The Halloween Aftermath – Stain Cleanup

Halloween is over and the costumes are packed away, all that remain are the mountains and mountains of goodies collected. Chocolate, candy, pop – all Halloween staples and all items that are very likely to end up all over your kids’ clothes and your home. Not to worry, there are ways you can remove these pesky stains, but be forewarned, effort is required! If you’d rather spend your free time doing something more enjoyable than scrubbing out stains, feel free to skip this blog and head on over to Simply Laundry’s Wash and Fold packages, choose the one that best suits your needs, and leave the dirty work to us!

Chocolate Stains

Chocolate. Delicious in your tummy, but deadly on your clothes and furniture. It takes a little elbow grease, but chocolate stains can be removed from both washable and non-washable fabrics. We’ll start with washable fabrics such as cotton, linen, nylon, and polyester.

Removing Chocolate Stains From Washable Fabrics

This easy to follow, six step process comes courtesy of Cleanipedia.

1. Always get to a chocolate stain as soon as possible. Start by gently scraping or blotting away any excess chocolate, being careful not to sink the stain deeper into the fabric.

2. Run cold water or soda water over the back of the stain, i.e. the reverse side of the garment, to help loosen stain particles and remove them from clothing fibres.

3. Pour a liquid laundry detergent or dishwashing detergent into the stain with just enough pressure to ensure the liquid completely saturates the fabric.

4. Soak the item for 15 minutes in cold water, gently rubbing the stain every 3-5 minutes. Repeat this process until the stain is gone; you may need to add more detergent if the stain is particularly stubborn.

5. If the stain remains despite your best efforts, apply a commercial stain remover.

6. Launder your garment as usual and hopefully, the stain will be gone! If it isn’t, repeat steps 2-5 until the stain has completely disappeared before hanging your item to dry or putting it in the dryer.

Removing Chocolate Stains From Non-Washable Fabrics

Non-washable items include fabrics such as acetate, silk, rayon, and wool. This helpful four step process again comes courtesy of Cleanipedia.

1. Be sure to carefully read any garment care tags on your item before starting.

2. Act as quickly as possible to remove the stain from your item.

3. Use cold water to treat the stain as hot water can cause a chocolate stain to set.

4. To treat the stain, place a clean cloth or paper towel underneath the stain to avoid the stain spreading to the fabric underneath.

Pro Tip: When it comes to delicate and non-washable fabrics, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Having your items professionally laundered or dry cleaned will reduce the possibility of permanent damage to your clothes.

Candy Stains

There’s never any shortage of candy the week after Halloween. While you may find the candy itself disappears quite quickly, the stains it can leave behind certainly won’t.

Never fear, the experts at How Stuff Works: Home and Garden have a DIY solution for removing candy stains from almost any fabric. Fair warning: This is not an easy process and will require some effort! However, if the aftermath of Halloween has left candy stains on your clothes or furniture, hop on over to How Stuff Works: Home and Garden for detailed instructions on getting candy stains out of almost any fabric in your home.

Pop (Soda) Stains

Of all the stains you may encounter, pop spills are the most likely. By nature of the product, as a liquid, it is easy to get all over everything – from clothes, to upholstery, to carpets. Here are some home remedies for attacking pop stains courtesy of Good Housekeeping.

Removing Pop Stains From Fabric

1. Sponge the stain with cold water (or soak the item) for about 30 minutes.

2. Pretreat with a prewash stain remover.

3. Launder the item (if it’s safe for your item, add chlorine bleach).

Removing Pop Stains From Upholstery

1. Blot up as much of the spill as possible.

2. Mix together one tablespoon of liquid dishwashing detergent with two cups of cold water.

3. Using a clean cloth, sponge the stain with the detergent solution.

4. Blot until the liquid is absorbed.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the stain is completely gone.

6. Sponge with cold water and blot dry.

Removing Pop Stains From Carpet

1. Blot up as much of the stain as possible.

2. Use plain water or mix one tablespoon of liquid dishwashing detergent and one tablespoon of white vinegar with two cups of warm water.

3. Using a clean cloth, sponge the stain with water or the detergent / vinegar solution. Apply a small amount each time, blotting frequently until the stain disappears.

4. Sponge with cold water and blot dry.

Forget The Work, Bring In The Professionals

If you think that sounds like a lot of work just to remove a stain, you’re not alone. Why waste valuable time scrubbing, blotting, and rinsing when in the end, you might actually do more damage to your clothes than good? At Simply Laundry, we specialize in the removal of tough stains, even from the most delicate of fabrics. Send your stained items to us and not only will you get them back as good as new, you’ll never even need to leave the comfort of your home!

So what are you waiting for? Place your order or open an account today!