How to Remove Stains and Spots

44 Stain and Spot Removal tips, hints, and tricks

Red Wine Stains

Immediately sprinkle stain with a lot of salt. Dunk in cold water and rub out stain before washing.

Collar Rings

To remove stains from collars, rub heavily with chalk, which will absorb oil. Several applications may be required. Launder as usual.

Chewing Gum Removal

Try a dry cleaning solvent. Or apply ice to the spot and scrape off.

Removing Gum From Hair

Apply petroleum jelly or peanut butter to the spot and work through the hair.

Blood Stains

Apply meat tenderizer to stained area. Add warm water to make a paste. Wait 15 to 30 minutes and sponge with cool water. Pre-soaking may be necessary before laundering.

Ball Point Ink Stains

Spray hair spray on the stain, then rub with clean dry cloth. The ink should disappear. Repeat, if not removed. This method works especially well on polyesters.

Mildew Stains

Soak in a solution of 1 teaspoon of bleach per quart of water, or sponge with vinegar.

Rug Stain Remover

Use foamy shaving cream to remove spots from rugs.

Paint remover For Skin

Baby oil will remove most oil-based from skin.

Ink Remover From Skin

Remove ball-point ink from skin with margarine and damp cloth.

Furniture Spot Remover

Combine one part linseed oil to four parts turpentine and apply with a soft cloth to furniture. This will clean, remove spots, and shine your furniture.

 Grease Remover

An effective and non-abrasive grease remove is ordinary shampoo. It can be sued on many surfaces, from bathroom utilities to skin.

Odor Remover

Apply lemon juice to your hands to remove the smell of onion, fish, or other strong odors.. A lemon ground up in your garbage disposal unit will remove any odors in it, sand give your kitchen a fresh smell.

Fresh-Smelling Clothes

Place a small sachet under the cover of your ironing board and it will give the cloths a ice smell.

Fresh Smelling Closet

Put cloves, pine needles or mothballs in an old stocking and hang in your closet.

Cigarette Smell

Cigarette smoke will be cleared from a room by lighting candles. Smoke from burned food in the kitchen will disappear also.

Remove Grease From Suede

Dip a-clot in vinegar and sponge leather, then dry. Use a Swede brush to restore nap.

Removing Makeup Smudges

Makeup smudges may be removed from clothing with a slice of bread.

Fruit Stains

Boiling water, may help remove fruit stains

White Kid Gloves

Work with flour into the leather-brush away the dirt.

How to Take Care of Household Furniture

26 furniture tips, hints, and tricks

Candle Wax

To remove candle wax drippings from the surfaces of furniture, turn your portable hairdryer on the spot and when it softens, remove the large chunks. Use a tissue to wipe the rest away.

Removing Scratches

Rub mayonnaise into scratches on furniture with your finger, let it stand, and remove with a soft cloth.

Deep Scratches

For a deep scratch, break a walnut or pecan meat in half, and rub the scratch with the broken side of the nut.

Easy Dusting

Slip an old woolen sock over your hand, spray with polish, and run you hand over furniture to dust easily.

Nicks and Scratches

Mix enough water with instant coffee to make a thick paste. Rub it into the scratch or nick, let it dry, rub off the excess, and wax as usual. This should only be used on very dark wood

Sliding Furniture

A piece of foam rubber glued under the legs of furniture will keep it from sliding on the floor

Outdoor Furniture

Turn redwood furniture upside down and nail a metal bottle cap to the bottom of each leg. It will slide easily across the patio.

Inexpensive Furniture

Paint or stain a small picnic table (the kind with attached benches) to use as inexpensive and attractive kitchen furniture.

Wrought Iron Furniture

To remove rust spots on wrought iron, use oily furniture polish.

Furniture Polish Tip

Put an old sock around a bottle of furniture polish to prevent it from leaving rings of polish on surfaces when you set it down. It will catch any polish that has dripped down the sides of the bottle, too

Short Leg

If one leg on a piece of furniture is shorter than the rest, balance it by gluing a garden hose washer to the tip of the leg.

Upholstery Tip

When doing your own upholstery, fit a rubber crutch or cane tip over the end of a hammer. The hammer will not damage woodwork or upholstery tacks.

Mahogany Repair

To cover scratches in mahogany, cover the mark with iodine and then furniture polish.

Scratched Ebony

Scratches on ebony can be covered with black liquid shoe polish or black eyebrow pencil.

Rubber Bumpers

To prevent marks on walls by furniture that has been pushed against it, buy a set of small rubber bumpers at a hardware store. They usually have small nails attached to them. Tack one on the back of each piece of furniture.

Great Furniture Polish

Mix together and shake well one-third cup of each: boiled linseed oil (do not try to boil your own--buy it at a hardware store), turpentine and vinegar. Apply to furniture with a soft cloth and wipe it dry. Then wipe with another soft cloth.

Furniture Polish Remover

One-quarter cup of vinegar with one half cup of water may be rubbed with a soft cloth into furniture to remove polish build-up, Dip the cloth in the solution, wring out, wipe, and dry with another cloth.

White Water Rings

To remove white rings left on furniture by water, rub the spot with petroleum jelly, let it stand 24 hours, and rub into the wood. Wipe off excess and polish as usual.

Alcohol Stains on Furniture

Remove alcohol stains on furniture with olive oil and dry with soft cloth

Grease Stains on Furniture

Absorb grease on furniture by pouring salt on the spill immediately.

Rusted Metal Furniture

Remove rust on metal furniture by rubbing turpentine.

Soiled Upholstery

Rub soiled cotton upholstery fabric with an art-gum eraser

Crack-less Leather

Polish leather with a paste made from one part vinegar and two parts linseed oil to keep it pliable.

Burns on Furniture

Apply mayonnaise to the burned area, let it stand for awhile, and wipe off with a soft cloth.

Ink Stained Leather

Rub cuticle remover into the leather to remove ink stains from leather furniture.

Carved Furniture

Brush furniture polish with an old toothbrush over the carved area.