Stains

Blood

• Heinz White Vinegar. To clean a blood stain from clothes, saturate the stain with Heinz White Vinegar, wait five minutes, and blot with a clean cloth.

• Hydrogen Peroxide. To clean a blood stain from clothes, pour hydrogen peroxide on the stain, let it foam, and then launder as usual. The hydrogen peroxide breaks down the protein in the blood.

• Kingsford's Corn Starch. To clean a blood stain, cover the spot with a paste made from Kingsford's Corn Starch and cold water. Rub gently, let dry, and then brush clean. The cornstarch absorbs the blood.

• McCormick Meat Tenderizer. Cover the stain with a paste made from McCormick Meat Tenderizer and cool water. Wait twenty minutes and sponge off with cool water. The enzymes in the meat tenderizer break up the proteins in the blood.

• Windex. Spray blood stain with Windex and rinse clean. Repeat if necessary.

Chocolate

• 20 Mule Team Borax. To clean chocolate from clothing, mix one tablespoon 20 Mule Team Borax and one cup warm water, and sponge the spot with the solution. Rinse clean with water. If that doesn't work, make a thick paste with borax and water, work the paste into the stain, wait one hour, rinse with warm water, and launder as usual.

Crayon

• Bounty Paper Towels and Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. To remove crayon from clothing, cover the crayon stain with a sheet of Bounty Paper Towel and iron the paper towel. The heat from the iron melts the wax, and the paper towel absorbs it. To remove the pigment from the crayon from the garment, rub a dab of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid into the spot, and then throw the item back in your regular wash.

Deodorant

• Huggies Baby Wipes. Use a Huggies Baby Wipe to clean deodorant stains from clothes.

Food

• Canada Dry Club Soda. To clean food stains from clothes, blot up the spill, sponge with Canada Dry Club Soda, and launder as usual.

• Dawn Dishwashing Liquid and Heinz White Vinegar. Mix two teaspoons Dawn Dishwashing Liquid, two teaspoons Heinz White Vinegar, and two quarts warm water. Use the solution to wash food stains from clothes.

• Huggies Baby Wipes. To clean a spill from clothes to prevent staining, immediately wipe the spot with a Huggies Baby Wipe.

• Pine-Sol. To clean food stains from clothes, use a few drops of Pine-Sol on a damp sponge.

• Resolve Carpet Cleaner. To clean grape juice stains spills from clothes, spray the spot with Resolve Carpet Cleaner, blot, and rinse thoroughly.

• Soft Scrub Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser. To clean food stains from clothes, wet the garment, add Soft Scrub Deep Clean Foaming Cleanser, and let sit until the stain disappears.

• Windex. To clean food stains from clothes, immediately spray the spot with Windex, let sit for three minutes, blot, and rinse clean.

Grass

• Domino Sugar. To clean grass stains from clothes, make a paste of Domino Sugar and water, cover the grass stain with the mixture, let sit for one hour, and then launder as usual.

• Karo Corn Syrup. Rub Karo Corn Syrup onto a grass stain on clothes, and launder as usual.

• Murphy Oil Soap. To clean grass stains from clothes, rub Murphy Oil Soap into the grass stains, and then launder as usual.

• Smirnoff Vodka. To remove grass stains from clothes, rub the stain with a clean cloth soaked in Smirnoff Vodka, then rinse thoroughly.

Grease

• Arm & Hammer Baking Soda. To clean grease stains on clothes, sprinkle Arm & Hammer Baking Soda over the stain, and scrub gently with a wet brush.

• Coca-Cola. To clean a grease stain from clothes, put a can of Coke on the grease stain, let sit for five minutes, and then launder as usual with your regular detergent. The acids in the Real Thing loosen grease stains.

• Cheez Whiz. To clean grease from clothes, rub a dollop of Cheez Whiz into the grease stain and run the garment through a regular wash cycle with detergent. The enzymes in Cheez Whiz will help loosen the grease stain.

• Comet. Wet the grease stain, sprinkle Comet cleanser over the spot, rub in to form paste, and let set overnight. In the morning, rinse clean with warm water.

• Crayola Chalk. Rub Crayola Chalk on a grease stain, let the chalk absorb the oil, and then brush off. Launder as usual.

• Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening. Rub a dab of Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening into the grease stain and then launder as usual. The shortening breaks down the grease stain.

• Dawn Dishwashing Liquid. Rub a few drops of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid into the grease stain and then launder as usual.

• Formula 409. Pre-treat grease stains on clothes with Formula 409, and launder as usual.

• Johnson's Baby Powder. To absorb a grease stain from clothes, sprinkle Johnson's Baby Powder over the stain, rub it into the garment, and launder in cold water.

• Kingsford's Corn Starch. Pour Kingsford's Corn Starch over the grease spot, let sit overnight so the cornstarch can absorb the grease, brush off, and then launder as usual.

• Lestoil. To clean grease from clothing, rub Lestoil into the spot and launder as usual.

• Nestlé Carnation NonFat Dry Milk. To whiten white clothes, mix one cup Nestlé Carnation NonFat Dry Milk in a bucket of hot water, and soak the clothes in the milky solution overnight. In the morning, discard the liquid and launder the clothes as usual.

• Pine-Sol. To clean grease from clothing, rub Pine-Sol on the stain, then launder the garment as usual.

• Resolve Carpet Cleaner. Spray Resolve Carpet Cleaner on a grease stain on clothes, let soak, then launder as usual with your regular detergent.

• WD-40. Spray WD-40 directly on a grease stain on clothing, let is soak for a few minutes, and then launder the garment with your regular detergent.

Ink

• Alberto VO5 Hair Spray. To remove an ink spot from clothes, spray Alberto VO5 Hair Spray on the stain, blot until the stain comes up, and wash. The acetone in Alberto VO5 Hair Spray removes indelible marker and ballpoint pen marks from fabrics.

• Colgate Regular Flavor Toothpaste. Squeeze Colgate Regular Flavor Toothpaste on the ink stain, add some water, scrub, and rinse thoroughly.

• Huggies Baby Wipes. To clean ink stains from fabric, wipe the spot with a Huggies Baby Wipe.

• ReaLemon. While the ink stain is still wet, saturate the spot with ReaLemon lemon juice (which causes the ink stain to spread), and immediately launder the garment with regular detergent in cold water.

Lipstick

• Alberto VO5 Hair Spray. To clean lipstick from clothes, spray Alberto VO5 Hair Spray on the stain, let sit overnight, and then launder the garment as usual.

• Colgate Regular Flavor Toothpaste. To remove lipstick stains from clothes, rub a dab of Colgate Regular Flavor Toothpaste into the stain.

• Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening and Canada Dry Club Soda. Clean lipstick stains from linen napkins, rub in a dab of Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening into the spot, and then rinse the stain with Canada Dry Club Soda.

• Smirnoff Vodka. Saturate lipstick stains on fabric with Smirnoff Vodka, and launder as usual.

• Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. To remove lipstick stains from clothes, rub a dab of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly into the stain, and launder as usual.

Makeup

• Huggies Baby Wipes. To clean makeup from clothes, rub the stain with a Huggies Baby Wipe.

Paint

• Parsons' Ammonia. To clean dry paint from clothes, mix equal parts Parsons' Ammonia and turpentine, saturate the spot, and then launder with warm water. (Remember, never use ammonia with chlorine bleach.)

• Smirnoff Vodka. To clean acrylic paint from clothing, saturate the stain with Smirnoff Vodka, let sit for a few minutes, and then blot with a dry cloth.

Perspiration

• Heinz White Vinegar. To clean perspiration stains from sheets, towels, and clothes, mix one part Heinz White Vinegar to four parts water, apply the solution to the stains, and then rinse clean.

• Parsons' Ammonia. To clean perspiration stains from sheets, towels, and clothes, pour one cup Parsons' Ammonia in your washing machine, add your regular detergent, and launder as usual. (Remember, never use ammonia with chlorine bleach.)

Ring-Around-the-Collar

• Clairol Herbal Essences. To clean ring-around-the-collar (which are sebum oil stains), rub Clairol Herbal Essences Shampoo into the fabric, and rinse clean.

• Crayola Chalk. Mark ring-around-the-collar stains heavily with white Crayola Chalk. The chalk absorbs the sebum oil in the stain.

• McCormick Cream of Tartar. To clean ring-around-the-collar, wet the collar with warm water, rub in McCormick Cream of Tartar, and then launder the garment as usual.

• Parsons' Ammonia and Tide. Mix one tablespoon Parsons' Ammonia, ½ teaspoon Tide, and one cup warm water. Rub the solution into the collar, let set for thirty minutes, and launder as usual. (Remember, never use ammonia with chlorine bleach.)

• Skin So Soft Body Lotion. Skin So Soft Body Lotion removes the dirt rings in collars when rubbed into the fabric before washing.

Rust

• McCormick Cream of Tartar. To remove rust stains from fabric, make a paste from McCormick Cream of Tartar and hot water, rub it into the stain, let sit, then launder as usual.

• ReaLemon. To clean rust stains from clothes, add one cup ReaLemon lemon juice to the washer.

Stubborn Stains

• Cascade. To clean stubborn stains from clothes (blood, grass, grease, ink, or mildew), dissolve ½ cup Cascade dishwasher detergent in a bucket of very hot water, soak the garment overnight, and launder as usual.

• Dawn Dishwashing Liquid and Oral-B Toothbrush. To clean stains from clothes, squirt a dollop of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid on the spot, scrub with a clean, used Oral-B Toothbrush, and launder as usual.

• Formula 409. To clean tomato sauce stains, fruit stains, or coffee stains from clothes, spray Formula 409 on the trouble area, let set for two minutes, and launder as usual.

• Murphy Oil Soap. To clean stains from clothes, dampen the stain, apply a few drops of Murphy Oil Soap full strength, and launder as usual.

• Spic and Span. To clean dirt stains from clothes, mix a teaspoon of Spic and Span with enough water to make a paste, apply to the stain, and launder as usual.

Tar

• Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening. Scrape off as much tar as possible from the garment, place a dollop of Crisco All-Vegetable Shortening over the spot, wait three hours, wipe off the shortening and tar, and launder the item as usual.