Life hacks: household stains

Leigh Leigh
BioMalta: Rifinitura continua su massetto riscaldato - Bagni e piatti doccia, Marcello Gavioli Marcello Gavioli Cocinas de estilo rústico
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It can be difficult to maintain a beautiful home, especially when there are guests to be entertained, kids to be fed and dogs to be played with. There are so many different types of stains and there is a certain way to deal with each one. Often, they end up being permanent, which means replacing furniture and pillow cases, which is expensive and a hassle. 

White tiles, cream sofas and pastel furniture are all susceptible to stains, which often leaves homeowners opting for dark colours that hide the dirt. However, you shouldn't have to compromise your home's style because of a few blotches. Learn how to deal with them once and for all and you'll have your beautiful white floors for the rest time.

Stains, unfortunately, are an inevitable part of owning a home but with a few nifty, handy tips, they don't need to get anyone down.

Ice cream stain

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If you have a sweet tooth or if you have kids, the chances are you will have to deal with an ice cream stain, whether its on laundry, sofas or bed spreads. Having kids also means that you may not catch the ice cream stain until it has dried up.

Like all stains, the best thing to do is to deal with it as soon as possible before it dries. Put the stained item into cold water straight away, soaking it for a good ten minutes. If you've only discovered the stain after it has dried, which is very possible in a kid's bedroom, soak the item for longer. A tip here is to only use cold water as warm water will solidify the stain. 

If the stain has not lifted in the cold water, then detergent is your best friend. Rub detergent onto the stain and continue to soak. Every few minutes, lift out the item and rub the detergent into the stain.

A stain remover can also be used once this step has been completed for further effectiveness. Apply the stain remover, allow it to sit for a few minutes and then soak the item in the cold water again. Once you are sure that the stain has been removed, you can allow the item to dry. 

And then it's like that ice cream never happened.

Red wine stain

Red wine stains are bound to happen in a house full of love, laughter, entertainment and delicious meals. With one flick of a hand during an animated discussion, a glass of wine can end up all over your favourite sofa or your beautiful, beige pillow cases. 

The best thing to do for a red wine stain is to act quickly. Immediately start to blot the stain, getting rid of any excess wine. Make sure you dab at the stain and don't rub it. Once you've removed any excess liquid, pour cold water onto the stain. Make sure that your pour the cold water on the whole stain. 

The next step is to get your salt shaker and pour salt onto the stain, covering the entire stain with salt. The salt will soak up the red wine, getting rid of the stain.

Once the salt has dried, clean the stain up with the some hot or cold water. 

And just like that, your home is back to being beautiful and flawless.

If you're also looking for a great place to store your wine, see these fabulous wine cellar ideas and products.

Coffee stain

Coffee stains have to be one of the most annoying of them all, catching the kitchen counter, the white shirt and the breakfast table place mat. They're smelly, dark and foul and not a good look for any piece of furniture. Get rid of them quickly and strategically 

There are some really interesting and fun ways – if you can  believe it – of getting rid of coffee stains. The first is to use beer to get rid of a coffee stain. Crack open a cold one and pour the beer straight onto the stain and rub it gently. Repeat until the stain is gone.

Another great stain remover is white vinegar. Pat vinegar onto the coffee stain or soak the stained item in water and a little bit of vinegar overnight. Wash the item straight after. 

Egg yolk is another surprising stain remover. Mix the egg yolk up and rub it into the stain. Rinse straight away with water and the stain should be gone.

Grass stain

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There's nothing worse than finding grass stains on your kids clothes, despite the joy that comes with knowing that they are free to play, jump and run in a gorgeous, green garden. Grass stains are tough ones as they work right into the fabric of clothes, making them difficult to get out.

One of the best things to do in this situation is to put stain remover straight onto the grass stain and put the item into the wash. If there is no time to wash the item, rub a mix of water and alcohol onto the stain for fast results.

Another option is to soak the item in detergent and water for a few hours and then put it into the washing machine. 

A great tip is not to allow the item to dry until the stain has been completely removed so keep rubbing until every bit of green is gone.

Grease stain

If you've ever dropped grease onto your new jeans or have watched it splatter onto your fresh t-shirt, you'll understand the frustrations that come with grease stains. You'll also know how difficult it is to get rid of these stubborn stains.

One of the quickest ways you can get rid of a grease stain is to rub white vinegar into the stain immediately. Once you've rubbed the stain out, put the item straight into the wash for a proper clean.

Using liquid dish washing detergent is also a wonderful tool for removing stains. If you don't have liquid dish washing detergent at hand, use shampoo or soap. Rub it into the stain before washing as normal. If the stain hasn't come out with the detergent, use the white vinegar afterwards for added effectiveness.  

Another tip is to always use an apron when cooking, protecting your clothes and the furniture in your house from possible grease stains. There are so many fun, funky and trendy aprons on the market, adding another element to cooking.

Bubble gum

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When it comes to bubble gum stains, first be grateful that it isn't in your kid's hair. 

Apart from the hair, the most common place that bubble gum ends up is on a carpet. You can use heat or cold to remove bubble gum from a carpet. 

Using heat, you can soften the gum and pull it out from the carpet. The best heat source to use would be a hair dryer. Remove the gum slowly and carefully so as not to damage the carpet. 

Using cold, you can harden the gum making it easier to pull off the carpet. Rub an ice block onto the gum patch until the gum has hardened and then gently pull the gum off the carpet threads. Again, be careful not to damage the carpet.

If the worst comes to the worst, you can rub a detergent into the area and scrub the gum out. However test it on a piece of carpet that you don't use or isn't visible before you apply directly to the area where the gum is stuck.

Stains don't have to be a headache, just roll up your sleeves and tackle them head on.

If you enjoyed these tips you should also check out: Great Tips to Make Your Garden More Fun.

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