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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 alcohol first to 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…
Chocolate stains happen. In this video, the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) shows you steps to remove them.
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…
Bathrooms are where the cleaning challenges can really get tough. There are so many surfaces: chrome, brass, glass, porcelain, fiberglass ... plus a wide variety of soils: hard water deposits, soap film, rust stains and mildew, not to mention germs. An assortment of effective cleaning products is available for these jobs.
Cleaning Tips
Rinse the tub after each use to keep soap film and hard water deposits…
Q: Because they can be uncomfortable and not always safe, last year I convinced my kids to forgo masks in favor of face paint and other makeup to create their Halloween "personas." It was a great success and we're doing it again this year. The only problem is the makeup stains on their outfits. Some stain-removal help, please!
A: Stains from face paint, makeup, hair gel and lipstick can all be treated with a prewash stain remover, and then…
Treat and wash stains promptly!
Holiday entertaining is fraught with potential disasters. But a cool head and the right products will keep a mini-crisis from becoming a major problem. Here are some quick and easy remedies from the American Cleaning Institute:
Stains
Turkey, gravy, butter, and salad dressing (oil-based stains): Pretreat with a prewash stain remover. Launder in the hottest water that’s safe for the fabric.…
With a little preparation, you can be ready to enjoy a stress-free picnic.
When preparing or serving food in the great outdoors, there are a few extra steps and considerations that you may not have at home or even in your backyard. Food needs to be stored properly to be safely consumed during your al fresco meal. Spills and stains have more time to set before they can get to the laundry. And you need to be prepared to clean up thoroughly to leave things…
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 easily. First,…