1) Ballpoint pen: - These ink stains are removed easily by rubbing them with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol.
2) Beer: - Try with soap and water. Use lukewarm water and ordinary table salt on wool; an equal mix of water and alcohol on silk. Wet the stain with a sponge and repeat as necessary.
3) Burnt spots: - They can be removed if rubbed with a handkerchief soaked in a 24 per cent hydrogen peroxide solution; or else use cold water and a sprinkling of salt. Repeat the process two or three times, rinse and let dry in the sun.
4) Cola: - Place a clean towel under the stain and rub it with a solution of water and glycerine in equal amounts. Rinse well with a damp and wrung out cloth.
5) Chocolate: - If it is a wool garment, rub the stain with glycerine and then wash it in lukewarm water.
6) Coffee:-To remove stains on wool and silk, use a few drops of glycerine and let it soak thoroughly. Then wash the garment in warm water a few times. If the stain is very old, add a tablespoon of egg yolk to the glycerine. A word of caution: never use soap. You can use bleach on linens and cottons; use a brush dipped in a bit of water and alcohol for very resistant stains.
7) Fruit: - These stains can be removed with a bit of lemon juice.
8) Grass: - Rub the stain with a solution made from two tablespoons of alcohol, a tablespoon of ammonia and three tablespoons of hot water.
9) Grease: - Take a cloth and moisten it with trichloro-ethy-lene or petrol. Do not rub it on, but dab it lightly, working always on the outside part of the stain if it is large. This action should be carried out quickly. Blow on the stain so that it dries rapidly. Sprinkle with soap powder, let the garment dry completely, then brush it. If you do not have Soap powder or talcum powder within reach, pass over the area with the soft part of a piece of bread.
To prevent the famous “ring” from remaining, it is important to act quickly and allow the garment to dry thoroughly before brushing. Or else mix soap powder and turpentine. Apply this paste to the stain and remove it with a woollen rag after five or ten minutes. Then brush the area with either a hard or soft brush depending on the fabric.
10) Ink: - Rub a piece of lemon over the stain. Repeat as necessary. Then lift the stained part, tie it with a rubber band and let it soak a bit in cup of milk. Remove the rubber band and take a well – wrung cloth moistened with cold water and pass it over the stain. This is a rather delicate process, which means it is better to try it first on a hidden part of the garment to avoid unpleasant surprises.
11) Ironing marks: - To remove marks made by an iron, take a damp but wrung out towel and place it folded on the inside part of the fabric , while on the outside part place a white cloth. Leave it overnight. The next day iron it with a moist cloth and a lukewarm iron.
12) Liquor: - Dampen the stain with the same liquor that caused the stain; then wash it with soap and water.
13) Lipstick: - Put a bit of sugar in water and rub this solution over the stain. Remove the water with a damp cloth.
14) Makeup: - Soak a pad in ether (or else pure alcohol) and apply it to the stain until the pad looks clean.
15) Mud: - Let the stain dry and then brush it well. Next, pass a cloth moistened with water and vinegar over the spot. Wash everything with soap and water. Or else remove the stain with a piece of raw potato.
16) Nicotine: - Rub the stain with a solution made of equal amounts of ammonia and glycerine.
17) Perfume: - These stains are difficult to remove; rub with soap powder, then soak the stain in alcohol and brush it. To remove those on cotton apply a slightly wrung out piece of cotton wool soaked in 12 percent hydrogen peroxide. Rinse immediately with lukewarm water.
18) Perspiration: - Rub the stain with ammonia diluted by water. Or else wash it with baking soda, making certain to rinse it well afterwards. Older stains can be removed with a light solution of oxalic acid. If the perspiration is fresh and material is not wool, place the stain under cold running Water.
19) Rain: - Soak the stained part thoroughly. Place a strip of linen above the garment and press it with a hot iron or else soak the garment in cold water and let it dry thoroughly.
20) Shoe polish: - Wet the fabric with turpentine and then rub it with a clean cloth.
21) Sugar: - Stretch the garment across a table and place a clean cloth folded into a square under the stain. Soak an old but sheer handkerchief in hot water and rub until the sugar dissolves. Then use the handkerchief to dab the spot with a rapid action until the stain disappears. Let it dry and repeat the operation if necessary.
22) Tobacco: - Rub the stain with 12 percent hydrogen peroxide.
23) Wine: - While the stains are fresh, sprinkle with some table salt and rub at length with lemon juice and soap; then rinse the area thoroughly. Repeat as necessary. If the stains are on corduroy fabrics, immediately cover the stains with fine salt and leave it until completely dry.
