Beau Knows Clothes

Feel free to bookmark this page for future reference or print it and tape it inside your laundry room cabinet for an easy reference!

It never fails. If you escape the dirty doggy paws or baby food spew as you are ready to step out the door, the morning coffee, lunchtime condiments, or evening glass of wine will find you. Most people narrowly escape their day with stain-free clothing! Lucky for you there’s a convenient way to pre-treat stains until you can get your clothes over to the dry cleaners for a thorough fabric recovery!

First, here are those all-important tips for stopping a stain from further damaging your garment.

1. Treat the stain as soon as possible to avoid further damage to your fabric.
2. Test your solution on a hidden area of the garment before treating the stain.
3. Work slowly, check the stain frequently throughout your treatment, and use white towels or cloths behind the stained area to absorb the stain and prevent it from spreading further.
4. For items marked “Dry Clean Only,” blot up as much of the stain as possible with a clean white cloth and bring it to us as soon as possible.
5. Do not use put stained clothing in your clothes dryer or iron it until the stain is completely removed. Doing so can further set the stain.
6. Note to the dry cleaner when the stain occurred, exactly what the stain consists of, and how you’ve treated it thus far.

Stock up on these essentials and for less than the cost of a garment, you should have on hand all the tools essential to pre-treat and preserve your clothing all year long.

Good products to have on hand for everyday stain recovery are:

White Vinegar
Rubbing (Isopropyl) Alcohol
Ammonia
Hydrogen Peroxide
Synthetic Detergent
Enzyme-based Detergent
Dry Cleaning Solvent

Butter, Mayonnaise, Grease, Make-up, Crayon, Wax, Furniture Polish, or Paint
These greasy or oil-based stains respond well to the one thing most households do not have on hand but should: dry cleaning solvent. Blot from the back of the stain onto a clean, white cloth. Follow with vinegar and then hydrogen peroxide for any remaining traces.
Lipstick Generally, dabbing rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) on the backside of a lipstick stain will remove it after several applications. Place the stain facing down on a clean white cloth and work the rubbing alcohol in by dabbing it from the back, starting from the outer corner of the stain and working in toward the center.

Blood Soak a blood-stained garment in cold water for an hour. To remove any remaining visible marks, dab a mixture of water and unseasoned meat tenderizer (which breaks down proteins) onto the stain and rinse.

If the stain still remains, dab ammonia onto the stain. (Do not add bleach to any mixture with ammonia as it can combine to release deadly vapors.)
Chocolate, Milk, Ice Cream, Eggs, Baby Formula, Perspiration or Vomit
After blotting the stain with water, use an enzyme-based detergent (versus a synthetic detergent). Enzyme detergents “eat” the dirt off laundry and generally do so better using room temperature versus hot water.

Coffee, Tea, Wine, Soda, Soy, and Tomato-based stains
These stains respond best to synthetic detergents. Follow this treatment with vinegar, and then hydrogen peroxide if the stain remains.

Can you think of a stain on a favorite outfit that you waited too long to remove or treated using the wrong treatment method? Will you find this guide helpful in responding to future clothing mishaps? We’d love to hear from you!