Stains and Stain Removal: Find the solution for your Stain Problem here

Caution: Cleaning materials, in particular some solvents are very toxic, Carbon tetrachloride and trichlorethylene should not be used in the home.

Getting Stains out of T-shirt Underarms. Buy a product called Iron Out or something similar and follow directions. This is a popular product in northern Wisconsin and Michigan because of the iron content in the water. I used it to protect the whites when we bought a cabin in that area – and l and behold, it took cleaned those t-shirts right up. -- Bill Bradford.

Yellow Stain. I can't tell you how to get rid of existing yellow but I can tell you how not to get yellow again on new items...I believe in cheap and environmentally safe...go buy a box of Borax...it is a powder and costs about 3 dollars...put a sprinkle of that in every load of light colored laundry along with whatever laundry soap you use and you shouldn't have anymore problems with yellowing...One more of many other uses for borax is it will shine your bathroom porcelain right up and great for cleaning toilets, plus many other things....It will save you money and cut the cost of your cleaning products in half. Good luck. -- CHRIS and Angie FORD

Underarm Stains. You know what else works to remove underarm stains? Baking soda mixed with water to make a paste. Pre-treat then wash as usual. -- Karyn Hudson

No more yellow in the wash To get out the yellow stains from bleach or from iron and rust use "Whink (brand) No More Yellow!" It is fantastic. I had stains on my white jeans and didn't read the label first where it said not to use chlorine bleach. Well, as you can imagine, my white pants were now yellow and nothing seemed to work until I tried the product by Whink. I found it by the Ritt dyes in my supermarket and I loved it! It worked so easily and has a detergent built into it. It is wonderful! -- Leslie- NJ Leslie Coolong

Nicotine and Tar Stains on hands and skin from smoking. Use this great new product I found: Nico-Wipe Hand Cleaner for Smokers. Available at www.nicowipe.com and on Ebay. -- James Schwartz. Sep 28 2007

Removing Rust Stains on Clothing. Hey, I just found a great new stain remover...ZAP (tile/grout restorer). I tried to get a rust stain off of a white fairly new/expensive dress shirt of Jamie's (cotton/poly). I tried bleach, dishwasher detergent, lemon juice/salt, the usual...but NOTHING would budge that stain. ZAP claims to remove rust stains from showers so I thought what did I have to lose? I was going to toss the shirt anyway so if it ate a hole or stained it more it wouldn't matter. I sprayed some on, worked it into the stain, waited about 30 secs and then rinsed. Whah-lah...no more stain and no hole! -- Jamie and Wendy Reynolds - Granite Bay, California USA

Tomato based stain - How do you remove stains from plastic containers used to reheat foods (like tomato sauce) in the microwave? These stains are permanent. Nothing will remove them, as they are now part of the plastic, which has been modified on a molecular level. This change is caused by the high temperatures experienced in isolated areas on the perimeters of containers used to heat or re-heat food in a microwave oven. The worst part is not the tomato sauce becoming part of the container, but the plastic container becoming part of the food! There are ongoing studies on the effects of chemicals that mimic oestrogen, which are found in most plastic packaging and plastic containers. Researchers are currently trying to draw the link between this, increased in infertility in men, and increased breast cancer in women, caused by these xenoestrogens. Yikes! Not to fear monger, but it might be best to err on the side of caution by toss! ing those plastic containers and only use glass or ceramic dishes in the microwave. -- James Sayer

 If A equals success, then the formula is: A= X + Y + Z   X is work. Y is play. Z is keep your mouth shut. - Albert Einstein  

Tomato Stains in Plastic Containers: Try rubbing the container with Baking Soda on a sponge, rinse well and dry. To avoid getting stains, always rinse the container with cold water (not Hot Water) before washing the container out. Found at www.epinions.com/hmgd-review-2E90-A2BE45D-38AB4734-prod2 -- 27 Nov 2002

Ferric Chloride Stains. If you use ferric chloride and are concerned about skin stains, fear not, lemon juice will make it disappear -- Like magic!! -- Adam Waldron 14th April 2007

Cleaning Carpet with Shaving Foam. A dirty patch on your carpet will come off with the application of a dollop of shaving foam and a little time. Leave the foam for half an hour or so then, using a damp (preferrably cotton cloth wipe the spot. It will be necessary to clean the cloth out and repeat the process. Finish off with drying thoroughly with a dry cloth. Davina Martin January 2007

Tea Stains. Tea stains on the inside of cups can best be dealt with by using a paste made with Baking Soda -- Davina Martin. 18th January 2007

The Absolute Best All Purpose Cleaner. Try Engine Degreaser. It comes in a huge 5 gallon bottle that can be purchased at Wal-Mart , K-mart, Target, or automotive part store for about $5.

It removes adhesives, cleans carpets, furniture, clothing, walls, bathrooms...EVERYTHING. It sounds like it would be a very harsh astringent, but it actually isn't. I use it all the time and have for years. -- "Joey" Observe instructions on such products

Yellow Bleach Stains I had a problem with staining on my white canvas tennis shoes by trying to bleach them to remove dirt. I was able to remove the yellow bleach stains by soaking the shoes in a solution of 1/2 cup cream of tartar (I bought it from a store that sells bulk spices) and 1 quart of hot (almost boiling) water. The tip I read said to soak for 30 minutes, but it took 1-1/2 hours for my shoes. --   TD Pitts

Tree Sap Stains.  My vocation exposes my clothes to resins and tree saps. We deal with with it by using alcohol and sometimes acetone, Hardened resin can be broken up and the powder brushed off but it can take a while to solidify. The remaining stain from some trees can be removed with oxy bleach. We get acetone from a supply house but I believe nail varnish remover is a form of the solvent -- Darren Denniard

Ink Pen Stain: To get an ink stain out, spray ultra-hold hairspray on the stain, let it dry, then wash like normal. ( Don't be afraid of putting too much hairspray on the stain.) -Polli

Stains on Clothing
I have found that most types of baby wipes work great on removing a stain from your clothing. Anyone with babies always have baby wipes handy. Try it some time it works. I always use them when my 2 year old gets something on her and it works great for taking ink from your skin. -- Bradley E Baker --

Attack the stain straight away. If you are going to use water make sure that it is as cold as possible -- Jean Smith Kirkcaldy Scotland

Do not use salt on Red wine stains. - - Vanessa Echols

Use white wine on red wine stains. - - Vanessa Echols

Vanessa, are we to assume that considerable amounts of wine are consumed (and spilled) in your household?? -- Ed

If the stain is extreme and your garment is cotton or similar try disguising the stain by tie-dying it -- Dave Ed

Embarrassing Stains: I know people don't like to discuss (stains in underwear) but they are there. I discovered the other day when I was washing my sons that this worked. I used half a cup of dish washer detergent. I couldn't believe how white they became. No stains. I believe the dish washing detergent is the trick. SUE  

Vicky Lansky in her book "It worked for me" suggests using dishwasher products for removing stubborn stains in clothing.

To remove Toilet Stains, use a pumice stone and rub hard, It will not scratch and works well- did on my toilet bowl after 20 years of build-up -- James A Boyle  

Nicotine Stains. Remove them from your fingers with lemon juice, and scrubbing with pumice stone. Then add hand cream. - Jacob Thorne, Bristol

Melted Wax: To remove melted wax from clothing '... you will lay a brown paper bag over the garment before you iron over it then keep moving the bag around it will absorb the wax  -- Magnand

Age Stains: I have heard a mixture of fresh lemon juice and salt rubbed on spots and placed in sun will bleach out yellow in old stains. This information from my wise Aunt Sue. I would try it first on just one small area and see how it does. -- Good Luck, Patti Seizetheday

Chocolate Stains. First blot or scrape off any excess chocolate. Add a solution of biological washing powder, and then blot with clean towels. If the stain remains soak the fabric in biological detergent. White fabrics can be dabbed with bleach. - Anna, Canada

Rubbing a Brazil nut on a scratch can disguise some surface damage in wooden furniture -- Veronica

Chewing gum: To remove chewing gum from clothes freeze, or cover the gum with ice, then crack and scrape off. – Marjory Simpson.

Ink Stains. If the ink is still wet put baking powder on the stain, and then brush it off after a few minutes when it has soaked up some of the ink. You may need to repeat this a few times. Clean wet ink off carpet with soda water, then blot it off with paper towels. Then clean with a detergent. - Ruth Knowles

If you find that you can't remove a stain from your shirt...then give it to your Mum -- Daniel Anderson -- Milton Keynes England <;o)

Dave, some ideas:- Lipstick - try Vaseline. Soda water or club soda for wine and tea, salt and lemon juice for rust stains, someone suggested salt for ink stains but haven't tried it yet -- Sally Ed. (careful with salt as it can fix some types of stain -- Ed)

Coffee Stains: -Glycerine is useful for coffee and some other types of stains. Davio

Useful links: Bloodstains - www.stainexpert.co.uk