You have a nice sofa in your living room but you don’t know what to do about the ghastly tea stain on it. And what is to be done about that ink stain on your carpet? Should you replace the carpet and reupholster your furniture? That should be no problem at all if you have loads of money to throw away but do remember you are in the land of the living where little accidents like spilling tea on the sofa or dropping ink on the carpeted floor happen. So roll up your sleeves and clean it up. Of course, it’s possible! You just need to know the method to the madness.

Stain types

Dyes: Beets, carrots, cherries, green vegetables and soft drinks.

Oils: Butter, face cream, grease, hair or hand lotion, mayonnaise and salad dressing.

Removing stains is not a problem; you just have to know how and what to apply

Proteins: Milk, egg, blood, vomit and urine.

Tannins: Berries, tea, coffee, fruit juices, preservatives, jellies and washable ink.

Combination stains: Candle wax, crayon, gravy, makeup, shoe polish, chocolate, cocoa, ketchup, etc.

Stain removing solutions

Detergent solution: One teaspoon mild liquid detergent in one cup water.

Bleach solution: One teaspoon chlorine bleach in one tablespoon water.

Ammonia solution: One tablespoon ammonia in half cup water or add ammonia to detergent solution.

White vinegar solution: Two tablespoons vinegar in one cup water or add vinegar to detergent solution.

Dry spotter: One part coconut oil or mineral oil to eight parts dry-cleaning solvent.

Salt water solution: One teaspoon salt in one cup warm water.

Supplies to keep handy: Tissues, towel, white cloths, neutral colour sponges, household ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, chlorine bleach, mild and strong detergent, dry-cleaning solvent, paint-oil-and-grease remover and a hair dryer.

Try to remove a stain as soon as possible. If possible, place an absorbent tissue, towel or clean piece of cloth under the area. Remove moisture from the stain by blotting it from above too.

It would be helpful if you know the fabric contents of your sofa covering, draperies or carpet. If that’s not the case, then start by applying a mild detergent in a hidden fold. If it doesn’t harm the fabric, try it on the stain. If it doesn’t work there are other far more stronger stain removers such as stronger detergent, ammonia, bleach, vinegar, etc. See what works. But a word of caution first: do not mix chlorine bleach with ammonia, and wear rubber or plastic gloves when working with enzyme products. Also never use ammonia, strong detergent or chlorine bleach on wool.

If the stain was created by a solid substance, first lift it off or scrape it away with a dull-edged utensil like a spatula or the flat of a knife. In order to soften a hardened stain, dampen it with a few drops of cleaning agent. Then dampen an absorbent material with the same cleaning agent and press it against the stain for half an hour or so.

When removing stains don’t over wet the fabric; use detergent solutions, etc., in small quantities, and then working from the outside in, blot the stain with a white absorbent material. Do not rub as it can cause the stain to spread and do keep changing your piece of tissue or cleaning cloth as it becomes soiled.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, February 15th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play