Silo · stain removal · sorted by chemistry, not by fabric
Stains
Removal methods by stain type — urine, blood, coffee, ink, deodorant, mould, wax, paint, sap and rust.
Fibre limits
How to Clean Wax Off Clothes (Two Stains, Not One)
Wax is two stains: the solid you lift, and the oily colour ring under it. Paraffin softens at 46-68 °C and polyester starts to…
How to Clean Vomit from a Carpet (the Stain Is Not the Urgent Part)
Vomit is a protein stain sitting in stomach acid at roughly pH 1 to 3, and the acid works on the carpet dye faster…
How to Clean Tree Sap From Clothes (Resin, Not Sugar)
Three things get called tree sap and only one needs a solvent. Conifer resin will not dissolve in water at any temperature; the sticky…
How to Clean Rust Off Clothes (Acid Works, Bleach Makes It Permanent)
Rust is iron oxide, so the usual stain reflex is exactly wrong: chlorine bleach oxidizes the iron further and sets the mark for good,…
How to Clean Crayon Out of Clothes (The Dryer Does the Damage)
Crayola puts its crayons’ melting point between 120 °F and 147 °F, a band every tumble dryer reaches. The wax has to leave the…
How to Clean Armpit Stains on White Shirts (Bleach Is the Wrong Bottle)
The obvious move is bleach, and it is the one product most likely to make the mark darker. This is a protein and mineral…
How to Clean Carpet Stains (Three Kinds, and Only Two Come Out)
Most of what lands on a carpet is a spot and comes off the fiber. Some of it is a dye that has already…
How to Get Dry Paint Out of Clothes (Dry Means Two Different Things)
The first page splits paint into water-based and oil-based, then ends by asking you which one you have. That is the whole problem, because…
How to Clean a Coffee Stain (One Cup, Three Stains)
Every guide treats coffee as one stain and ends by telling you to wash it warm. A cup with milk in it is three…
How to Clean a Blood Stain (Age Is Not the Problem, Heat Is)
Every guide opens with act fast, and that is only half right. Blood is a protein stain and an iron stain stacked together, and…
Fibres that behave like Stains
Same rules, different name. If your garment blends two of these, treat it as the most fragile one.