| Its quite natural for customers to think that you and your staff know a lot more about removing stains than you do. After all, you are professionals, you are in the laundry business. So either you or your employees will be asked for advice on how to remove this or that stain. You are also expected to give suggestions as to machine selection, wash cycles and drying techniques.
When your laundry’s list of services includes doing Fluff & Fold, you and your attendants are expected to get the garments clean. So, you need to know how to remove certain stains from the clothing, to satisfy your clientele and build your cash flow. The purpose of this article is to provide laundry people some basic background in stain removal.
Rules for treatment of stains.
1. Get at them as quickly as possible. Stains will set with time. The faster there is detergent paste, or other pre spotter applied, the more likely the stain will come out.
2. The laundering process can set some stains, so take the time before washing to examine every garment and pre spot if needed.
3. Take your time in treating the garment. Don’t rush things. Some stains will respond to extra treatment and care.
One of the best sources for advice and a variety of stain removers-is your local laundry supply company. They provide vend boxed detergents as well as various specialty items used in stain removal.
Another common source for information and supplies can be found in your supermarket’s detergent section. There are all kinds of new items such as Oxi Clean, Kaboom, various stain sticks and most of them have well written and easy to understand instructions for their purpose and use.
Sometimes one has to admit that a stain can not be removed. When you or your attendant have carefully examined the clothing brought in, you may occasionally find that some can not be removed. It’s best to tell the customer in advance, or simply set the garment to the side to show the customer, so that failure isn’t seen as part of your laundry’s process.
Here is an alphabetical listing of normally found stains along with quick tips on how to remove them from clothing.
Beverages (Coffee, Soda, Wine, etc.): Sponge or soak stain in cold water. Remember, hot water sets stains. After the stain is soaked sufficiently, apply a detergent paste or pre spotter to any of the stain remaining. Wash in hot water, but not too hot. Remember there can be a fine line between damaging the fabric and laundering it. Use bleach, but only if it’s rated as safe for the fabric.
Blood: Soak in cold water for a mini-mum of 30 minutes. If the stain is old and set in, pretreat or soak in warm water using an enzyme detergent. Launder in hottest water possible without damaging the fabric. If stain is still visible after laundering, soak again in warm water with a presoak product. Rewash using fabric-safe bleach.
Catsup: Scrape off excess gunk with a dull knife. Soak in cold water for a minimum of 30 minutes. Pretreat affected area with a pre spotter. Wash garment in hot water with fabric-safe bleach.
Chocolate/Cocoa: Soak the spot in cool water with enzyme detergent, then launder it in hot water. If stain is not fully removed, rewash using fabric-safe bleach.
Cosmetics (Lipstick, Mascara, etc.): Pretreat stain with pre spotter or dampen and rub with bar soap. Launder as usual with fabric-safe bleach. If needed, dampen the stain and rub with bar soap. Rinse, then rewash.
Fruit Juice: Soak in cold water. Pretreat stain and wash with fabric-safe bleach.
Glue/Adhesives: Apply ice or very cold water to harden the affected area. It may prove more efficient to put the stained garment in a freezer to harden the stain. Scrape the stain carefully with a dull knife to remove excess. Saturate with a pre spotter or cleaning fluid. Rinse. Launder. Some adhesives may need extra treatment with acetone.
Gum: The directions for removing glue and chewing gum are just about the same, only the scent will be different.
Grass: Pretreat or soak in enzyme detergent. Launder using fabric-safe bleach. If stain persists, sponge with alcohol (dilute alcohol in two parts water if you are worried about the colorfastness of a fabric).
Grease/Oil: Pretreat with commercial pre spotter or laundry detergent. Launder in hottest water safe for fabric. If stain persists, place stain face down on paper towels and apply cleaning fluid to back of fabric. Allow fabric to dry, then rinse. Launder again in hot water.
Ink: CAUTION: Some inks may be set in by laundering! Try pretreating the stain before laundering. Using alcohol or cleaning fluid, sponge the reverse side of the stain with the fabric face down on a towel. Rinse thoroughly. Another method is to place the stained area over the mouth of a jar or glass and hold the fabric taut. Drip the cleaning fluid through the spot so the ink will drop into the container. Rinse. Some household cleaners such as 409® or Fantastik®, or hairspray may also work as pre treaters. Once the stain is sufficiently removed, launder as usual.
Mildew: Launder items in chlorine bleach, if safe for fabric. If chlorine bleach cannot be used, soak the item in oxygen bleach and hot water. Launder. If stain persists, sponge with hydrogen peroxide. Rinse thoroughly and launder again.
Mud/Heavy Soil: If the mud is dry, brush off as much as possible. Rinse in cold water. Pretreat with detergent. If soil is very heavy or set-in, soak in regular or enzyme detergent. Launder in hot water with appropriate bleach.
Mustard: Pretreat with commercial spot remover and launder in as hot water as is safe for the fabric, using chlorine or oxygen bleach.
Nail Polish: This can be really tough, so don’t count on removing this stain, especially if it has set for a few days. Gently apply acetone to the reverse side of the stain, placing the garment face down on a paper towel. Rinse garment thoroughly, then launder.
Paint: If the paint is water-based, rinse in warm water and launder. If paint is already dried into the garment, it probably cannot be removed. If the paint is oil-based, use a paint solvent such as turpentine, but apply it on the reverse side of the stain. Rinse, then pretreat with pre spotter or laundry detergent. Rinse again, then launder.
Perspiration: Use a pre spotter or rub the area with bar soap. If discoloration has occurred from the perspi-ration, treat fresh stains with ammonia and older stains with white vinegar. Launder in hottest water that is safe for the fabric, using enzyme detergent or oxygen bleach.
Scorch Marks: If the fabric is actually damaged by the marks, the stain will not be removable. If the fabric is still intact, treat as you would for Mildew.
Wax (Candles, Crayons): Scrape off excess with dull knife. Place stain between paper towels and press with warm iron OR spray both sides of fabric with WD-40®. Then place stain face down and treat remaining spot with pre spotter or cleaning fluid. Blot with paper towels and let stand until dry. Launder in hot water with appropriate bleach. If an entire load of clothes has been marked with crayon, rewash in hot water using regular detergent and one cup of baking soda. If stains persist, rewash with bleach or soak in enzyme detergent and hot water, then launder. |
