How to remove stains from fabric, carpet, wood and upholstery.

STAIN REMOVAL

The advice on these pages is given in good faith but it is made clear these remedies are undertaken at your own risk. No responsibility can be taken as regards their results or any consequences relating to their use. Please read notes at beginning of this section.

If you place the stained area on a soft absorbent cloth, or rolled up ball of kitchen paper, and use a circular motion from the outside in towards the centre, this will avoid making a ring mark.
Do not rub the remover onto the stain as this can damage the fabric and cause the stain to spread, always use a dabbing motion.
If the damaged item is washable, rinse NON GREASY stains away with water.
If the stain is greasy, sprinkle talc on the mark to absorb it.

FOR OTHER VITAL INFORMATION PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO LOOK AT "REMEMBER" AND "PRODUCTS".

HAIR LACQUER TO LIPSTICK

REMEDIES FOR OTHER STAINS CAN BE FOUND AT -

ADHESIVE - BLOOD # CANDLE WAX - CURRY # DEODORANT - GREASE

METAL POLISH - OIL # PAINT - STICKY MARKS # TAR - WINES/SPIRITS

Hair lacquer	Fabrics	Clean immediately with absorbent paper or cotton wool. Test a small area first with amyl acetate, if OK, dab on stain using an absorbent pad underneath. Any remaining colour can be treated with methylated spirits followed by washing in a strong detergent.
Heat mark	Furniture	Rub with metal polish in direction of the wood grain. I just wanted to thank you for the tip on metal polish for removing heat marks on wooden furniture. I've tried the ring remover but unfortunately the marks were too bad (even after two or three sessions of at least 15 minutes. After reading your tip I used "Autosol" metal polish (obtained from Lakeland) and it worked a treat in a jiffy - 5minutes for both tables!! Thank you so much Nellie Macon
Ice Cream	Fabrics	Soak in a solution of warm biological detergent and wash in the usual way. Treat any remaining stain with a grease solvent.
Indelible Pencil	Fabrics	Treat with undiluted liquid detergent and rinse well. If this fails dab with colourless methylated spirits and then with liquid detergent containing a little household ammonia. Rinse well.
Ink – Ballpoint pen	Fabrics	Dab lightly with either methylated spirits or grease solvent, a cotton wool bud is ideal for this purpose. Wash as usual. Spray with hair spray, then wash as usual. Works wonderfully on men's dress shirts. Courtesy of D. Gough Spray with hairspray and then use bar of soap. May need two applciations. Susan Peters - thanks. Same solution sent in by Clare Harding but she makes a very good point that you should check that the hairspray will not mark the fabric on an unseen bit first.
Ink - Ballpoint pen	Leather	To remove ballpoint pen marks from leather such as lounge suites, car seats, handbags, etc, spray with hairspray and leave a few minutes. Wipe off with a soft damp cloth. Marks that are deep/heavy or have been left for some time may need the hairspray left a while longer or a second or subsequent treatments but should fade each time hairspray is applied. Do not allow hairspray to dry before wiping off. Alison Miller I would offer a word of caution here though - some hairsprays can damage some leather; it depends on the other ingredients in the particular hairspray and also the type of finish and dyes used on the leather itself. It can also have a detrimental affect if used regularly over a period of time. It is the alcohol in the hairspray which does the trick.
Ink – Felt tip pen	Fabrics	Dab lightly with either methylated spirits or grease solvent, a cotton wool bud is ideal for this purpose. Wash as usual.
Ink – Felt tip pen	Wallpaper	Dab carefully with neat liquid detergent or methylated spirits. A cotton wool bud is ideal for this purpose.
Ink – Marking	Fabrics	The very nature of this product makes stains very hard to remove. Apply a little vegetable oil to prevent the ink drying into the fabric, then dab with a stain remover.
Ink – Permanent	Fabrics	Dab with methylated spirits over absorbent pad then was in detergent.
Ink – Washable	Fabrics	Dab with cold water and wash in detergent.
Iron Mould	Fabrics	Cover stain with salt and then squeeze lemon juice onto the salt. Leave for about an hour then rinse well and repeat if necessary. Wash in the normal manner. Proprietary rust removers can be used on some fabrics.
Jam	Fabrics	If washed quickly these stains are usually removed by normal washing. Old stains should be soaked in a Borax solution (15 ml or 1 table spoon to 500 ml or 1 pint warm water) or liquid detergent, then wash as normal. If the stain is stubborn try hydrogen peroxide (20 volume strength 1 part to 6 parts water), then launder. If fabric cannot be washed, remove anything remaining on the surface, sponge with a cloth moistened in washing-up liquid, then dry with a clean cloth.
Lipstick	Fabrics	Usually removed by normal washing, however, if this is not the case use a grease solvent and wash again.

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