... Stain Removal Guide ...

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What are stains? (as though you didn't know)
For more information, you too can visit Wikipedia.

A stain is a discoloration that can be clearly distinguished from the surface, material, or medium it is found upon. Stains are caused by the chemical or physical interaction of two dissimilar materials. Stains are used intentionally in a variety of fields, including in research (biochemical staining), technology (metal staining), and art (wood staining, stained glass.)

There can be intentional stains (such as wood stains or paint), indicative stains (like food coloring or adding a substance to make bacteria visible under a microscope), natural stains (such as rust on iron or a patina on bronze), and accidental stains (like spilling ketchup on your shirt.) While the types of stains are very different in application, they all form in the same basic ways:

The primary method of stain formation is surface stains, where the staining substance is spilled out onto the surface or material and is trapped in the fibers, pores, indentations or other capillary structure of that surface. The material that is trapped coats the underlying material, and the stain reflects back light according to its own color. Applying paint, spilled food, and wood stains are of this nature.

A secondary method of stain involves a chemical or molecular reaction between the material and the staining material. Many types of natural stains fall into this category. Finally, there can also be molecular attraction between the material and the staining material, involving being held in a covalent bond and showing the color of the bound substance.

Different types of material can be stained by different substances, and stain resistance is an important characteristic in modern textile engineering.

In many cases, stains can be affected by heat, and may become reactive enough to bond with the underlying material. Extreme heat, such as from ironing or dry cleaning, can cause a chemical reaction on an otherwise removable stain, turning it into a chemical compound that is impossible to remove.

Now that you know what they are, how do you get rid of them?

Bathtub and Sink Stains:
Scrub with a paste made of cream of tarter and hydrogen peroxide

Beer Spills:
Apply hydrogen peroxide to dried stain on white cotton. Sponge stain on colored fabrics with white vinegar

Blood Spots:
Douse spots with hydrogen peroxide. If fabric is bleachable, use diluted ammonia before rinsing in cool water. (Avoid hot water: Heat will set the bloodstain).

Coffee and Tea Stains:
Wipe clean with a paste of baking soda, or salt and white vinegar.

Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Stains:
Stretch fabric tight and pour hot or boiling water slowly over the stain so the water runs through the fabric.

Grass Stains:
Apply rubbing alcohol liberally to stained areas before laundering.

Grease:
Gently rub in talcum powder, cornmeal or cornstarch, let set, then brush or sponge powder away.

Gum gook:
In hair, work in vegetable oil or an oil based cream until gum is loosened. On fabric, rub area with ice until gum hardens and most can be removed. Place waxed paper over excess gum and iron lightly over paper.

Mildew:
Scrub walls and floors with a brush dipped in borax and water. For books or papers, dust with talcum powder, cornmeal or cornstarch, let set for two days, then brush off.

Mustard Stains:
Soak with diluted ammonia before laundering.

Perspiration Stains:
Rub with white vinegar before laundering. Keep vinegar handy in a squirt bottle to saturate such stains before you toss clothes in the washing machine.

Pet Urine:
Dampen area with equal parts of vinegar and water, blot dry.

Price Stickers:
Saturate with vegetable or baby oil before removing.

Rust Stains:
Rub with lemon juice and salt, then rinse thoroughly with water.

Scorch Marks:
Soak fabric in hydrogen peroxide, then rinse. Or alternate rubbing the area with a lemon slice, then wiping with a dampened sponge until stain disappears.

Tarnished Brass and Copper:
Mix together equal parts salt/flower, then add enough white vinegar to make a paste. Rub into stain. May require more than one application

Tarnish from Eggs:
Rub off with salt.

Vinyl (dirty) happens to the best of us:
Sponge down with equal parts of rubbing alcohol and water.

Water Spots on Stainless Steel:
Rub area with a clean soft cloth dampened with white vinegar.

Wine Spills:
Liberally apply club soda to spill, then sponge up soda and wine.

And now we return to our ... Navigator ... a bit happier with our stains.
But do we ever worry about stains on our character?
Maybe I should start a page on that concern.
No, that's too heavy a subject.
I'll give it a try:

Character Stains ... Change your parents, change your relatives, changes your friends, change your neighborhood, change your school, change your job, change the books you read, change the sites you visit, change the programs you watch ... it's not easy, in a word, change your life.