Here’s How to Get Rid of Stains

Stains are a part of everyday living, especially if you have pets or kids. Knowing how to clean them is important. It can help you avoid professional cleaning costs and prevent you from damaging or ruining the fabric or item. Here’s some tips for addressing common household stains.

Carpet Stains

Your carpets suffer more stains than any other item or area of your home. This includes food and drink, pet messes, and whatever gets tracked in from outside. There are plenty of excellent commercial carpet stain removers available that can tackle even the toughest spills. If you want less chemicals in your home you can also find organic or natural stain removers. There are also some effective DIY methods to consider. Here’s some tips on how to clean common types of carpet stains:

• Coffee Stains: Dab (don’t rub!) the area with a DIY solution (¼ tsp dish soap, 1 tbsp white vinegar, 1 cup water) then rinse with a wet sponge and cover with paper towel overnight to clean deep into the pile 

• Pet Messes: Urine and fecal stains should be removed with an enzymatic pet stain remover to help neutralize odours 

• Red Wine Stains: Soak up what you can immediately then dab and blot the area with a strong stain remover 

• General/Unknown Stains: Dab the area with a DIY solution (¼ tsp dish soap, 1 cup water) repeatedly until you don’t see the stain anymore then cover with paper towel overnight

Upholstery Stains

Upholstery and other textiles are easily stained, especially in high usage areas. A strong upholstery cleaner is often your best line of defence, but be sure to first look at the care tag on your cushions and pillows for the cleaning code. Here’s what the different codes mean:

W Code Fabrics

The “W” code means you can safely use a solution of water and dish soap, or even a steam cleaner. Do not use solvents as they can damage the fabric.

S Code Fabrics

Dry-cleaning solvents are the only safe option for “S” code fabrics. Check if the care tag specifies a particular type, otherwise you can use an all-purpose solvent cleaner that’s formulated for fabrics. Do not use water-based methods as they will make the stain worse.

WS Code Fabrics

As the code suggests, you can use a combination of water-based solutions and dry solvents on this kind of fabric. It’s usually best to try the solvents first.

X Codes

"X" code fabrics are extremely delicate so you shouldn’t use water or solvents at all. You can safely vacuum the material, but you’ll need to contact a professional upholstery cleaner for stains.

No Code Visible

If you can’t find the care tag here’s a few tips on how to safely proceed: 

• Use water and dish soap on cotton, linen, and polyester 

• Sprinkle corn starch and talcum powder on leather and allow to sit overnight 

• Use rubbing alcohol to spot treat tough stains like ink 

• Soak up grease stains with baking soda

Stains on Curtains & Drapes

Here too the method will depend on the type of stain as well as the type of fabric. More delicate fabrics will require more delicate treatment. As a general rule, you should remove as much of the stain as possible immediately. Once a stain sets, it becomes permanently bonded to the fabric and will be harder to remove without damaging your curtains. Drink stains such as fruit juice or coffee can be dabbed with liquid laundry detergent or club soda. Once you have soaked as much up as possible, you can use a spot remover to finish the job.

Wood Floor Stains

Specialized floor cleaners can do a great job removing many types of stains. Grease stains can be cleaned with lye soap, and non-grease stains can usually be wiped away with dish soap and water. Tougher stains that won’t come out, including water stains left to dry and set, will require more attention. You’ll need to sand over the area, clean it with steel wool and mineral spirits, then stain, wax, and buff.

How to Clean Tiles

Tile is a very durable material, but it's not immune to stains. Thankfully, with the right tile cleaner you can keep your tiles looking fresh and clean. Here’s some more tips for cleaning your tiles: 

• Avoid acidic cleaners like vinegar or lemon on natural tile materials like stone or slate 

• Do not scrub your tiles with abrasive brushes or scrubbers 

• Try hydrogen peroxide on coffee, tea, and juice stains 

• Try heavily diluted bleach on harder to clean stains like ink or dye 

• For gum, tar, or wax place ice cubes in a plastic bag placed over the stain until the material hardens then scrape it away

How to Clean Bathtubs & Showers

Tub and shower cleaners are very effective at removing soap scum, mildew, and hard water stains. Rust stains can be a bit tougher. Try applying a paste mixture of baking soda and vinegar. Let it sit for an hour, then scrub vigorously and rinse off.

Bedding & Linens

Sheets, pillows, and pillowcases can become stained over time from perspiration. Most of these materials can be cleaned with a pre-treatment spot cleaner and a quality laundry detergent. For difficult stains on light-coloured fabric, bleach may be needed. Lighter and delicate fabrics can also be dried in the sun to “sun bleach” away spots without the need for chemicals.

Clothing Stains

The types of stains your clothing can incur are almost endless. Here’s some methods to try before sending them out to the dry cleaners:

• How to get oil out of clothes: Light oil stains can be sprayed with spot remover then washed in hot water. For heavier stains, place your garment face down on paper towels and pour stain remover on the back side of the stain. Replace the paper towels at intervals. Once dry, rinse and launder in hot water. 

• How to get grease out of clothes: Use the same method you used for removing oil. 

• How to get ink out of clothes: Apply rubbing alcohol around the stain first, and then directly onto the stain. Put the stain facedown on clean paper towels and add rubbing alcohol to the back of the stain, replacing the paper towels regularly. Rinse and then launder. 

• How to get paint out of clothes: For water-based paint, rinse the garment in warm water while the stains are still wet and then launder. For oil-based paints use paint thinner or turpentine. Rinse the area, pre-treat with a spot remover, then rinse again and launder. 

• How to get blood out of clothes: For immediate blood stains, soak the garment in cold water and then launder normally; dried stains need to be pre-treated before laundering

Removing stains can be tedious work, but the time and effort it takes is extremely cost-effective. Occasional spot-cleaning of your couch or carpet is cheaper than replacing them once stains accumulate over time. Perhaps most importantly, it will help keep your home looking spotless!