Bathtub ring: The infamous bathtub ring is a sight for sore eyes. A great cleaning solution that is safe for all bathtub surfaces is a simple paste made of 1 tablespoon liquid Castile soap and 1/3 cup baking soda. All you need to do is apply the paste to the ring using a microfibre cloth and let it sit for a few minutes. Scrub the area clean thereafter with a microfibre cloth or bathroom scrub brush and rinse with clean water. It’s the mild abrasive nature of the baking soda, coupled with the vegetable oils found in the Castile soap, that help dissolve the soap scum. To maintain the cleanliness of your bathtub in the future, encourage everyone to rinse it out after each use.
Cooking grease and butter: Grease is one of the toughest stains to remove from fabric. Before you toss the shirt for good, try a little dish soap! Remove the soiled shirt and apply the soap directly onto the stain, massaging the soap into the stain with your fingers. Lightly scrub the grease stain with a microfibre cloth and rinse with clean water.
If the dish soap was not strong enough to remove the spot completely, up-your-efforts and try some rubbing alcohol. Pour it directly onto the stain and lightly rub the spot with either a soft brush or a microfibre cloth, and rinse.
If the stain still persists, you can make one last effort to remove it using wood soap. Wood soap is a very effective stain remover and can lift grease from just about anything including fabric. We highly recommend testing an inconspicuous portion of the fabric first to test the fabrics resistance to colour fading. To clean, soak the spot in wood cleaner for 10 minutes, and then launder the garment on a regular wash cycle. It may take a couple treatments to get rid of the spot completely.
Perspiration: Don’t sweat this stain! While it’s best to let a dry cleaner deal with fragile fabrics such as cashmere, silk or wool, you can treat underarm stains on washable, durable fabrics at home. Pre-soaking stains is the way to go, and there are several options to do so. Pour full-strength white vinegar onto the stained areas of the garment and soak for about 30 minutes. If the garment is white, you can also hydrogen peroxide in the same fashion. Never use hydrogen peroxide on coloured fabrics! Baking soda is also a great stain remover. To remove sweat stains, make a paste using baking soda and water. Work the paste into the stain with an old toothbrush, and then let it dry for a couple of hours. For each method, make sure you launder the garment as usual after pre-treating to remove the stains completely.
