It’s not like anyone does it on purpose. Nonetheless, try as we may, stains happen. Stains happen on our clothes, walls, counters, floors, and sometimes even pets. We usually don’t want to wait for maid service to deal with it either. Before panic hits you, here are some tips to treat and hopefully remove those stains as they enter your life.
Stain killing arsenal:
Even with a maid service, you still need a few supplies to get those in-between jobs done, and many of them have multiple purposes to keep the space under the sink tidy. Just wait until you see the simple ingredients as you read more.
Beverage spills on the carpet
Beverages like red wine, punch, or Kool-Aid spilled on the sofa or carpet were once a death sentence to that like-new appearance, but no more! First, sop up the liquid with a towel. Mix a spray bottle with half ammonia and half water and spray the stain liberally. Place a white or light colored sacrificial towel over the stain and apply a hot iron on the towel. The heat starts to lift up the color. Continue spraying and ironing until the stain is removed.
Greasy stains and condiments
Apply Dawn dish soap to the stain with a little water and rub in with your fingers until a lather starts to form. Rinse thoroughly and inspect to determine if you should repeat the process again.
When Sharpies attack – mistaken for dry erase
If the markings are on a slick surface like a dry erase board, window or the fridge, simply rub a dry erase marker over the permanent markings and erase as usual. If there is some residual staining left behind, repeat the process with the newest marker you can find to lift off the color.
Sharpies attack fabric
The key to removing from fabric is to “dab” and not “rub” the fabric, for one will lift while the other will grind the pigment into the fabric. Some common household solvents to dab and help remove the stain are hairspray, nail polish remover, hand sanitizer, alcohol, or WD-40. Remember to DAB!
Crayon masterpieces
To a young child, it sounds like a great idea at the time, but to the parent, it’s a pearl clutching moment to see the entire family portrait scribbled on the walls in crayon. A wet magic eraser is a true life saver in these moments. Have two on hand – one for you and one for the child as they get one of their first lessons on cleaning up their own mess.
If you find melted crayons on the car that fell behind the seat, bring out your iron again and this time place a sheet of craft paper or newspaper over the crayon and apply a hot iron to transfer the crayon from the car upholstery to the paper.
Stovetop stains
These may have come from something that dripped and cooked on the porcelain top of the stove and just left a mess that is not coming up easily. Try the magic eraser first. If the stain is tougher than that, make a paste of baking soda and peroxide and apply and rub small dabs to buff that stain away. Rinse and wipe the surface once the stains are removed. This also works on the baked on stains on your baking dishes.
Keeping it together before the pros arrive
That should keep your home looking bright until Maid to Glow arrives for your cleaning services. If you’re not enrolled for regular visits yet, go check out our frequency discounts. The more often we come, the deeper the discount.
