“12 Stain-Busting Hacks to Save Your Favourite Clothes”

We’ve all been there – you’re enjoying a nice glass of red wine when suddenly, disaster strikes. Before you know it, your favorite white shirt is sporting a lovely Merlot-colored splotch. But don’t panic! I’ve spent countless hours testing various stain removal methods, and I’m here to share my top 12 hacks for banishing those pesky marks.

The best part? You won’t need to shell out for pricey stain removers. These tricks use common household items you probably already have lying around. So, let’s roll up our sleeves and dive into the wonderful world of DIY stain removal!

1. Blood

Yikes! Blood stains can be tricky, but here’s what works for me:

Rinse with cold water ASAP (hot water’s a no-no – it’ll set the stain!)
Soak in cold saltwater for a few hours
Dab on some hydrogen peroxide or make a paste with baking soda and water
Wash with an enzyme detergent on cold

2. Grass

For those post-picnic green marks:

Scrape off any excess grass
Pre-treat with liquid dish soap (it’s my secret weapon!)
For delicates, try dabbing with methylated spirits
Wash in the hottest water the fabric can handle

3. Red Wine

Don’t cry over spilled wine – try this instead:

Blot (don’t rub!) with a clean cloth
Cover with salt or pour white wine over it (fighting fire with fire, right?)
Rinse with cold water
Apply a paste of baking soda and water
Wash as usual

4. Grease

Greasy pizza or chip stains, be gone!

Sprinkle with cornstarch or baby powder to absorb the grease
Let it sit for 15-30 minutes
Brush off the powder
Apply dish soap directly to the stain
Wash in hot water

5. Coffee

For those inevitable morning spills (after the third coffee of the day trying to wake yourself up!):

Blot with cold water
Mix equal parts white vinegar and water, apply to the stain
Let it sit for 15 minutes
Rinse with cold water
If it’s stubborn, try a baking soda paste before washing

6. Ink

We’ve all put a pen in our pocket and then found it has leaked, right? No problem try this:

Place a paper towel under the stain
Dab with rubbing alcohol or hairspray (yes, really!)
Keep replacing the paper towel as it absorbs the ink
Once no more ink transfers, rinse with cold water and wash

7. Mud

After a muddy adventure with the kids or dogs, this will save you from mucky messes staining:

Let it dry completely (I know it’s hard to wait, but trust me)
Scrape off as much as you can
Pre-treat with liquid detergent
Wash in warm water
Repeat if needed before drying

8. Tomato Sauce

Ketchup bottle top wasn’t screwed on tight? Or bolognaise bubbled from the pan? Panic not…

Scrape off excess sauce
Run cold water through the back of the stain
Pre-treat with liquid detergent
Wash in the hottest water safe for the fabric
For stubborn stains, try a vinegar and water mix before rewashing

9. Sweat

Yellow underarm stains happen to the best of us. Hey, it proves you’ve been exercising properly! But here’s how to get rid of the evidence from your clothes:

Mix equal parts white vinegar and water
Apply to the stain and let sit for 30 minutes
Wash with an enzyme detergent
For white clothes, lemon juice works wonders too
If possible, dry in the sun – UV light helps break down sweat stains

10. Chocolate

Hands up who loves a late night choc feast? And it’s not till you goto bed and realise flakes of chocolate dropped onto your lap (and if you’re really unlucky, sofa and carpet too), and melted. Here’s how to sort it:

Scrape off excess chocolate
Rinse the back of the stain with cold water
Pre-treat with dish soap
Wash in warm water
For stubborn marks, try a baking soda paste before rewashing

11. Mustard

Mustard (the powder or the paste) is amazing in so many foods, but here’s what I do when it get on your clothes by mistake:

Scrape off excess mustard
Dab with white vinegar
Rinse with cold water
Pre-treat with liquid detergent
Wash in hot water
Repeat if necessary before drying

12. Oil

Whether it’s cooking oil or motor oil, it looks a proper mess on your clothes. But follow these tips to get rid of it:

Blot excess with a paper towel
Sprinkle with cornstarch or baby powder
Let it sit for 15-30 minutes to absorb the oil
Brush off the powder
Pre-treat with dish soap
Wash in hot water
Air dry and check – repeat if needed

And there you have it – our tried-and-true stain-busting arsenal!

Remember, the key is to act fast and avoid heat until the stain is gone.

With these tricks up your sleeve, you’ll be ready to tackle almost any laundry disaster and avoid throwing our perfectly good clothes – saving you money, and saving more unnecessary textiles going into landfil!

PLEASE SHARE THESE TIPS WHOEVER NEEDS TO THEM

Thanks to the following writers who help with our research into the above tips!

[1] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-make-your-blog-posts-sound-morehuman-glenn-leibowitz
[2] https://www.thesideblogger.com/one-writing-trick-to-sound-less-like-ai-and-more-like-a-human-being/
[3] https://www.reddit.com/r/writing/comments/jk19b2/how_do_you_write_your_sentences_to_make_them/
[4] https://problogger.com/10-writing-tips-to-help-you-sound-more-human/
[5] https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPTPro/comments/199kc2j/how_to_not_sound_like_chatgpt/
[6] https://writing.stackexchange.com/questions/69007/how-do-you-sound-natural-in-the-voice-that-you-want-to-write-in
[7] https://www.publicationcoach.com/how-to-sound-more-human/
[8] https://www.bigbangcopy.co/blog/how-to-write-better-than-ai
[9] https://en.esrpc.com/.post/strategies-for-writing-naturally
[10] https://searchengineland.com/how-to-make-your-ai-generated-content-sound-more-human-437854
[11] https://originality.ai/blog/how-to-avoid-ai-detection-as-a-writer
[12] https://academicsavers.com/blog/5-tips-to-make-your-english-writing-sound-more-natural/
[13] https://www.wordtune.com/blog/make-ai-sound-more-human
[14] https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-chatgpt-written-posts-sound-like-everyone-else-8-john-morton
[15] https://www.writinglab.io/resources/how-to-sound-natural-in-your-writing-2/