How to Take Out Stains from Fabric and Carpet - Tips & Tricks

Learning how to take out stains are essential for any adult. It doesn't matter how careful a person is, there will always be messes, and with those, hard to remove stains. There are several different methods in learning how to remove stains, but the most important is to act quickly. If a stain has a chance to set in, it can become impossible to remove regardless of how much scrubbing is done. By acting quickly, nearly all messes and spills can be removed with the right product.

Of all stains, the follow eight are the most common and hardest to remove. By learning how to how to take out stains caused by these items, individuals will be better prepared for messes in the future.

Blood is probably the most common stain that adults will encounter, making it extremely important for everyone to learn how to remove stains properly. The most important rule when dealing with blood is always to wash the stain with cold water. Many make the mistake of using hot water, but this only worsens things.

Once the carpet or fabric has been rinsed with water, pour a small amount of hydrogen peroxide on the area. The stain will bubble momentarily and can then be wiped away. In most cases, all the blood will be completely removed with just one wipe. If the stain remains, the process can be repeated.

Wax stains are most commonly found after birthday parties when candles have melted onto the carpet or shirt of the birthday wearer. While this may seem like a hard stain to remove, it's actually incredibly simple regardless of where the stain is located.

For fabric, the stain can be melted off with a heated iron. Start by placing a piece of paper towel on both sides of the stain. This will catch the wax as it melts. Once both sides are covered, press the iron on the paper towel for a few seconds, then removes. The wax should peel right off. For those who don't have an iron, a hair straightened may also be used.

Learning how to take out stains from the carpet is a bit more difficult, but still doable. The same method for fabric can be applied, but if the carpet is a light color and the wax is dark, there will likely be some lingering dye. To remove this, simply pour a small amount of rubbing alcohol on the spot, and then blot until the dye fades completely.

Gum use to be known as one of the hardest stains to remove, so much so that many parents completely banned their children from chewing it. Fortunately, that no longer has to be a problem if the proper removal method is used.

If the gum has gotten on fabric, pick off as much as possible, then place the fabric in a bag and freeze it. After the item has been in the freezer for about an hour, it can be removed. The chewing gum will now be stiff instead of gooey. Using a metal item, such as a butter knife, scrape off the remaining gum before it has a chance to thaw. If this method doesn't work, the fabric can also be boiled on the stove. While the fabric is immersed in the hot water, the gum can easily be scrubbed away with a tooth brush.

Removing gum from the carpet is a bit trickier but still possible. The easiest method is to spray a little label remover on the carpet, wait 60 seconds, then brush the gum away with a comb. This method isn't the most practical for those who don't have label remover on hand though. For those individuals, vinegar can be heated in the microwave and then scrubbed onto the stain with a toothbrush. The vinegar will dissolve the gum and the carpet can be patted dry.

Peanut butter can also be used to take off stains, but because there's a high level of oil in the product, it can leave grease stains if users aren't careful. Because of this, this method is no longer recommended.

Learning how to take off stains made from coffee is important because everyone tends to spill more when they're tired. It can be tempting for individuals to put on a new shirt and race to work, but allowing the stain to set will make it impossible to remove. Instead, act quickly to remove the coffee from fabric.

To start, rinse the back of the stain with cold water. Next, create a small bowl that contains powdered laundry detergent, cold water, and a small amount of white vinegar. These three ingredients should form a paste similar to the consistency of toothpaste. Once done, spread the paste on both sides of the stain and allow it to sit. Those who are already late for work can return later to wash the fabric in a washing machine with cold water. If the stain remains, this process should be repeated before placing the item in the dryer.

These same steps can be used to remove coffee from carpet, but the area should also be treated with white vinegar after the paste is removed.

Everyone loves ketchup, especially children, and that's exactly why it's important to learn how to take out stains made from this tasty condiment. Since ketchup is made from tomatoes, the same method can be used when removing tomato sauce from clothing or carpeting.

Unfortunately, this stain tends to appear on colored items more often than not. If this happens, individuals should remove as much ketchup as they can by scrapping the area with a butter knife. This will help take off stains that haven't had a chance to set in yet. If too much time has passed, a special stain remover should be applied to the area.

Ketchup is bright red, making it one of the harder colors to remove. If the sauce was spilled on a white shirt or carpet, time can be saved by applying mild bleach to the area. This will remove the stain completely within a few short minutes.

Every adult should learn how to take out stains from grass before they become a parent. Not only will it save hundreds of dollars on clothes, but also many hours of frustration. Grass stains are by far the most common and thought to be the most difficult to remove. Fortunately, much like blood, you can take off stains with hydrogen peroxide.

Since grass stains are likely to be on clothes, simply pour a small amount of hydrogen peroxide over the fabric. There may be some bubbling, but not as much as when removing blood. Once the hydrogen peroxide has been soaked on the stain for a few moments, wipe away and the grass should be removed.

If the stain has had a chance to set before it could be treated, it may be harder to remove. Tide Powder with bleach is effective at removing these harder stains. If that doesn't work, specially made grass removal products can be used, such as Shout Liquid, Motsenburger Lift-Off or Zout Laundry Fabric Stain Remover.

Learning how to take off stains from grease was previously thought to be impossible. It doesn't matter how many times you rinse a grease stain, it simply won't bulge. That is, until one clever person thought of washing the stain with gasoline.

To start, add a small amount of gasoline to the fabric and blot the stain. Allow the gasoline to soak for a few minutes, and then blot the stain with a mixture of dish soap and warm water. This should be enough to remove the grease. To finish the process, wash the fabric by itself in cold water, then dry as normal.

Using gasoline to wash clothes may seem like a bad idea, but this is one of the few methods that almost always works on how to remove stains made from grease. Since gasoline is flammable, this method should only be used by adults who are being extremely careful.

Even after learning how to remove stains from fabric and carpet, the toilet remains. Many people assume that the only way to remove all the discoloration from their toilet is to scrub with expensive products or soak their toilets with bleach. While these methods will certainly work, there's a much easier and cheaper alternative.

To remove lime scales build up, simply pop open a bottle of Coca-Cola and pour it into the toilet bowls. Allow the soda to sit for at least an hour, or even overnight if the bowl hasn't been cleaned in a while. Once the time has passed, scrub the bowl with a toilet brush and flush. The toilet will now be sparkling clean.

Learning how to remove stains can be difficult but is an important skill to learn. By learning to act quickly and apply the correct concoction to either carpet, fabric, or toilets, individuals can learn to keep their home and clothes looking like new for many years to come.