Removing Stains on Material

No matter how careful you are, chances are that you'll get a stain on your clothing now and then. Having children or a busy work and social life also increases the risk of stains. However most stains can easily be removed with a few simple home products, without having to spend hours scrubbing or taking them to the dry cleaners.

• Beer. Clean with warm water and salt.
• Blood. Use hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and wipe the stain until it's completely gone. Another option is to soak the garment in a bucket of salt water. Afterwards, simply wash the garment in cold water as per normal.
• Candle Wax. A simple solution is to place the stained item in the freezer for an hour or so. This will allow the wax to harden. Peel as much of the hardened wax off as possible and then place some brown paper over the cloth and iron to remove any remnants. If any stubborn pieces remain, use some dry cleaning fluid, readily available at a hardware store.
• Chocolate. Use a butter knife to remove as much of the chocolate as possible. Rinse the item in cold water and then clean with a liquid detergent and rinse again. For stubborn chocolate stains use some dry cleaning solvent.
• Coffee & tea. Soak the material in cold water and then in hot liquid detergent. Ring out the item and rub with a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water.
• Egg. Cool wash in a washing machine and then hot iron.
• Felt Pens. Rub bar soap onto the stain and wash. If this doesn't work, try dabbing with methylated spirits.
• Ink. Rub alcohol over the stain and wash.
• Pen. Rub eau de cologne or methylated spirits onto the stain with a cotton ball or bud. Rinse thoroughly and wash.
• Rust. Add half a cup of lemon juice to your washing load.