Stain is an inevitable phenomenon in the running of everyday life. Yet, it poses a threat to the beauty, durability, and usability of household items, making it paramount to tackle it whenever encountered.
Removing stains from surfaces can make the difference between a refined royalty-worthy collectible and a junkyard item. These stains can be frustrating, requiring hours of scrubbing to get rid of them, which sometimes prove abortive. As a result, they leave behind permanent ugly streaks, discolored fabrics or items, and worn out pieces.
Figuring out easier ways, therefore to maintain a stain-free home is an opportunity hardly anyone would pass off on. Here are seven full-proof cleaning hacks to practice in the house to relieve the daunting process.
REMOVING COFFEE STAIN
A cup of coffee seems the perfect way to start the day until it spills on the mattress or the priced oak recliner. The brown streaks left behind from the spill tends to be permanent unless tackled the right way.
To get rid of the stain, overturn the affected item on a clean towel and rub the spot from behind with an alcohol-soaked sponge. Make a mixture of one-quart lukewarm water, a teaspoon of vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap. Apply this to the stain, letting it soak for about 15 minutes before rinsing off. Next, let the stain soak in Oxy-Clean solution for thirty minutes. The coffee streak would easily come off at this point with a little scrubbing using laundry detergent.
Bleach can be added to the process for white surfaces.
GETTING RID OF INK STAINS
This is one of those things one can’t help but wish they knew back in middle school. Having ink stains on bags, clothing items, or on solid surfaces can be embarrassing to the point of attracting humiliating nicks. Often, these marks remain permanent on the affected item until it eventually hits the trash. However, persistent ink-markings do not have to spell the end of an item.
Ridding the affected material off the stain involves placing a clean dry cloth between opposite sides of the material to prevent the stain from spreading further. After this first step, it becomes safe to saturate the stained spot with a hot hair spray or hand sanitizer for a few minutes and blot with a dry cloth. The softened stain can now be washed off effectively with little effort.
A SURPRISING USE OF COLA
Forget what the doctors said about having a can of soda lying around the house. A simple over-the-counter cola has proven effective in eliminating grease stains from fabrics and surfaces. Who knows, the solution to those oil spills on the kitchen wall just might be abandoned somewhere in the refrigerator.
To apply cola as a grease-cleansing agent, saturate the stain entirely with cola and leave to soak. After a few minutes, the grease-stained spot can be washed off effortlessly.
GRASS STAIN REMOVAL
Having kids around the house makes it almost impossible not to have a truckload of clothes in the laundry sporting grass stains. This brings about the extra workload of having to manually scrub the affected areas after a round of washing, or ignoring the persistent brownish-green spots entirely. Rather than go through the tasking ordeal, a quick-fix solution of cool water and Oxy-Clean can do the trick.
First, make a mixture of Oxy-Clean and cool water in a bowl and soak the fabric in it. Leave for several hours for the mixture to take effect before laundering the cloth. If stain persists, repeat the process.
ELIMINATING CANDLE WAX FROM SURFACES AND CLOTHING
Candle wax leaves an annoying patch that lasts for several months after coming in contact with a surface. Unfortunately, simply scraping off the excess wax does not do justice to the after-effect, especially on fabrics, where it leaves behind an ugly white stain with a waxy feel.
An effective way of getting rid of candle wax stain, therefore, is by first removing the excess wax with a flat object, careful not to damage the item. Then place a dry towel on the stain and overturn, leaving the backside up. Press the exposed side with a pressing iron so that the remaining wax transfers to the paper towel. Continue until the last remnant of the wax comes off, after which the whitish coloration can be washed off conveniently with laundry soap. Soaking for 30 minutes with Oxy-Clean or bleach (for whites) before washing is recommended.
GETTING RID OF BLOOD STAINS
A little injury now and then is part of growing up, especially when living with kids in their early years. Bloodstains are one of the most difficult to remove, and in most cases, forces one to dispose of the stained item, be it rugs, terry mules, or clothing materials.
To get rid of blood stains easily, first, leave the item to soak in ice-cold water for about fifteen minutes. Gently rub the stain from behind and soak again for another fifteen minutes in ice-cold water. Once the red coloration has become faint, or less pronounced, thoroughly saturate the material with a mixture of cold water and Oxy-Clean and leave for thirty minutes. Wash the item as required.
All these are proven ways to remove stain from surfaces and fabrics, to leave home looking cleaner, brighter, and cozier.
