Raise your hand if your least favorite chore is laundry. Raise both hands if your very least favorite chore is getting stains out of your laundry.

Have you tried getting these common stains out of your clothes? If so, you’re not alone.

• Red Wine
• Blood
• Coffee
• Grass
• Ketchup
• Chewing Gum
• Fresh Urine

But there are some ways to help treat those stains – so you can save your clothes from going to the trash.

1. Red Wine: Have you watched the front of your shirt turn a lovely shade of red and wished you’d had white wine?Blot immediately

• • Rinse the stain with water
  • Apply a baking soda paste
  • Apply a carpet stain remover
  • When the stain has disappeared, wash and dry clothes as usual

2. Fresh Blood: Have you had a bleeding nose? Has the blood ended up on your shirt? 

• • Work heavy-duty liquid laundry detergent into the stain with your fingers
  • Let it sit for fifteen minutes
  • Wash as recommended
  • Repeat if necessary
  • Check to make sure there is no trace of the stain before placing it in the dryer

3. Coffee: Has coffee decorated the front of your shirt or the tops of your pants? Was it right before an important meeting? You probably enjoy a cup of java to start your day, but not on your clothes.

• • Blot
  • Add cold water
  • Apply stain remover
  • Watch for reappearance before putting it in the washing machine – coffee is sneaky
  • Don’t put it in the dryer until the stain has disappeared

4. Grass: Do you enjoy football in the park? Or do the kids like sliding down a hill? If so, you might not like the new addition of green to your clothes.

• • Use your finger to rub in liquid laundry detergent
  • Rinse completely
  • Soak the article of clothing in a tub of warm water with a capful of all-fabric bleach for an hour
  • Rinse completely
  • Repeat as necessary before a regular wash and dry

5. Ketchup: As you watch ketchup drip from the end of a hot dog or off a hamburger bun, and you slowly yell, “Nooo!” – keep these tips in mind.

• • Scrape off any solids – be careful not to spread it
  • Rinse the stain with cold water
  • Rub in liquid laundry detergent
  • Apply an all-fabric bleach (optional)
  • Before completely dry, check to see if the stain is still visible
  • Hit the spot with stain remover
  • Wash as usual
  • Double-check many times before putting it in the dryer

6. Chewing Gum: Have you stepped on gum? Or worse, sat on it?

• • For gum on the bottom of your shoes:
    • Freeze the shoe
    • Remove the gum
    • Apply soap and vinegar
  • For gum on your pants:
    • Place the garment in the freezer to harden the gum
    • Scrape off the gum
    • Pre-treat the stain
    • Wash as usual

7. Fresh Urine: When children are potty training, you know that accidents happen – on clothes, sheets, etc.

• • If you can’t wash the item immediately, pre-soak it with one-half cup baking soda
  • Wash with heavy-duty detergent and add one cup of baking soda to the wash water

*Before using any suggestions, check your clothing tag for proper care. It’s possible dry cleaning is the correct way to care for your clothes.

**Do not put stained clothing in the dryer until there is no more sign of the stain.

There are many laundry detergents and stain removers that successfully treat stains.

Unfortunately, laundry is a life-long chore. If you run into any stains, hopefully, these tips will renew your clothes to their original condition. Happy washing!