L. Paul Cline Oct 18, 2013

Selecting the right solvent requires you to know two things: 1) what will dissolve the stain and what is safe to use on the cloth you’re working with.

What Each Fabric Requires

Using the wrong product and can end up damaging your cloth.   Most clothes are made from fairly sturdy materials, but they all have their strengths and weaknesses.
Always check the label. It’s your best guide in most cases. If it doesn’t provide any instructions, go by fabric type:

 
Cotton: can endure soaking, drying, and heat (though you want to avoid the latter for most stains — warm water is fine, but dry heat will set the stain). It’s easy to bleach white cotton, but it’s very hard on fabric, so use bleaches as the last resort, and be sure to dilute them. The best stain treatments for cotton are detergents and light acids (lemon juice, vinegar, etc.).

 

Wool: is much more heat-sensitive than cotton, and needs to be treated gently. You can soak it, but you have to lay it flat as it dries to prevent distortion. Use only wool-safe detergents and lukewarm (not hot) water — bleaches and acidic treatments will damage the wool permanently. Treat with water or a wool detergent as soon as possible, and then get the garment to the dry cleaner at the first opportunity.

 

Synthetics: vary depending on the material. Rayon and polyester can be washed and scrubbed more harshly than cotton, but will be destroyed by oxidizing bleaches like hydrogen peroxide. It’s usually best to clean them with a standard laundry detergent, or with dish soap for grease-heavy stains.

 

Silk: is exceedingly temperamental. You can treat stains on silk with water, but rather than letting the wet spot dry on its own, rinse the whole garment thoroughly — otherwise you will get water spotting.  Glycerin stain remover is also effective and neutral.

 

No matter what you’re using, test the stain remover on an inside patch of the cloth or an unobtrusive seam before applying it to the stain to make sure it doesn’t do anything damaging to the fabric. Water is the only thing you can automatically apply — and even then make sure it’s the right temperature.

 

Types of Solvents (And the Stains They Remove)

 

Here are the major families of stain removers and solvents, and the kinds of stains they’re most effective at cleaning:

 

Water: Universally safe on basically everything. It is effective as an immediate treatment to prevent stain setting. Needs prolonged soaking to have much effect on grease/oil stains, but it reduces the effect of dyes (lipstick, hair dye, bleed from other clothes, etc.) considerably. It is not usually a 100% effective treatment all on its own.

 

Salt: Can be applied on top of a wetted stain to give the chemicals something to leech into. Effective on sweat/deodorant armpit stains, red wine, and blood stains.

 

Vinegar/Lemon Juice: Mild acids are great against coffee and tea, grass stains, and sticky residues like tape and glue. Vinegar is also effective against mildew — perfect for laundry that sat wet too long.

Do not use on wool.

 

Detergent: Laundry and dish detergents are similar enough to use interchangeably in most situations. Dish detergent is usually harsher, and may make very delicate fabrics worse if you don’t wash it out thoroughly. They are both particularly effective against grease stains, so use them on everything from gravy and burger juice to chocolate smears.

 

Oxidizing Bleaches: Hydrogen peroxide is the most common example of oxidizing bleaches. They’re effective at removing color, making them ideal for makeup stains, grass stains, and other pigment-based damage. They’re less effective against grease, and can damage delicate fabrics. Dilute as needed for a milder treatment.

 

Glycerin: A neutral, commercially available treatment that helps to draw stains out of fabrics. Good on ink and dye stains. Many commercial “stain sticks” are glycerin, or a combination of glycerin and detergent.

 

Mineral Spirits: An intense treatment for very stubborn greases (asphalt/tar stains, etc.). They are too strong for delicate fabrics. Wash the clothing thoroughly after treatment and air-dry.

 

Digestants/Enzyme Cleaners: These are commercial products sold under a variety of names. They are highly effective on organic stains, and stains with an odor (egg yolk, pet urine, blood, sweat, etc.) They cannot be used on wool or silk — the cleaner feeds on proteins, and both wool and silk are made from proteins.

 

Dry Cleaning Solvents: These are sold in a diluted form for home treatment of stains. Use them with caution — you are better off  taking the clothes to a professional cleaner.

 

Chlorine Bleaches: A harsh, last-ditch remedy. Use with caution. They can damage fabric and discolor non-white cloth. Always test a small, hidden area first, and only if the tag does not say “No Bleach” or “Chlorine Free” on it.

 

Not all stains are going to give way easily to one kind of treatment. Some will require multiple treatments for multiple problems: many lipsticks, for example, have both an oil component and a dye component.

 

In general, treat dyes before oils — chocolate, for example, is best treated with a lukewarm water soak and then with a bit of detergent applied directly to the stain.

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Lescline.com 877-300-1235