A Matter of Time
The worst part about staining your clothes is finding out about the stain only much later, after it has dried on the fabric for some time. At this point, flushing out the dried stain with water does not help, and neither does repeated washing. So it is always better to know what to do with dried stains. Here, we’ve compiled some stain removal tips, depending on the length of time that the stain has dried and set on the clothing. Now is a good time to start thinking about when the stain may have occurred, so that you can get it out properly.
The moment it sticks
The best course of action to pursue is to flush the stain with plain water the moment it occurs on the clothing. Cold water is best for some stains (like blood stains) but many others do not gel well with water – in fact, grease stains may spread and set in more on contact with water, so hot water with a stain removing solution is best. Check out our stain solver for an idea of when to use water and for which kind of stain.
If tap water is not available, you can blot out the stain using a paper napkin or towel. Dabbing at the stain removes the excess. Do not rub the stain – rubbing only spreads the stain and helps it set into the fibres. Dabbing at it draws away extra moisture and keeps the size of the stain the same.
From there, once you get home, you can use the tips we have mentioned below.
A few days later
The time you notice stains on your clothes is when you are changing, or when you are sorting out your clothes to wash. You will discover stains at this point and wonder how it got there! Since you are unsure of when the clothing got stained or how long the stain has been sitting there, there is no point washing and dabbing at it.
Instead, you will need to wash the garment at once by pre-treating the stain to remove it. Use Vanish Gold Oxi Action Powder which is tough on stains on all coloured and white clothing. Take a look at the Vanish stain solver to make sure about how to use the product.
The general rules of pre-treating with Vanish are:
- Take the scoop from the Vanish tub. Fill it with ¼ scoop of powder, and the remaining ¾ with water.
- Mix the powder in the water to make a paste.
- Apply this paste directly on the dried stain, covering the surface of the stain only. Do not apply the paste to the rest of the clothing.
- Use the underside of the scoop to apply the product evenly on the stain.
- Leave the product on for a maximum of five minutes, before washing off and placing in the washing machine.
- Wash your clothes like you always do, adding a scoop of Vanish powder to the laundry load to remove any other stains that might have missed your attention.
Weeks after the event
Some stains can lie on your clothes for weeks without being noticed, especially if they clothing is sparingly used. These stains can be harder to remove, since they have set in for a longer time and completely dried out. Long- standing stains are best treated with some soaking. Try Vanish Gold Oxi Action Powder and –
- Add one scoop of the powder to four litres of warm water. Soak the garment in this water.
- Soak coloured clothes for only an hour.
- Soak white clothing for six hours.
- Wring the items out after soaking, and wash them in the washing machine as usual.
Vanish can remove stains even when they are old and dry. But if you think that the stain has not completely disappeared in one use, repeat the steps above again so that the stain is eliminated forever.