We are always looking for various hacks to save money, right? Sometimes though these money saving hacks can end up costing us money! Take clothes for an example. Clothes can be expensive and we want them to last as long as possible. Unfortunately, even the cleanest of us can have a hard time keeping our clothes stain free. Over the years; different myths have been invented and repeated over again about how to properly remove a clothing stain. Many of these so-called stain removal hacks do not work. Some of them can even do more damage to your clothing. Here are five stain removal hacks that you probably didn’t realize do more harm than good.
Stains, Rubbing & Club Soda
Many stains carry chemicals which can damage your clothing when the stain is rubbed, especially with carbonated water. The very opposite of what you are trying to do. Do this instead; lightly blot the stain with regular water and bring the item to a professional dry cleaner as soon as possible. Be sure to point the stain out to your dry cleaner.
Stain Remover Always Works!
Most people when they notice a stain just buy a stain remover from the store and use that. However, just rubbing some commercial stain remover on the front of the stain is not enough. If stain remover is not used on both the front and the back of the stain, you risk pushing the stain inward into the fibers. Do this instead: always treat both sides and gently rub together to fully remove the stain. If it’s an expensive item and you have any doubt take it to a professional just to be safe.
Just Add More Detergent?
There is an erroneous belief that merely adding more detergent will always get out the toughest of stains. This can do more harm than good. Not only will you ruin your stained piece of clothing but you may ruin other items you place in that same wash as well. Why is that? Simply, it has to do with the soap suds. Too much detergent equals too many suds. This issue cause problems with the rinsing process, allowing soil and grime to redeposit on all the clothes in the wash. Do this instead; only ever use the recommended amount of detergent when doing laundry. If you have a stained item of clothing, treat it with a stain remover first. Once it has been treated consider washing that item alone rather than risk getting the rest of the laundry load contaminated.
Using Cosmetics On Stains
Everyone loves being able to use a common house product for something it was not intended for; such as using peanut butter as shaving cream. However, using cosmetics such as hairspray is not one of them. Once upon a time, hairspray contained alcohol which could be used to remove ink from clothes but not anymore. Most modern hairspray will actually do more harm than good by increasing the size of an ink stain. Do this instead: use a stain removal stick that specifies it removes ink stains on the label.
Using Salt For Stains
Okay so this one is sort of true. If you are at a party and some wine is accidentally spilled on your shirt; salt can come in handy. Salt will not remove a stain. On the other hand, for a red wine stain, salt can be applied to the stain. Salt will keep the wine from spreading and getting larger. This may buy you some time to get a stain remover and apply it to both sides of the shirt.
Hopefully, we have dispelled some seriously poor laundry hacks. Different types of stains may be needed to be treated differently; especially depending on the type of fabric. Dry cleaners are always the best professionals to keep in mind if you are unsure. After all; the more expensive the article of clothing the more of an investment you’ve made in it.