Vijaya Kumar - Handy Household Tips

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Quick Home Remedies: Handy Household Tips
2008, Sterling Publishers (P) Ltd
ISBN 978 81 207 4173 7

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Stains leave or make coloured patches or dirty marks on something. They can be an eyesore, and some are quite difficult to remove, especially if they are left for too long. Fingers can be stained with nicotine or the juice of some vegetable or fruit; a table cloth can be stained with gravy; childrens clothes can be caked with mud, etc. Given below are some of the remedial measures that can be taken to remove particular stains.

Acid

• Treat an acid stain with a weak solution of washing soda, or a solution of ammonia, and sponge it off.
• Rub the area with a damp sponge. Mix a tablespoon of borax with half a litre of warm water. Work this well into the stain. Rinse with clean water and blot it dry with a dry cotton or with tissues.

Ballpoint ink

• Rub washing soap over the ink mark, and wipe with a wet cloth. Repeat this till the stain fades. Finally dab benzene on it and wipe it with a dry cloth.
• Rub methylated spirit over the area with a cloth. Wash in cold water and rinse as usual.
• Rub the ballpoint ink stain with alcohol, and wash with soap in lukewarm water.
• To remove tough ballpoint pen stains in a jiffy, dab the area with a little eau-de-cologne or nail polish remover

Beer and Wine

Beer stains from your clothes can be removed by washing the clothes in warm water containing a few drops of vinegar, and then rinsing well.

• Wipe the wine-stained area of your dress with a piece of cloth dipped in soda water.
• Combine one measure of vinegar with five measures of warm water. Dip a sponge in this solution and sponge over the wine or beer-stained material. Rinse with cold water.
• Sprinkle salt over the wine-stained area, then steep in cold water for two minutes. Rinse as usual. For stubborn stains, use borax (1 tablespoon) mixed in half a litre of water.

Beetroot

Wet the stained area thoroughly. Rub washing liquid into the stain. Steep overnight in detergent solution. Wash as usual the next morning.

Betel-leaf

• To remove the stain caused by chewed betel leaf from clothes, use curd or lime on the stain.
• Wash the stained area repeatedly with a warm sugar solution, and then rinse off.
• To remove betel leaf stains from clothes, rub them with a cut guava.

Bird droppings

Remove the droppings, wipe the area with warm salted water. Steep overnight in detergent water. Wash as usual the next morning.

Blood

• Soak the stained cloth in salted cold water, for an hour. Wash with soap and water, and rinse well. Dry in the sun.
• Dried blood-stains can be removed by soaking the cloth in a quarter bucket of water to which one tablespoon of ammonia has been added.
• Add a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide to a quarter bucket of cold water. Soak the blood-stained cloth in it overnight. Wash it the next day.

Buckets

To clean stain left by salt residue in buckets, wipe them with a cloth clipped in kerosene, and leave to dry in the sun for an hour. Wash them with detergent and water.

Candle spills

If candle wax falls on a cloth and leaves a mark, remove the wax, keep a blotting paper on the mark and run a hot iron over the paper. The stain will vanish.

Carbon paper

Carbon paper stains may be removed by sponging with methylated spirit.

Charcoal

Sponge the stained area with warm water, apply detergent powder, and keep aside for five minutes. Rub the area between your hands, and wash off with warm water.

Chewing gum

• To remove chewing gum from childrens clothes, dab it with cotton wool moistened with eucalyptus oil. This dissolves the gum which will disappear.
• Apply an ice cube to the chewing gum to dry it up, then scrape it off.
• Apply egg white on the area. When dry, pick the chewing gum off the material.

Chocolate/Cocoa

• Wash the chocolate marks with plain soda water.
• Rub the stained fabric with a little borax powder, and soak it in cold water for a few minutes. Hold the stained area over a vessel and pour boiling water on the stain. Wash in cold water as usual.
• Rub the area with washing liquid, then steep in warm water to which a little detergent is added.
• Apply a paste of soap and limestone, and dry the cloth in hot sun. Wash the cloth as usual.

Coffee

• Dip the stained part of the cloth in glycerine overnight, and wash with soap and water the following day.
• Fresh coffee stains from clothes may be removed by sponging with borax solution.
• Dissolve soda bicarb in water. Soak the stained area in it for an hour. Rinse in clean water.
• If you spill coffee on your outfit while dining out, just wet a cloth napkin with a bubbling club soda, and sponge the spot. Crayons Rub with methylated spirit on the crayon stain, and wash off with cold water.

Curry

• Rub the stain with soap and place it in the sun to dry. As the stain takes on a pink hue, wash the cloth the usual way.
• Rub the stained part with a cut lemon, then dry it in sunlight for half an hour. Finally wash it off with soap and water.
• Rub with glycerine to loosen the stain, then rinse the cloth in warm water.
• Rub the stain with a grease solvent, then wash the garment in hot water and detergent.

Egg

• Egg stains can be removed by washing in cold water to which salt is added.
• Soak the stained cloth in ammonia water for 10 minutes, then rinse off in cold water.

Felt-tipped Pens/Sketch Pens

• To remove stains caused by a sketch pen, rub a little nail polish remover on the stain, and rub till the stain disappears.
• Dab the area with methylated spirit. After rinsing with cold water, wash as usual.

Fish

To remove yellow stains from your fingers after marinating fish, mix a teaspoon of lime juice with baking soda, and rub the mixture on your fingers.

Fruit/Vegetable

• To remove fruit stains from a coloured cloth, sponge them first with ammonia, then with petrol.
• Rub the affected area with paracetamol tablets, then wash off with soap water.
• To remove the dark stains left by bananas, cover the stain with glycerine, then keep aside for 15 minutes. Wash off with water and detergent power.
• Soak the fruit juice-stained cloth in a solution of borax and water, and then launder.
• Mix together one measure of hydrogen peroxide with six measures water. Steep the cloth in it for ten minutes, then rinse and wash.
• To remove stains due to vegetables, scrub them with the inner portion of a lemon peel or banana skin.
• To avoid stains left while cutting brinjals or raw bananas, apply a little oil on your fingers before cutting them.

Glue

• Dip a rag in pure vinegar and rub it over the glue stain on cloth. After a couple of minutes wash the cloth in sudsy water.
• If the glue stain is fresh, wash the garment in cold water immediately. If the glue has hardened, then use methylated spirit.

Grass

Green grass stains from clothes can be removed by sponging with methylated spirit before washing.

Hair Dye/Henna

• Mix together an equal quantity of ammonia and methylated spirit, and a little water. Dab this solution on the stained area. Repeat the dabbing process till the stain disappears.