Fighting Stains at the Sauce: Stain Free Festive Feasts

It’s no coincidence that some of the biggest feasts of the year take place in the winter. Even going back to the Stone Age, there is evidence to suggest that the biggest feasts took place in what is now late December. Getting everyone together to share in each other’s company – and most importantly, hearty food – helped to celebrate the worst of the winter being over. Similar trends are seen all across the world, where people associate winter with big, rich, saucy meals with lots of flavour and lots of condiments. These meals warm up the body and induce feelings of contentment.

But big flavour often means big servings and hence, big stains! It doesn’t take long for a new winter wardrobe to accumulate an array of stains and spots from spilt sauces. So we’ve put together a menu, made up of a few of the most popular common condiment culprits, taking a look at why they can be so difficult to remove. Plus, using Vanish makes stain removal a breeze.

This isn’t technically a sauce, but it is something eaten over the holidays that leaves some particularly tricky stains. Soups often use big bold flavours, with big bold colours waiting to meet your best clothes. Acting straight away, the best tactic for soup stain removal is to rinse, then generously apply Vanish Oxi Action Powder, leaving it to work for up to an hour, before washing on a regular wash with the essential scoop of Vanish.

Gravy can mean lots of different things all over the world, but here we’re referring specifically to a rich brown sauce comprising thickened meat juices – a must with a roast dinner. The high fat content of the gravy makes these stains particularly tricky, but taking some Vanish Oxi Action Gel and gently massaging it into the affected area should dissolve the stubborn fat cells in the stain. Then launder with an extra scoop of Vanish to make sure that the gravy boat has sailed!

The yellow paste causes particularly stubborn stains, so speed is your most important ally here. Scrape off as much of the stain as you can, but be careful not to damage any of the fibres. Now rub a paste of Vanish Oxi Action Crystal White and water into the stain. Leave for ten minutes, and then rinse out from the inside. Launder immediately with an extra scoop of Vanish.

Like redcurrant sauce and quince jelly, cranberry sauce is a fruity jelly packed with lots of the fruit and tons of flavour that can be served with both sweet and savoury dishes. The bright red jelly quickly clings to fibers, but can be easily removed. If you catch it quickly, you can usually run water through the back of the stain to simply rinse it out. If a red mark remains, then some Vanish Oxi Action applied directly to the stain, with an extra scoop in the wash, will send it packing.

Cheesecakes, trifles, gateaux and pavlovas…none of these would be complete without a nice thick layer of fruit compote. While the desserts themselves might not pose much of a stain threat, this rich sauce certainly does, and is a potential nightmare for clothing. Apply Vanish Oxi Action by dabbing and blotting, rather than rubbing, to avoid spreading the syrupy stain further. Leave this to soak in for ten minutes before laundering with a scoop of Vanish to break down the remaining stain.

1. Add 1x scoop of Vanish powder into 4L of warm or cold water (max 40°)
2. Soak the item for up to 6 hours (max) for whites
3. Add another scoop of Vanish powder and wash as usual with your regular detergent
4. Important: You’ll get best results when you wash whites and colours separately, but always read the label on the packaging before use.