A professional cleaner has offered his guide for removing the five most frequently googled stains.
Zachary Pozniak, a third generation dry cleaner from the US, shared a viral video revealing the best products to tackle the top five common stains – blood, ink, wine, coffee and oil.
To remove blood stains, he suggests rinsing or blotting the mark with cold water, then treating the area with hydrogen peroxide, which is available at Woolworths or Coles for $4.30.
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“Blood will always ‘foam’ when treated with hydrogen peroxide,” Zachary says.
“Then wash on cold so you don’t ‘cook’ the stain.”
If the blood doesn’t disappear, he recommends treating the mark with a stain remover containing protease.
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To remove blood, rinse or blot with cold water, then treat with hydrogen peroxide. Credit: jeeves_ny
“It’s an enzyme that breaks down protein stains,” he explains.
For ink stains, blot with rubbing alcohol or a treatment made for ink.
“This works decently well for pen ink, but don’t expect a Sharpie or dry erase marker to come out,” he says.
The next two common stains are wine and coffee.
“They’re both tannin or oxidisable stains that only require a mild acid,” Zachary explains.
“So treat it with a little vinegar, let it sit for 15 minutes, then wash.
“Both are actually pretty easy stains if you get to them sooner than later.”
If you spill red wine on your carpet or rug, pour water and vinegar over the stain. Credit: jeeves_ny
If you accidentally spill red wine on your carpet or rug, Zachary suggests mixing three parts water to one part vinegar, then pour the solution over the stain.
Next, put a clean towel over the stain and iron with steam.
The wine stain should then transfer from the carpet to the towel.
Repeat, using a new towel each time, until all the stains are lifted from the carpet.
Next, put a towel over the stain and iron with steam. The stain should transfer to the towel. Credit: jeeves_ny
“The goal here is to use the vinegar to counteract the tannins in wine and the heat from the iron to draw up and transfer the stain solution mixture – water and vinegar – into the towel,” he says.
“Treat with hydrogen peroxide to correct any remaining colour.”
Finally, the “dreaded” grease stain.
“It requires a surfactant like dish soap or laundry detergent,” he says.
“Surfactants allow oil to become soluble in water, so just rub a little bit in and then wash.”
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