Staining your clothes is inevitable. Maybe you overestimated your balance and spilled your wine. Or maybe you were too slow when eating those fries with ketchup on them.

The ensuant red stains are a stark reminder of your clumsiness. However, those stains aren’t too difficult to remove, especially if you act quickly and know what to do.

Laundry Detergent and Vinegar

This works for both red wine and ketchup stains, but dealing with a ketchup stain involves additional steps. The first when removing ketchup stains is to wipe off as much ketchup as you can.

You can use a paper towel or spoon to remove the excess. After removing the excess, the remaining method is the same for both wine and ketchup stains.

Clean the stain with water until only a small remnant is left behind that does not wash off.

You can then repeat the following steps until the stain has faded. First, pour some laundry detergent on the stain and let it sit for at least 3 minutes.

Wash the clothing and then dab the stain with vinegar for some minutes. Keep doing it until the clothes stop absorbing the vinegar.

Repeat these steps until the stain is gone. After the stain is gone, launder your clothes as you normally do. Once again, don’t dry your clothes until the stain has disappeared.

Hydrogen Peroxide and Dishwashing Detergent

Hydrogen peroxide is very effective at removing stains on clothes. The lighter the clothes, the better, since the chemical also tends to bleach. However, you’ll need a dishwashing detergent to mix with it.

Mix the peroxide and detergent in equal parts and pour the mixture over the stain. Let the mixture settle for 20 or so minutes. The stain will begin to fade, but you can add more of the mixture if you’re not satisfied. Don’t dry your clothes until you’re certain the stains are gone.

Bleach

Bleach isn’t a great solution for all stains, but it is very good for getting rid of stains on white clothes. If it’s a ketchup stain, you should perform the initial steps of removing the excess ketchup. Once that’s done, the steps for getting rid of red wine or ketchup stains are the same.

Either repeatedly dab the stain with a white cloth dipped in bleach, or soak the clothing in bleach. Make sure your solution isn’t too strong. You can make a weaker solution by diluting it with cold water. The CDC recommends no more than one cup of bleach per gallon of water. Repeat as needed until the stain fades.

 

If you couldn’t address the stain quickly enough, or it’s a particularly stubborn stain, don’t fret. You can send your clothes to NY Organic Dry Cleaners. We offer affordable dry-cleaning services in Queens, NY.

You can rest easy knowing that we’ll do your laundry and return your clothes stainless and fresh. Moreover, we’ll do it in an eco-friendly manner.