Thrifty mum reveals how to remove the most common stains from clothing – using eggs, beer and hairspray
A THRIFTY mum has revealed how she gets the toughest stains out of clothes just by using common household items – including beer and egg yolk. Jody Allen, from Australia, runs a blog called the Stay At Home Mum, where she shares tips and tricks for navigating family life. The mum only has £26 ($50 […]
A THRIFTY mum has revealed how she gets the toughest stains out of clothes just by using common household items – including beer and egg yolk.
Jody Allen, from Australia, runs a blog called the Stay At Home Mum, where she shares tips and tricks for navigating family life.
The mum only has £26 ($50 AUD) to spend on groceries and essentials a week for her and her husband, Walt, and their kids, after being made redundant while pregnant with their second son.
As a result she has turned to natural cleaning products – often using what’s in the kitchen cupboard.
Jody, 42, said: “Stains on clothing are a bugger for most of us, and when there are kids involved, there are always stains!”
Jodie advised getting rid of chocolate – a common stain – by using an egg yolk and rubbing it onto the spill with a clean piece of linen, then washing as normal.
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Grass stains can ruin a trip to the park, but Jody recommends putting clothes into the washing machine with a cup of white vinegar only – no soap – and running on a cold wash.
Blood is another common sight when it comes to kids, but Jody advised using cold water, or soda water, and soap on fresh stains, and washing up liquid on old ones.
She advised: “Use a little washing up liquid and rub the stain against itself.”
Painting might be fun, but it’s almost guaranteed to make a mess.
Hot vinegar will remove paint from cotton, but if it’s been dried on you’ll need something stronger.
When there are kids involved, there are always stains
Jody Allen
Jody recommends making up a solution of equal parts of ammonia and turpentine, then “saturate the spots several times if necessary, and then wash out in soap suds”.
Crayons also feature on Jody’s common stains list, with the mum advising to rub your child’s art project with a toothbrush to break up the stain.
Then soak in vinegar for half an hour, and bung it in the wash.
Sudocreme is a wonder product, but if it’s gone everywhere simply add some washing up liquid and rub it over the spill, then wash as normal.
If you’ve got kids, it’s only a matter of time before some poo gets onto your furniture, clothes and walls.
If it’s on your clothing, Jody advises rinsing the garments in warm water to remove the brunt of the stain, then add some washing up liquid.
If the fabric is machine washable, saturate the spot with hair spray then leave it for about 10 minutes, then dab with a damp cloth or sponge to remove the stain.
Jody Allen
Wash as normal with a cup of white vinegar, then hang out in the sun to dry to remove the last of the marks.
But it’s not just kids who make a mess – as everyone knows make-up can leave some permanent marks behind as well.
If you’re changing up your locks and have got hair dye everywhere, you need to use another related product – hairspray – to get it out.
Jody advises time is essential with this, so start spraying as soon as you spot a stain.
Lipstick is notorious for getting on collars, but luckily hairspray comes to the rescue again.
Jody said: “If the fabric is machine washable, saturate the spot with hair spray then leave it for about 10 minutes, then dab with a damp cloth or sponge to remove the stain.”
Simply pop it in the wash afterwards and it should be good as new.
Mascara is another tricky stain to get out, and Jody recommends wetting the area then putting some pre-wash soap on it, before washing as normal.
But if it hasn’t completely faded, put some shampoo on it before bunging back in the machine.
Nail varnish can also be removed with hairspray, but nail varnish remover is best.
Try and scrape away as much as you can with your fingernail, before adding some acetone to a cotton bud and dabbing at the stain.
Lightly rub beer into the material then wash as normal. You might need to repeat a few times. This works well for carpet stains too.
Jody Allen
Jody did suggest taking any upholstery to the dry cleaners if you’ve spilled dark polish on an expensive piece of furniture.
Other day-to-day stains such as tea and coffee can be fixed with another drink – beer.
Jody said: “Lightly rub beer into the material then wash as normal. You might need to repeat a few times. This works well for carpet stains too.”
Sweat needs some extra attention, as Jody says to make a paste using bicarbonate of soda, and rubbing that over the sweat patches and leaving for a few hours before washing.
But she said to avoid sweat marks from occurring in the first place, add a cup on white vinegar into every wash.
Another household staple is sauce, with Jody recommending using washing up liquid on a stain and rinsing under cold water, and repeating, until the stain has gone.
If it’s a dried-on stain, she advised putting some vinegar or lemon juice on the mark – but warned to be careful about bleaching a dark fabric.
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