Salvation: What You Can Do

As I said before, when you get home, inspect your clothing under bright light and, if the clothing is washable, then you have choices. Zout, Spray & Wash and Oxi Clean and other products like these do have their place. Read the fine print, test an area, and go for it. Zout and Spray & Wash are particularly affective on lipstick and excellent for coffee, soda and other drink spills.

But, don’t forget these wise words … “Dryclean your expensive and most valuable clothing, leave the stain removal to skilled technicians and stop looking for quick-fixes and miracle cures. Wash the rest of your clothing, and try to learn the best and safest way to do it.”

Remedy for Oily Stains on Washable Clothing

For oily stains before washing:

  • Mix up a bottle of one part Glycerin (from a drugstore) and add one part clear liquid dishwashing detergent, and eight parts water.
  • Shake it up, and pour enough to cover the stain.
  • Tap the stain with your finger or tap it gently with a small brush, apply some more solution, and then wash it. This will improve your chances maybe 50%.

For Dryclean-Only Clothing

If you stained a “Dryclean-Only” garment, then get it to your drycleaner within 48 hours and be sure to tell them everything that you remember; when it occurred, what you put on it (hopefully nothing!) and the nature of the stain. Drycleaners are not mind readers, and this information will really help them. Do not be shy about this, even if the stain is blood, discharge, perspiration or urine.