Have you ever had a favorite shirt or dress you don’t wear because you fear something bad will happen to it? Inevitably, the day you decide to put it on, it winds up with a wine or sauce stain. So what can you do to protect it? The laundry guide below offers tips for making your clothes look as good as new.

How to Handle Hard-to-Clean Clothing Stains

1. Clean Immediately

In most situations, you should soak or dab any stain with cold water as soon as you become aware of it. Don’t press—that will only cause the pigment to get further into the fibers. Instead, your goal should be to lift as much of the liquid up as you can. However, if the stain is grease-based, skip the water and use a dry paper towel instead. If it is available, dish soap or baby powder is even more effective.

2. Consider the Fabric

Different fabrics require different treatments. For example, stains on cotton are best removed with lemon juice or vinegar. For rayon, apply a small amount of laundry detergent directly to the stain and let it remain there for several minutes before putting it in the washing machine. 

3. Consider the Stain

The above tips have mostly dealt with food-related stains, but you might also be faced with deeper set ones. For example, shirts with yellowed armpits should be soaked in warm water and then sprinkled with salt or dabbed with an enzyme cleaner. Liquid detergent should be applied directly to grass stains and then, the fabric should be rubbed together ahead of being put in the wash. Run cold water immediately over blood stains, soak the garment in warm water, treat the stains with ammonia or enzyme cleaner, and launder the garment by itself.

With coin-operated self-service laundry machines, City Laundry in Lincoln, NE, is available any day of the week to help you keep your clothes looking fresh. Make use of their large-capacity machines for bedding or large amounts of towels so every load can be finished quickly and efficiently. For more information about their facilities, call them at (402) 483-2113 or reach out to them online.