The Messiest Day of the Year is Here...Start Learning Expert Stain Removal with Oak Hill Dry Cleaner
July 29th should declare itself the “messiest day of the year”. Why? It is officially:
While these may sound like fantastic things to celebrate (and we will be singing the praises of all three foods at our house), they are also the cause of some of the toughest stains in the laundry business. Ever try to get a deep red lipstick out of a white linen dress? Or have you ever seen the havoc that chili oils can cause to pants, shirts, and table linens? The same can be said of lasagna and chicken wing sauces!
The good news is that this year it is also the official launch day for Oak Hill Dry Cleaner’s free stain removal tutorials!
For quite some time now, we’ve been working to build a library of informational videos meant to help you tackle many of the issues that might, otherwise, send you through our doors.
That may sound counterintuitive. After all, we are in the laundry business! On the other hand, we are also dedicated to the best customer service in the region, and that means we want to give you the help needed to keep your garments and household items in great shape.
The reality is that a lot of the worst stains need our expertise and special formulations to be eliminated. And even with our years of knowledge and skill, it may be that some stains just can’t be erased.
By offering you these tutorials, our goal is to help you reduce the likelihood of permanent stains. We want to spare you unnecessary expenses or trips to the dry cleaner, if possible, but you can help us to do our job even better by attacking a stain the right way even before packing it up and bringing it to Travis.
The Stainyest Stains
You might guess the most common sources of staining, but some are much harder to eliminate than others. As we make begin to make our helpful little videos, we are going to show you how to deal with the “stainyest” materials, including:
Tannins – Think coffee, tea, wine, and other similar agents of disaster
Proteins – Think blood, urine, and even chocolate
Oil/Fat - This diverse group of staining agents includes everything from lipstick and olive oil to certain foods, auto grease, and even some deodorants
Grass/Plant - This includes the stains you get from falling in the grass, kneeling in the garden, and even brushing up against plants and trees
Ink/Pigment - You may have been told that inks cannot be removed, but that is not the case. We have some tips for fighting even “permanent” markers
Sweat – This is different from other bodily fluids like blood or urine. It can be nearly impossible to eliminate, and the sooner you address a sweat stain, the more likely it is to fade
As they say, though, first things first. That means, before we start showing you how to reduce the long-term impact of staining substances, we must be sure you are fully armed against them. To do that, we suggest you learn the immediate stain “First Aid” as well as building a stain removal kit.
Stain First Aid
As Martha Stewart says, “There is no single technique or product that takes care of every spot and spill, but with the right information and supplies, many stains can be removed. If a garment isn't washable, the safest thing is to take it to a dry cleaner...” And regardless of anything’s washability, the biggest tip we can offer is to ACT QUICKLY.
Allowing anything to soak in and set the stain makes it impossible for even Travis to eliminate it. The first thing you must do is to remove what you can of the staining material. Again, as Martha explains, “For a liquid, gently blot up any excess with a white cloth, working from the outside in, so you don't spread the stain; do not press hard or rub. Sprinkle an oily stain with cornstarch. If it's a dollop of something, like ketchup, scoop off any excess. Dab the area with cool water, which will lighten most spots and remove others altogether.”
Remember, too, that some stains require multiple solutions. Lipstick, as a prime example, has the oil/fat as well as the color that must both be addressed.
Testing the remedy on an out-of-sight spot is also wise, as you don’t want to damage the item as you try to erase a stain! As Martha adamantly reminds us, “There are no guarantees -- sometimes stain-removal techniques do more harm than good -- so if you have a particularly vexing stain or a valuable, delicate piece of clothing, take it to a professional.”
In our next post, we are going to provide you with a chart of those crucial Stain First Aid steps, and a list of must-have items and solutions on hand for the ultimate stain elimination kit. After that, we’ll start to release videos each week that demonstrate how to put your supplies to work and how to best prepare items for Travis and help him to do his best to get rid of stubborn stains.