Cleaning stains: 6 types of stains and 7 ways to get rid of them.

Stains are a real handful, aren’t they? Unfortunately, we all need to deal with them eventually. The good news is that instead of freaking out every time you’re wearing a white shirt and trying to enjoy a place of saucy pasta, a cup of coffee, or (insert here another stain weapon), we can learn how to get rid of them. Believe it or not, there’s a right solution for every stain out there, so why not give it a try before getting rid of your clothes, sofa, and what else you happen to spill something on? Here’s 6 types of stains and 6 ways to get rid of them. Let’s go!

1. Tomato sauce

In celebration of pasta day (yes, that exists) let’s start our list with this famous pasta companion: tomato sauce. Due to the red color plus oil presence, this sauce often causes damage when spilled. But fret not! Here’s what you are going to do. 

→ Act fast, the quicker you act, the higher your chances of removing the stain completely with no damage.

→ Grab a spoon or paper towel and remove as much of the excess spill as possible. Do not scrub! That will only spread the stain further. 

→ Rinse the fabric with cold water through the back of the stain. This way we force the sauce out of the fabric. If the spill was on upholstery, like a sofa, dampen a cloth with cold water and pat on the stain. Again, don’t scrub yet!

→ Now mix equal parts of water and white vinegar and apply it to the stain. Let it sit for 15 minutes and blot the area with a clean cloth afterwards. If you still see a bit of the stain, create a paste with baking soda and water and gently rub it onto the stain. Rinse the paste off and wash the piece as you normally would, with cold or warm water. 

2. White sauce 

More of an Alfredo sauce kinda of person? No worries. To get rid of stains in clothes caused by this creamy white sauce, follow these next steps: 

→ Get rid of any excess just like with the previous stain. Since this is usually a protein-based sauce, with lots of butter, cheese and heavy cream involved, the cold water factor is even more important. Putting hot water over the fresh stain can cause it to penetrate the fabric even more due to the proteins. “But isn’t hot water better for cleaning fat?” Yes, which is why we will get to that later.

→ Now that you have removed the excess, grab your laundry detergent and apply a small amount over the stain. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse it after. 

→ If the stain persists, the white vinegar mixture from above can be used as well. The difference here is that since a white sauce tends to have more fat than a tomato once, washing the fabric with hot water after you have cleaned the stain is preferred to ensure all grease will be removed. Just make sure to pay attention to the heat tolerance of whatever you are cleaning (clothes, upholstery, or tapestries).

3. Red wine 

Red wine with pasta? Perfect. A nice glass of wine after a long day of work? Glorious. Now, when the red wine misses your lips for a bit and ends up in your clothes at the restaurant, or when you end up spilling just a bit on your sofa? A big headache. 

But, don’t panic! If you are dealing with a red wine stain, you’ll need to:

→ Blot the stain with a clean, dry cloth or paper towel. The faster the better. 

→ If you are out of your house, the most accessible thing to contain the stain until you can properly deal with it is salt. Sprinkle a generous amount over the stain and let it sit for 10 minutes (or how long you’ll take to get back home). 

→ For more efficiency, make a mixture of half a cup of dish soap and hydrogen peroxide and put it on the stain. Let it sit for longer, about 30 minutes. Rinse and wash the piece like you usually would.

→ If you spilled red wine over your sofa, give it a try to white vinegar again. Mix a few tablespoons of it with club soda and apply it over the stain. Let it sit for a few minutes and remove with a damp cloth afterwards. 

4. Blood

One of the trickiest items on our list, blood can be tricky to clean off. As usual, time makes all the difference here. 

→ First, soak the stain in cold water as soon as possible. If you can, run cold water through the back of the stain to help remove it even more. 

→ Now grab some hydrogen peroxide and apply it to a cloth. Then you can use it to blot the stain the best you can. 

→ After that, you can scrub the area by hand with bar soap in cold water.

→ Baking soda paste can also be helpful if the stain persists. Use two parts baking soda, one part water, and let it sit on top of the stain for 30 minutes. Rinse and wash the piece in cold water.

“What if I can’t get to anything immediately?” Then we recommend our emergencies’ hero once again, aka salt. Put a generous amount over it until you get back home or order the supplies you need. 

5. Coffee

You already know this one if you follow us on Instagram! (you really should btw, our content is pretty cool 👀). But if you found our blog elsewhere, here’s what you’re going to do:

→ Don’t rub the stain, blot it properly ,and run water on the back side of where you spilled coffee. 

→ Now take your dish soap from the kitchen and mix a few drops with one tablespoon of white vinegar. Apply the solution and let it sit for 15 minutes. Rinse it off afterwards and wash the piece as you regularly would.

6. Grease (fat/oil)

Another hard one! Grease is one of the hardest stains to get rid of because it can penetrate deep into fabrics. But we won’t let your stuff go to waste before trying! So, let’s go:

→ Take a clean rag and blot any excess grease from the area.

→ If you’re out, salt will also help with this one. Apply it over the area to prevent the grease from setting until you can clean it properly. 

→ Now grab a layer of foil or parchment paper and place it underneath the stain to prevent it from transferring to other parts of your item. If it happens on your cushioned furniture, try taking out any removable parts if possible.

→ Apply a bit of grease-cutting dishwashing soap to the stain and rub gently over the area. Rinse afterwards in warm water and wash it in the hottest temperature possible according to what the fabric you have at hand can tolerate. (Read the care label!) 

What about bleach? Can’t I use it to remove stains?

Although very powerful, bleach really isn’t a good-for-all kind of solution. That’s because it can cause more damage than good on a lot of fabrics such as wool, silk, spandex, mohair, and leather. For rust stains, chlorine bleach can even fixate them even further!

For clothes, read the care label before any cleaning (if there’s a triangle, it means it’s safe for bleach; if the same triangle comes with an X on top, it means it isn’t). For rugs, sofas, and carpets, read the maker’s instructions as well; those usually explain the safe ways to clean the product. 

“What if I bought something second-hand and I don’t have the care label anymore?”. In this case, the best course of action is to try to use other products (like the ones in our list!) instead of bleach, especially when talking about non white pieces. 

If you really want to give it a try, you can do a colorfast test. Choose a hidden part of your piece, apply a drop of bleach on top and wait for a minute. If the fabric color changes then you have your answer (which is no). 

Need help to get rid of stains? Give us a call!

Here at Vetter Cleaning & Maintenance our main goal is your satisfaction. Although we don’t offer laundry services, we can help you with stubborn stains on your home! With our deep cleaning services, we will reset your home for you so that you’ll have it as fresh as new. And if you’d rather not have to worry about cleaning at all, we also offer weekly housekeeping services! Take a look at what we offer and the area of work to pick what works best for you. We work with a broad range of services, including move-in & move-out cleaning and disinfecting, and fogging packages. Take some work off your hands and show your home the love it deserves. 

Let’s Keep the Conversation Going!

Thank you for reaching this far! If you use any our tips, feel free to share your results with us in the comment section and let us know if it worked! Send this article to someone you think might need it 😉

Written by

Vetter Cleaning & Maintenance Team. 

About our company

Vetter Cleaning is a professional cleaning service located in Colorado Springs, CO. They offer a variety of cleaning services to meet most residential cleaning needs, including recurring maid services, deep house cleaning services, and move-in/out cleaning services.

If you live in the Colorado Springs area, we invite you to request a free home cleaning quote.

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