Tomato sauce, coffee, engine oil – hands up if you’ve ever had a piece of clothing ruined by a tricky stain like one of these. It may not always work, but knowing how best to tackle specific stains at least gives you a chance of saving your favorite tee from a new life as a duster. One factor that can make or break your stain removal efforts is the temperature of the water you use.
“A stain is a chemical reaction between the staining agent and the fibers and finishes of a fabric,” write Judy Price and Ann Lemley for Cornell Cooperative Extension. Each reaction is different, so you need different methods to reverse them. “There is no single product capable of removing all stains,” Price and Lemley write, in what is doubtless a blow to all advertising execs with cleaning companies on their books.
The first thing you need to do before tackling any stain is to figure out what all those symbols mean on your garment’s care label. Some fabrics can’t tolerate bleach, for example, which will limit your stain-removing resources, so you need to understand what you’re working with. Plus, if your item is dry clean only, you’re going to want to leave that to the professionals.
Once you’ve deciphered all of that, you need to identify your stain. Its composition is going to be the big determining factor in whether warm or cold water is the way to go.
“Cold water is better for most stains,” Daniel Feliciano, co-founder and CEO of laundry service provider Clotheslyne, told Homes and Gardens. “Common stains, such as protein-based and food and beverage stains, require cold water to wash.”
That category also includes blood stains. The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) points out that using hot water can actually cause fresh blood stains to set into the fabric, making removal much harder, so cold water is definitely the way to go here. Grass stains, too, are best tackled with cold water, according to Martha Stewart.
In one 2017 study looking at the best washing machine cycles for stain removal on different fabrics, 80 percent of blood and ketchup stains were removed from fabrics that went through a machine cycle at just 20°C (68°F).
The exception to the cold water rule, according to Feliciano, is oily or greasy stains. That includes things like coffee and makeup. Warm water can be useful here to help break down the substances, so they can be washed away.
Of course, water alone may not cut it for stubborn stains. The 2017 study found that oil-based stains were the trickiest to remove, regardless of the washing conditions. Price and Lemley also list stains such as acidic cleaning products, certain plant fertilizers, and bleach among ones you’re unlikely to be able to get out.
The dry cleaners at popular YouTube channel Jeeves NY have more tips for cleaning all sorts of stains. For greasy stains like butter, they recommend pretreating with dish soap before washing. The most important thing, they say, is not to tumble dry a garment until you’re sure the stain is out – better to let it air-dry first to check if it needs a second cycle through the machine (which also needs cleaning from time to time, FYI).
Similarly for something like lipstick, the ACI recommends dabbing (never scrubbing) the stain with rubbing alcohol or using a prewash detergent before washing as normal.
For pretty much all stain removal, you’re going to have a better chance of success if you act fast. Immediately blotting the area with cold water could go a long way towards saving your shirt, so don’t leave stains to set.
While we’re in a spring-cleaning mood, it’s come to our attention that some of you aren’t washing your bedding enough. And have you ever wondered how they tackle laundry in space?
Source Link: Got Stains On Your Clothes? Know When To Use Hot Or Cold Water
