Many people don’t realize that detergents (surfactants), either full strength or diluted as in the homemade all-purpose cleaner, are all that’s needed to remove many common household stains like food, dirt, and grass. Whether you are dealing with clothing, carpet, upholstery, or any surface throughout your house for that matter, it is better to start off with a plain, non-chlorine detergent and only spot treat the soils with additional products/ingredients as needed. Doing so will reduce the amount of cleaners you need around your house while saving you time, money, and effort.
There are many ways to categorize soils and soils usually fit under several categories. You can get pretty technical and delve into the chemistry and science of stain removal. Or do what I do and start with the easiest stain fighting solutions first.
- I. For most food and outdoor stains:
- A. Use liquid detergent at full strength, diluted as in the homemade all-purpose cleaner, or anywhere in between. If that doesn’t work, then
- B. Work a small amount of borax in with the liquid detergent (full strength or diluted). Borax softens hard water thereby helping detergents remove soils more effectively. Optionally follow with vinegar rinse to neutralize the alkalinity. If that doesn’t work, then
- C. Pretreat stain with an enzyme digester (protease, bromalain, amylase) as found in meat tenderizer, juice of pineapple (preferably the core), human saliva (yes!), or a laundry stain removal product that contains enzyme digesters such as Zout. Follow with liquid detergent (full strength or diluted). Some liquid detergents already have enzymes added. Enzyme digesters work on protein stains like eggs, meat, and dairy. Use warm, not hot water as the heat will kill the enzymes. Do not use on silk, cashmere, or leather as they will break down the fibers.
- II. For greasy, oily, non-water soluble stains:
- A. ‘Like dissolves like’ so use liquid oil such as cooking oil or mineral oil to dissolve the sticky, greasy residue first. Then, follow with soap, dish liquid, or detergent. If that doesn’t work, then
- B. Use a solvent such as isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. Many laundry stain removers also contain solvents. Follow with liquid detergent (full strength or diluted). Solvents dissolve the non-water soluble residue to make it easier for the detergent to lift and remove the stains.
- III. If none of the above works, use an oxidizer to bleach the stain (but doesn’t actually remove it):
- A. Treat with detergent, then dry in sunlight. Or,
- B. Treat with detergent and hydrogen peroxide, then dry in sunlight. Or,
- C. Use Oxiclean powder (free of dyes and fragrance). Follow product directions. Or,
- Z. If all else fails and you can’t tolerate the stain, use chlorine bleach. Follow product directions. Never mix with ammonia nor vinegar. Bleach is safe to use with laundry detergents and borax.
Notes:
- Fresh stains are easier to remove than old, dry stains.
- Make sure your cleaning ingredient is compatible with the fabric or surface being cleaned.
- Most laundry detergents are alkaline based and most stains are acidic. So, laundry detergents are usually all that’s needed to neutralize stains.
- The pH of some stains, such as perspiration and urine, vary greatly. Fresh stains may start with an acidic pH, older stains all become alkaline. If plain liquid detergent does not remove the stain, pretreat with detergent and a small amount of borax for fresh stains or vinegar for older stains to neutralize the stains. Rinse and rewash with detergent cleaner.
- Take clue from laundering do’s and don’ts.
Clothing, carpet, upholstery, fabric window treatment, and tablecloth soils can all be treated with common laundry products. After all, they are all fibers – synthetic, natural, or blends. Usually, if it works on fabric, it works on most non-porous surfaces around the house. Here are some additional resources:
- Purex Stain Guide: This is an excellent site for troubleshooting stain. Although the guide is geared towards fabric, you can easily adapt to suit most surfaces.
- Crayola Stain Guide: Crayons and colored drawing implements are usually harder to remove as they’re made up of more complex substances. This guide features many commercial stain removal products and can be useful when none of the simple stuff works. However, I usually find that a little borax or baking soda mixed with detergent will remove most water soluble Crayola products. Cooking oil or rubbing alcohol or WD-40 (which contains primarily solvents) followed by detergent will remove the other non-water soluble products. Many makeup stains can be removed similarly.
My soil and stain removal kit is a mixture of natural and synthetic ingredients. I simply strive to use the least amount of products and ingredients in the smallest quantities needed to get the job done. To sum up, my list includes:
- liquid laundry detergent
- borax
- baking soda
- vinegar
- multi-purpose laundry stain removal product like Zout
- liquid oil such as cooking oil or mineral oil
- rubbing alcohol
- WD-40
- hydrogen peroxide
- Oxiclean
- chlorine bleach
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