Stubborn Stains and Lingering Smells? Begone…….

We’ve given plenty of advice in the past about getting rid of stains on clothing and encourage you to embrace the Holy Trinity of stain removal:

1. The longer a stain remains, the tougher it is to remove.

2. Always treat a stain before laundering.

3. Blot gently — never rub; and don't ever blot with hot water.

Remember, specific stains have specific treatments:

• Lipstick: Blot with a baby wipe or a washcloth moistened with rubbing alcohol.
• Blood: If it's fresh, blot repeatedly with cold water, an ice cube, or soda water; if it's dried, use a 3 percent hydrogen-peroxide solution.
• Oil: (not motor oil) Cover with talc or baby powder immediately and allow it to sit at least a half hour. Then brush it off, apply a stain remover and wash in the hottest water the fabric can stand.
• Ink: On cotton, apply rubbing alcohol to the spot, then wash. On polyester, spray liberally with hair spray and pat with a clean, dry cloth. Then wash.
• Red wine: Douse with salt, dunk in cold water, blot until the stain disappears, and wash as soon as possible. If you're at dinner and unable to strip down, soak the spot with soda water and get home to your washing machine ASAP. If it’s red wine on a carpet, you can try covering in talcum powder and covering with a damp tea towel. When all the talc is red, scrape off and cover with further talc and a damp tea towel; once again, leave to dry and vacuum it off.

Never mind the stains, what about lingering smells that can take longer to identify the source of and can be just as tough to remove?

• Urine: Bicarbonate of soda is very good at getting rid of this smell. Make up a fairly wet paste and apply to the carpet or upholstery affected, allow it to dry fully and then clean it off.
• Sweat: sweat is counteracted by vinegar. Sprinkle it over the fabric, leave for a few minutes then wash as normal.
• Vomit: Once all the vomit has been cleaned off, damp the surface and sprinkle it liberally with bicarbonate of soda and cover with a towel, leave it to dry and then vacuum it out. A good quality disinfectant is also very good at getting rid of those smells but it can leave your home smelling a little “institutional”.
• Smelly feet: every home has had someone with that horrid “cheesy feet” smell and teenagers can be the worst offenders. Surgical spirit, bought from the chemist, can prove to be an effective remedy. Pour into a shallow bowl and dip clean, dry feet in or dab the clean feet with cotton wool soaked in the spirit. Allow the surgical spirit to dry on the skin and repeat twice a day for 7-10 days. Washing the offender’s socks in a good antibacterial wash is helpful too as it’s the bacteria the cause the pong. Of course none of these methods gets rid of trainer smells. You need the experts for that, so call us and ask about our Ozocab, which guarantees to get sports shoes smelling sweet. It also remove lingering odours from pet bedding and biker leathers too.

And my final stain removing tip – if you leave cheap coke in the loo overnight, it does a great job of removing stubborn stains in the toilet bowl……just please don’t think about what it does your teeth or your insides!

Have a fresh, fragrant and fabulous week everyone.