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Q: My kids are into making Valentine's Day cards and decorations. It's fun, but it creates a mess – especially the markers and the craft glue! How do I get these stains out of their clothing?
For regular felt-tip markers (those that aren't labeled "permanent"), rinse the stain with cold water until no more color is being removed. Then place the stain face down on some clean paper towels and sponge with rubbing alcohol. Apply the…
Q: My kids love the Cookie Monster, and he inspired them to help me make holiday cookies. But our cookie decorating sessions always end up with food coloring stains on their clothes. How do I remove them?
If you treat the stains as soon as the decorating session is over, they will be easier to remove.
Start by sponging the stain with cold water to remove as much of the food coloring as possible. Then pretreat with a prewash stain-remover and…
Spaghetti sauce splatter on your shirt, wax drips on the table cloth,and wine spots stain the rug, it can and will happen. And why does the bread always fall butter-side down? But, don’t let worrying about a few stains ruin your dinner.
ACI has these cleanup tips for after your feast:
Tomato Based Stains…
Q. Our family really loves pumpkin – pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup have all been part of our Thanksgiving meal. Inevitably, we get pumpkin stains on our tablecloth and the cloth napkins we reserve for special dinners. How do I get these stains out?
Scrape off any excess pumpkin and then flush under cold water to loosen the stain. Pretreat with a prewash stain remover. Launder in the hottest water that's safe for the fabric, using chlorine…
Q: I’ve done a good job keeping my skin protected from the sun, and my kids protected from mosquitoes. But now I have bug spray and sunscreen on my clothes. What do I do?
While that’s definitely good news for you and your kids, it sounds like the family wardrobe didn’t make out as well. But don’t fear; most commercially available bug sprays and sunscreens do wash out relatively easily. First, pretreat the stains with a prewash stain remover, then launder,…
Are your black jeans, t-shirt or your little black dress not as black as they used to be? For the most part, it’s pretty inevitable that dark clothes will fade after repeated washings.
There are laundry products that are formulated to lessen the fading. Be sure to read the product label and look for features like color guard or "for black" or "dark clothes". And always follow the product and garment label instructions before using.
If…
Chocolate stains happen. In this video, the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) shows you steps to remove them.
Summer’s here, and with it, the increased awareness of, and need for, sunscreen. We need the protection, but our tile floors? Not so much. Fortunately, there are easy ways to clean up when we accidentally slather and spray SPF on surfaces other than our skin.
Clothes
While that’s definitely good news for you and your kids, it sounds like the family wardrobe didn’t make out as well. But don’t fear; most commercially available bug sprays and sunscreens do wash out relatively…
Q. Several family members just took up biking. We love the health benefits, but not the bicycle grease on our clothes. What’s the best way to remove it?
A. The easiest way is to pretreat the stain with a prewash stain remover and then launder, using the hottest water that’s safe for the fabric. Check to make sure the stain is gone before putting the clothing in the dryer. If the stain remains, apply a…
Freshen Your Winter Wear! Depending on how winter clothes were stored, they can resurface with wrinkles or even a musty smell. Read on for tips on freshening up clothes so you can look your best this winter.
Get Rid of That Musty Smell: After taking clothes out of storage, wash them in hot water or take them to the dry cleaner before wearing them. You can also tackle stubborn musty smells by adding white vinegar, borax, or…