Dry Cleaning and Laundry Tips

There’s no avoiding it, spills and stains are a part of everyday life. Unless you’re extra careful all the time, something will inevitably stain your clothes. Usually, it’s not that big of a deal. But some stains can ruin your day, and if you don’t know how to handle them, they could also ruin your lovely clothes.

Here are a few of the toughest stains to remove from your clothing and some tips on how to handle them.

Blood

The same chemical reaction that heals your body is the reason that makes blood difficult to remove from your clothes. It contains a substance called hemoglobin, which thickens and causes clots when exposed to air. But this clotting mechanism also makes it stick to your clothes.

Once you’ve patched yourself up, here’s what you should do to make it easy to scrub the red right out:

1. Soak the stain with cold water as soon as possible.
2. Lather gently with soap or, if the clothing is lightly colored, use hydrogen peroxide.
3. Using a cotton swab, apply a dab of diluted ammonia.
4. Wash the clothing according to its instructions.
5. Check if the blood has lifted before drying, to prevent the stain from setting.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste may give you a dazzling smile, but you don’t want it anywhere near your clothes, especially dark-colored items. This is usually because of titanium dioxide; which manufacturers use to lighten the color of toothpaste. Or it could be because of hydrogen peroxide, which is a type of bleach.

Check the packaging to determine which substance is in your toothpaste. These two chemicals affect how you should handle the stain. If your clothes were stained by toothpaste with titanium dioxide, take it to a reliable laundromat near you instead.

Otherwise, follow these instructions:

1. Use a plastic card or similar dull edge to scrape the toothpaste off the clothes. Do not rub it into the fabric.
2. Dilute a teaspoon of liquid detergent in approximately one cup of water.
3. Soak a white cloth in the diluted detergent and use it to rub the stain away.
4. Dip a clean cloth in cold water and use it to rinse away the detergent.
5. Hang out to dry or use an air-dryer.

Sweat

After a hard day’s work or a fun afternoon of outdoor activity, you’ll probably be sweaty. This is why a lot of people use antiperspirants. Although these products keep you smelling fresh, they’re also the reason for yellowing your clothing. Proteins in your sweat react to the aluminum salts that are a major ingredient in antiperspirants, leaving a yellow stain around the affected areas.

Here’s what you should do to avoid sweat stains:

1. Pre-treat the stain with a combination of vinegar and baking soda. Do not use bleach.
2. Wash the clothing as instructed.
3. Air-dry the fabric and avoid leaving it under the sun, to prevent stains from worsening.

Stains are a part of life, but the stains themselves don’t have to be permanent additions. Learning how to remove these stains yourself or entrusting your clothes to a reliable laundromat will help keep your clothes clean and presentable.

Clean and Modern Laundry Services

Starcrest Cleaners offers customers clean facilities that use modern laundry methods and materials. Our laundromats only use the highest quality laundry detergents as well as integrating technology with our operations by sending you text alerts about the status of your clothes.

Discover what you can expect from our modern and efficient laundry services today.