School guide to stain removal

Now that the children are well into the Autumn term, you have doubtless witnessed a variety of shirts and clothing making their way home with an array of stains on them. MOLLY MAID, the professional domestic cleaning company, recommend the following tricks to combat common stains endured from a day at school from biro, ink and glue to tipex. So here are some top tips to removing school stains from clothing.

Crayons: Place a folded some kitchen paper under the stained area. Spray the back of the fabric with WD-40 to help transfer the colour. Turn the fabric over and rub a little liquid washing up liquid onto the crayon marks to loosen them even more. Wash in the hottest water possible (that the clothing tolerates) with all-fabric washing detergent.

Ink Pens: Dab the ink spots with a little cotton wool that’s been dipped in surgical spirit.  Allow the surface to air-dry and wash in the warmest water that’s safe for the fabric.

Biro: It’s uncanny how children manage to stain their clothes with biro pens at school, but feat not, all you need is hairspray! Lie the stained top or item of clothing out on a work surface. Spray liberally with hairspray, then take a damp cloth and blot the stain (but don’t rub it as it will make it worse). Repeat as many times as needed until the stain is lighter. Then spray with hairspray one more time, then wash as normal.

Tipex or White correction fluid: If we are talking about the water-based product, then scratch as much of it off with your fingernail or equivalent. Then, wash in the washing machine as normal. For petroleum-based correction fluid scratch off as much as possible. Then apply a citrus-base cleaner, like Goo Gone, to dissolve the stain.

Glue: Don’t stress over removing craft glue, just pre-treat and wash as normal. For tougher glues, like Super Glue, rub acetone on the fabric with an old toothbrush to remove the hardened layers. If necessary, apply the acetone to the back of the stain. Rinse the area very well and then wash in the washing machine as normal.

Grease: A simple solution for removing a greasy stain, but one that you may not think is logical for removing stains, is cola. Simply pour a litre of cola over the stain in a bowl and allow to soak for 30 minutes and then wash in the washing machine as normal.

Good luck and banish school stains forever.

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