Removing Stains From Cotton With Milk

Ever try to get lipstick out of a white cotton shirt? Ever have to explain to you wife where the lipstick came from!?! If the answer to either question is yes, then read on. We have a tip on cleaning stains off white cotton that you really are going to love.

In a spray bottle, mix equal parts of three common household ingredients: whole milk (you know — the moo kind), liquid laundry bleach and water. That’s right! 1 part regular milk, 1 part liquid chlorine bleach and 1 part good old fashioned tap water. Mix the ingredients into a spray bottle — spray application is easiest. Anyway, spray the concoction onto the stain and scrub the affected area with a clean tooth brush. You will be absolutely amazed!!! It works on most stains, but only on white cotton. It even works on strawberry stains. Again, don’t use this formula on anything but white cotton. Colored cotton and other fabrics can be damaged. One lady applied this magnificent formula to a T-shirt that was laying on her ironing board cover. Whoops! The colored flowers on her beautiful ironing board cover suddenly disappeared, and our zealous cleaning lady was left with an expression of surprise when she noticed that the stain remover had filtered through the T-shirt to the ironing board cover. We suggested that she get a scrap of plastic sheeting as protection for next time. Good thing it wasn’t her dress below the T-shirt. Cotton is damaged by bleach, so it is important to launder the garment immediately after using the stain remover. It is also important to note that although this formula is reasonably mild that rubber gloves and eye protection should be used. Also, never ever mix bleach and ammonia together the combination is lethal.

Removing stains can be a pesky task. In her book Clean Your House & Everything In It, author Eugenia Chapman suggests how to remove several different types of stains. ADHESIVE TAPE. Scrape off the excess tape with a dull knife and rub the remaining gummy residue with a white rag dipped in cleaning solvent. Our suggestion is to always test the solvent on a hidden part of the garment first — to insure that it doesn’t damage the fabric. BLOOD. Soak in cold water for at least a half-hour or until the stain turns light brown. Spray with a prewash stain remover and rinse. If the stain persists, soak it in a solution of 2 tablespoons ammonia to 1 gallon of warm water. GUM. Rub the gum with an ice cube until it become hard. Scrape off as much as possible with a dull knife, then use a white rag dampened with cleaning solvent. MUSTARD. Rinse off the mustard in cold water. Pretreat with a prewash stain remover and then soak in hot detergent water for several hours. If the stain persists, sponge it with rubbing alcohol (test fabric for alcohol color fastness).

All too often you probably find yourself with a stain to remove that you don’t recognize. Eugenia tells us that it may be impossible to remove, but gives us a method that she refers to as her “safe course of action”: 1) Rinse the stained are in cold water, 2) Pretreat with a prewash stain remover, 3) Repeat step two and rinse several times, 4) Wash the fabric using chlorine bleach or all-fabric bleach in the hottest water temperature that is safe for the fabric, 5) Air dry, 6) If the stain remains, soak in cold water for a half-hour, 7) sponge the stain with cleaning solvent, 8) Rinse and repeat steps 2) through 5) if necessary.

Related Posts

• 

  How To Remove Old Caulk in 6 Easy Steps
  How To Remove Old Caulk in 6 Easy Steps
• 

  On Acoustic Ceiling Tiles
  On Acoustic Ceiling Tiles
• 

  On Wood Water Damage
  On Wood Water Damage
• 

  Show Notes: Hiring a Handyman and More
  Show Notes: Hiring a Handyman and More

You must be logged in to post a comment Login