Cleaning up stains
Hints From Heloise
By Heloise Monday, June 11, 2007; 12:00 AM
Cleaning Up Stains
Dear Readers: What's worse than discovering you've STAINED YOUR FAVORITE OUTFIT? Maybe it's thinking about taking it to the dry cleaner or just getting the stain out. Don't panic. You might have the perfect cleaning solution sitting in your cabinet right now.
First, read the care label! As long as it doesn't say "dry clean only," there's hope. Next, figure out what the stain is -- grease (butter, candle wax, chocolate), protein (baby formula, blood, cheese, grass) or sugar (fruit, juice, candy). The right formula or cleaning product just might make that darn stain disappear. The solution for eliminating just about any stain is in my Handy Stain Guide for Clothing. Please send $4 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (58 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Stain, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. It's best to start with safe and environmentally friendly products before moving on to stronger commercial products. Many of these are common household items, such as ammonia, vinegar, lemon, prewash spray and salt, which are usually on hand.
Remember, for grease and oil stains, treat them with warm or hot water, if safe for the fabric. For protein stains, use cold water, and always try to get to the stain as soon as possible!
P.S.: Dribble a little salad dressing on your shirt while eating out? Scrape or pat off the "glop," then pat on some artificial sweetener and allow it to set and absorb the oil. Brush off, then launder when you get home.
FAST FACTS
Dear Heloise: Here are some of the ways I reuse square tissue boxes:
in a bathroom for cotton balls;
on a makeup table to dispose of used makeup-sponge wedges;
in the laundry room for dryer lint, loose threads, etc.;
to hold plastic grocery bags.
-- Meredith in New York
BAGS WITH HANDLES
Dear Heloise: All year, I save the large, paper shopping bags with handles. They have a square bottom and come in handy at the holidays when my large family gathers and has stuff to take home. They are easier to carry, hold more, and items travel safer in this type of bag. -- A Reader, via e-mail
SCHOOL-PAPER ORGANIZING
Dear Heloise: I love your hints and look at them on a daily basis. Here is a hint from my 6-year-old. I was putting receipts in one of the portable file boxes that we have for our tax info. My son is in kindergarten, and he brings work home every day. We wanted to keep some, but the papers were getting stuck here and there. He suggested that we get a portable file box to hold the work that he wants to keep. -- Greg H., Conway, Ark.
SOUND OFF
Dear Heloise: My Sound Off is trucks with tools, ladders, boxes, etc., in the bed being driven at speeds exceeding the speed limit, creating possible safety concerns for other drivers. -- Betty McCombs, Clarksburg, Md.
(c)2007 by King Features Syndicate Inc.
44By Heloise Monday, June 11, 2007; 12:00 AM
Cleaning Up Stains
Dear Readers: What's worse than discovering you've STAINED YOUR FAVORITE OUTFIT? Maybe it's thinking about taking it to the dry cleaner or just getting the stain out. Don't panic. You might have the perfect cleaning solution sitting in your cabinet right now.
First, read the care label! As long as it doesn't say "dry clean only," there's hope. Next, figure out what the stain is -- grease (butter, candle wax, chocolate), protein (baby formula, blood, cheese, grass) or sugar (fruit, juice, candy). The right formula or cleaning product just might make that darn stain disappear. The solution for eliminating just about any stain is in my Handy Stain Guide for Clothing. Please send $4 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (58 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Stain, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. It's best to start with safe and environmentally friendly products before moving on to stronger commercial products. Many of these are common household items, such as ammonia, vinegar, lemon, prewash spray and salt, which are usually on hand.
Remember, for grease and oil stains, treat them with warm or hot water, if safe for the fabric. For protein stains, use cold water, and always try to get to the stain as soon as possible!
P.S.: Dribble a little salad dressing on your shirt while eating out? Scrape or pat off the "glop," then pat on some artificial sweetener and allow it to set and absorb the oil. Brush off, then launder when you get home.
FAST FACTS
Dear Heloise: Here are some of the ways I reuse square tissue boxes:
in a bathroom for cotton balls;
on a makeup table to dispose of used makeup-sponge wedges;
in the laundry room for dryer lint, loose threads, etc.;
to hold plastic grocery bags.
-- Meredith in New York
BAGS WITH HANDLES
Dear Heloise: All year, I save the large, paper shopping bags with handles. They have a square bottom and come in handy at the holidays when my large family gathers and has stuff to take home. They are easier to carry, hold more, and items travel safer in this type of bag. -- A Reader, via e-mail
SCHOOL-PAPER ORGANIZING
Dear Heloise: I love your hints and look at them on a daily basis. Here is a hint from my 6-year-old. I was putting receipts in one of the portable file boxes that we have for our tax info. My son is in kindergarten, and he brings work home every day. We wanted to keep some, but the papers were getting stuck here and there. He suggested that we get a portable file box to hold the work that he wants to keep. -- Greg H., Conway, Ark.
SOUND OFF
Dear Heloise: My Sound Off is trucks with tools, ladders, boxes, etc., in the bed being driven at speeds exceeding the speed limit, creating possible safety concerns for other drivers. -- Betty McCombs, Clarksburg, Md.
(c)2007 by King Features Syndicate Inc.
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