How to remove coffee stains from clothes?
Experienced housewives know that there are no hopelessly ruined things; any stain can be removed from a piece of clothing if it is done in time and correctly. So, if you accidentally spilled coffee on your favorite sweater or had an unsuccessful collision with a colleague who had a hot espresso in her hands, do not rush to despair - most likely, the stain can be removed from your clothes, you just need to choose the appropriate method for this.
How to remove quickly?
Anyone, even those who are far from the world of the household, knows that any unwanted stain that has appeared as a result of negligence or some kind of incident, it is better to try to remove it as soon as possible. The longer the delay, the less chances that the clothes can be saved.... Therefore, if a similar incident happened to you, and now a huge brown stain flaunts on your shirt, the situation needs to be urgently taken into our own hands.
In this case, it is recommended to always carry a pack of wipes in your purse, preferably those that are antibacterial and contain alcohol. With a napkin (or any other porous material), you must very carefully, in no case with rubbing movements, blot the stain until it becomes as colorless as possible.
Most likely, with the help of napkins alone, it will not be possible to completely eliminate the pollution, but in this way you at least block the absorption of coffee into the fabric and prepare your garment for further action.
If trouble happened when you were at home, at a party or in a cafe, feel free to use another method - sprinkle the stain with salt. The stain should be thoroughly saturated with salt, for this leave the clothes alone for 10-15 minutes, and after that, after removing the remaining salt, rinse the item of clothing well under a powerful stream of water.
By the way, here you should remember one more nuance - the water with which you are trying to save the thing must be cold (the maximum allowable temperature is 40 degrees). Otherwise, under the influence of heat, the coffee will only be firmly absorbed into the fabric, and there will be no hope of getting rid of the stain. This is especially true for coffee that has been prepared with the addition of milk or cream - milk protein tends to curdle at high temperatures.
By the way, it is recommended to wash the stain from the wrong side - this way there is less risk that it will "creep" along the fabric.
If there is absolutely no way to tackle the stain right now (suppose you are late for work and you need to at least change quickly), soak the item in water and detergent, you can also use dishwashing detergent. And in the evening it will be necessary to make a decision on exactly how to deal with the soiled thing.
All further manipulations after the provision of "first aid" will depend solely on what fabric was at risk, what material the product was made of, and what color it was.
Stain on white clothes
In fact, it is somewhat easier to wash coffee off a white item than from a colored garment (contrary to popular belief). This is due to the fact that white things can be safely poured with stain removers and bleaches, but even in this case, the material from which the thing is sewn is of great importance.
Natural fabrics
A white piece of clothing made from natural fabrics (cotton, linen) must be prepared for deep cleaning with water and soap dissolved in it - the fabric is soaked in a container with soapy water for 10 minutes. After these manipulations, bleach or a preparation containing chlorine should be applied to the stain, and after that wash the thing in the usual way.
By the way, it is best to dry cotton items in the sun after rinsing.
It is also good for cotton clothes to remove stains with the help of oxalic acid, it is sold in household chemicals stores. Dissolve 1⁄2 teaspoon of acid in 1 glass of water, then apply the liquid on the stain for 10 minutes. After this time, it is very good to rinse the garment under running water.
Another tip is to use sodium hydrogen sulfate combined with baking soda (1 tablespoon of each ingredient in 3 liters of water). Leave your blouse or skirt in this solution for about 1 hour and then wash in warm water.
You can resort to white lime, but only if you are sure of the density of the fabric. And after treating the stain, you need to rinse it very carefully.
Coffee stains nestled on your favorite white woolen garment can be removed with the most common table vinegar - mixed with water in a 1: 1 ratio, vinegar is applied to the stain for about 15 minutes (the main thing is not to overexpose for more than 20 minutes) and then wash the thing with any powder. The same method works for silk fabrics as well.
Synthetics
If a stain appears on a synthetic garment of ivory or milk color, it will help to wash it hydrogen peroxide. To do this, dissolve 1 tablespoon of peroxide in 1⁄2 cup of water, cover the entire stain with the mixture and forget about this problem for a quarter of an hour. Then the usual wash is supposed. By the way, hydrogen peroxide can be bought at any pharmacy.
When there is no hydrogen peroxide at hand, and the stain eats into the fabric more and more every minute, use a dishwashing detergent - you need to foam it right on the surface of the stain, and then arrange a regular wash with any powder.
Stain on colored clothing
As mentioned above, this task is more difficult than removing a stain from light-colored clothes - after all, when washing colored fabrics, it is contraindicated to use potent drugs - you will get rid not only of the stain itself, but also of other paints, a new stain may appear, in the form of an ugly one bald spots.When working with multi-colored materials, you should also consider the individual recommendations for each material.
Natural fabrics
Can be cleaned by ordinary boiling. The product is soaked in a special solution that contains soda and washing powder, after 1 hour we pour in there (the thing is bleach for colored items, then we boil for half an hour.
You can use a baking soda solution (dissolve 3 tablespoons of baking soda in 5 liters of room water and leave the item for 2-3 hours, after that - a regular wash with powder).
Synthetics
Soak the damaged item in saline solution (3 tablespoons per 5 liters of water) for 2 hours, then wash with powder.
A mixture of ammonia (1 teaspoon), laundry soap, crushed on an ordinary grater (you should get such an amount that it is enough for 1 tablespoon) and a glass of water. The mixture is recommended to be applied to the stain for 20 minutes, then everything is thoroughly rinsed.
Just remember that pure ammonia will do more harm than good - an ugly whitish spot may appear.
Wool
You can use a combination of glycerin, water, and dishwashing detergent. We keep this "gruel" on the spot for no more than five minutes, then wash it in warm water. If you have gasoline on hand, use it.
Only immediately after treating the stain with gasoline, be sure to wipe the stain with a solution of ammonia and water mixed in equal proportions.
Silk
Silk blouses are recommended to be soaked in whey for 5-10 minutes. It is believed that after such treatment, the stain will disappear from delicate fabrics. And ordinary light-colored things are cleaned using lemon juice, water and salt. Use this mixture to lubricate the stain and then wash the fabric well.
Denim
There are several ways to remove a stain from jeans:
- With 15% oxalic acid, which is applied to the stain and allowed to soak for 15 minutes. Then the jeans are washed in warm water.
- Warm glycerin, heated in a water bath, is applied to the stain and, after half an hour, the item is washed.
- Ammonia diluted with water is also a good assistant in removing coffee stains from clothes.
- Mixing baking soda, salt and soda. The resulting mixture is applied to the stain and then washed in the usual way.
- Egg yolk can also help fight coffee stains. Mix it with thinking drops of alcohol and warm water. Using a sponge, apply the mixture to the stain and leave it on for a few minutes.
How to get rid of an old stain?
It happens that sometimes we do not notice that we have stained a blouse or jeans, especially often when the stain is not so large in size: accidentally dropping on the sleeve, you may not even pay attention to it. However, some time passes and, having taken out the thing from the closet, we see that the thing is damaged.
In fact, if there is an old coffee stain left on things, it will be effective only professional stain removers. No "folk" remedies to combat stains simply will not give the desired result. Any store of household chemicals today is ready to offer a wide selection of stain removers and bleaches, which one you need to buy depends only on the quality of the spoiled item.
Therefore, it is recommended that before going to the store, carefully examine the tag sewn to the clothes and familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the fabric.
It is still preferable to opt for a bleach containing active oxygen. Especially if for some reason you are not sure whether the effect of the substances in its composition will be detrimental to the tissue. It is believed that it is such a tool that best copes with old dirt, cleaning the fabric as delicately as possible. Typically, these bleaches are available as a gel or liquid.
In order to process a piece of clothing, you must first soak it in warm water. with diluted bleach for about an hour, and then wash as usual.You can try adding the bleach directly to the washing machine, but in this case it is recommended to pour it directly into the drum rather than into the detergent compartment to avoid unnecessary build-up of the product.
The following video will tell you more about how to deal with coffee stains.