How to Remove Food Stains from Clothes
LAUNDRY TIPS
Summer barbecues are always a blast with delicious food and quality time well spent with family and friends. However, with all the tasty sauces and outdoor activities, stains are just waiting to happen. Although some fresh stains may be treatable right away, always be careful to ensure that you don't ruin one of your favorite summer outfits.
The best way to remove tough stains is to think like a dry cleaner. A few tips and tricks are to act fast, pay attention to the type of stain, and tailor the treatment to the fabric it's on. However, it's best to trust the professionals when treating dry-clean-only, delicate clothing, or difficult to remove stains. Letting the experts treat the stains for you reduces the risk of damaged clothes.
Let's take a deeper look into how to remove some of the most common stains from clothes.
How to remove mustard stains from clothes
Although mustard is a fan favorite at summer barbecues, it is also one of the toughest stains to remove. Mustard contains turmeric, which is known for leaving behind a tough yellow blotch. Turmeric stains are particularly challenging because they are dye-based stains.
When learning how to get mustard stains out of clothes, it's important to act promptly and not let it set into the fabric.
First remove any excess mustard.
Next pre treat the stain with laundry detergent or mix one part white vinegar with two parts water and gently apply to the stain.
After letting it sit for about 5 minutes, gently blot the stain with a damp towel.
If the stain has set, trusting a dry cleaner is often the most reliable solution for removing the stain. Dry cleaners are experts on how to remove turmeric stains with their variety of powerful stain treatments that you likely won't have at home.
How to get tomato sauce stains out of clothes
Tomato sauce stains, also referred to as red sauce stains, are another common stain that can be difficult to clean. Tomato stains are tannin based, requiring immediate attention with cold water.
First blot the excess tomato with a clean cloth and then soak the stain in cold water.
Next pre treat the stain before washing the garment, we recommend using
Gently rub the stain with the cleaning solution before placing the garment in the washing machine to rinse the stain.
Make sure the stain is removed before drying the garment because drying will set the stain.
How to get food grease and oil stains out of clothes
When dealing with food grease or oil stains, such as those caused by butter or salad dressing, it is best to act quickly. The longer they sit on the fabric, the more difficult it is to remove, especially at home. Avoid rubbing these type of stains as that can cause the stain to spread.
Dry cleaners are experts in how to get food grease out of clothes. They offer a variety of different stain treatments that are more effective and powerful than a washing machine. How to get salad dressing out of clothes may require a slightly different technique than how to get butter stains out of clothes. Bring your garment into a dry cleaner as soon as possible and let them know the stain type to ensure its properly treated.
How to get BBQ sauce stains out of clothes
What's a summer barbecue without the BBQ sauce? BBQ is a must have, but its sticky nature makes it a difficult stain to remove. BBQ sauce is a composite stain, which combines tomato and oil. Act quickly to avoid the stain setting. Otherwise, you'll likely have to soak the garment in cold water with color-safe bleach before beginning the stain removal steps.
Composite stains are hard to treat at home. The best chance for removal is to bring the garment to a dry cleaner as fast as possible. Dry cleaners offer stain removal expertise and a variety of different tools and techniques than you'd find at home.
Whether you are dealing with mustard, tomato, food grease and oil, or BBQ stains its important to act quickly and pay close attention to the fabric it’s on. Although they are all staples at summer barbecues, they each require a different removal process.
When treating dry-clean-only, delicate clothing, or difficult to remove stains, trust the experts at Tide Cleaners. Need a stain removed now? Find a Tide Cleaners near you.