The start of flu season seems to bring out the worst in runny noses, coughing, sore throats and other aggravating symptoms. Nothing tries your patience more than trying to give your sick child a spoonful of cough syrup just to have them turn their head at the exact moment that leaves you pouring the medicine right down their shirt.
As always, catching the stain when it is fresh makes it easier to remove it. Run warm water through the backside of the stain to try to flush away as much as possible. There are a couple of techniques you could follow after that. One is to make a mixture of 1 spoonful of detergent with a cup of water. Then take a sponge wetted by this mixture and gently dab at the stain. This should help to lift the stain. You can also add a spoonful of white vinegar to the mixture, which can help to accelerate the stain lifting process. If you’re concerned that vinegar might cause discolouration, test the mixture on the inside of the hem of the item. Once you have removed as much of the stain as possible, spray the stain with your favourite stain remover. Let it sit for five minutes and then launder with Purex detergent. Pick your favourite fragrance and wash away!
Another tip would be to use an isopropyl alcohol solution to dab at the stain. This polar solvent is helpful at breaking down stains. Then treat the stain and launder as usual. Stains that have dried are going to be much more difficult to remove as the red dye that often symbolizes the “yummy” cherry flavor is very persistent. Definitely try to get to the stain as quickly as possible to minimize the permanent damage.
Hope all of you stay healthy and well this flu season – and Happy Stain Fighting!
