Thanksgiving is all about family, fun and especially the feast! As you pass the potatoes and send down the stuffing, the risk of knocking over festive foods onto your clothing can definitely put a damper on your holiday mood. Let the memories, and not the stains, be the only reminder of how great your Thanksgiving was this year! From the experts at SoapBox Laundry, here is some advice on how to get thanksgiving stains out of your clothes:
Extracting Cranberry & Sweet Potato
The side dishes are usually the highlight of Thanksgiving, however the stains they leave behind are certainly not! The most important thing to remember is moving quickly to repel stains can make or break how well the smudge can disappear. Start off by cleansing the impacted area under cold water while being careful not to spread it further into the fabric. Use a mixture of liquid detergent and white vinegar to soak the garment for 15 minutes. If stain is still noticeable, apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Once it looks back to normal again, wash with bleach in hot water!
Wipe Out Beer & Red Wine
If you end up clinking your glass of beer or wine a little too vigorously, there’s no need to sweat over your now stained sweater! Be sure you pretreat the item first before taking straight to the washer. Protein based items, which is found more in beer and partly in wine, require cold water first because hot water is known to “cook” stains into fabric. We recommend soaking the area in cold water for half an hour as the water will lift the stain out without allowing it to settle. Proceed to washing in hot water and use chlorine bleach or oxygen bleach for maximum results. Repeat this washing process until the stain is gone and finish with the dryer.
Erasing Gravy & Butter
Don’t make the fear of accidentally dipping your sleeve into the gravy bowl or butter plate keep you away! For these spreads, the combination of a protein and fat make the stain process tricky. Treating with a small amount of liquid dishwashing soap, take to the sink and rinse under the faucet. Rotate between soaking both sides of the fabric then use liquid stain remover on the area. Put in the washing machine with hot water and don’t forget to use some bleach! Wash and repeat before you commit to the drying machine.
Feel confident this Thanksgiving with the knowledge of being able to tackle any food stains that come your way! Our experts at SoapBox Laundry can help you with all your stain issues through our high quality dry cleaning services. If you’re looking for more efficient laundry cleaning, come on down to our laundromat today! Our self-serve wash will leave your clothes fresher than ever.
