Act quickly on stains

When you think about removing stains, you often wonder which cleaners are the best or whether it would be better to use household remedies such as vinegar. However, the choice of tool is often only of secondary importance, it is more important to act quickly. For example, if red wine gets onto a carpet, it soaks further into the fabric every second. It will therefore become more difficult, perhaps even impossible, for you to clean the stain over time. However, if the red wine has just been spilled, it can be quickly soaked up with absorbent kitchen paper. A wet sponge is then sufficient to rinse the red wine completely out of the carpet. This leads us to the conclusion that those who act quickly need to worry less about cleaning agents and have a better chance of success.

How stains are generally treated mechanically varies. You can often rely on your gut feeling here. If it is a fine fabric, it makes sense not to use a brush and to work the cleaning agent in gently. A light-colored cotton cloth is suitable for this. This should of course be clean. The light color is therefore practical as it prevents the cloth from staining the fabric. A brush can also be used for coarse materials.

Home remedies for annoying stains

Home remedies naturally have advantages over chemical agents, as they often do not have to be bought separately and are also particularly inexpensive. Many of them are even completely environmentally friendly.

When you sweat, your clothes often absorb the sweat. This is usually not a problem, but sometimes the dark sweat stains simply cannot be removed by a normal wash cycle. Pre-treatment with vinegar essence is helpful here. This is very simple: mix vinegar and water in a container in a ratio of approximately 1:5 and soak your clothes in it. You can do this overnight, for example, so that the vinegar solution has enough time to take effect. Then wash your clothes as usual and the dark stains on the collar and under the armpits should disappear.

Citric acid is particularly helpful when stains from drinks, such as red wine, come into contact with light-colored textiles. If you missed rinsing the red wine out of your shirt quickly, you can remove the dried stain afterwards using citric acid. To do this, drizzle the juice of a lemon generously onto the stain and add salt. Allow the mixture to soak in and wait until the stain is dry. Then take a fine brush and brush the salt out of the fabric. Now rinse the stain, the best way to do this is with mineral water. The stain still hasn't disappeared? No problem, a wash cycle in the washing machine should do the rest.

Baking soda is a real all-rounder and can be found in most households. The great thing about baking soda is that you can use it to remove a variety of different stains and from a wide range of fabrics. However, you should bear in mind that baking soda has a bleaching effect and should therefore be used on light-colored or colorfast materials. If it is a grease stain, the baking soda can simply be sprinkled on. After it has been allowed to work for half an hour, it can be tapped off and the grease stain is usually washed out completely in the washing machine. You can also soak your clothes in a mixture of baking soda and water or put the baking soda plus salt directly into the washing machine. A paste made from baking soda and a little water is particularly effective.

Removing stains on the go

All the household products mentioned are a great help in removing stains, but what should you do when you are out and about? It makes sense to first dry the stain with a handkerchief if it is damp. If you have mineral water with you, you can use this to rinse the stain out of the fabric. This works even better with clear, high-proof alcohol such as gin or vodka. If you are at an event, soap from the soap dispenser will also help to remove the stain if necessary.