, check for colorfastness. Using a white cloth, blot a small amount of the stain removal product on an inconspicuous place in the garment. If any trace of dye appears on the cloth, don’t use that product.

There are some special things to note about common spring stains.

Stains from condiments that don’t contain oil are easily removed with a quick application of a prewash stain remover or liquid laundry detergent.

Oil-based condiments — hamburgers and other greasy foods — should be pretreated with a prewash stain remover and then laundered in the hottest water that’s safe for the fabric.

For chocolate stains, treat with a prewash stain remover. Launder as recommended for the fabric. If the stain remains, rewash using a bleach that’s safe for the fabric.

Ice cream stains and egg stains should be pretreated or soaked using a product containing enzymes. Soak for a least 30 minutes. Soak several hours if the stain is old. Launder as recommended for the fabric.

To remove fruit and juice stains, wash with bleach that’s safe for the fabric.

Grass and mud stains are as inevitable as springtime daffodils. To remove grass stains, use a prewash stain remover or soak in a product containing enzymes. If the stain persists, launder using bleach that’s safe for the fabric. Before tackling mud stains, be sure the mud is dry, then brush off as much as possible. For light stains, pretreat with a paste of granular detergent and water, liquid laundry detergent or a liquid detergent booster. For heavy mud stains, pretreat or presoak with a laundry detergent.

For further information contact: Linda Bowman, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent, The University of Florida--Santa Rosa County Cooperative Extension Service--IFAS, at (850)623-3868 or (850)939-1259, Ext. 1360 for south county residents, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays. Hearing-impaired individuals may call Santa Rosa County Emergency Management Service at 983-5373 (TDD).

Extension Service programs are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap or national origin. The use of trade names in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information. It is not a guarantee, warranty, or endorsement of the product name(s) and does not signify that they are approved to the exclusion of others.