How to Remove Unusual Stains

Stains produced by perspiration, glue, paint, mud and nail polish don't fall into the previous categories but are still hard to remove. Use the techniques described here to shift them:

Deodorant and perspiration stains.
Treat these as you would dye stains. The aluminium or zinc salt build-up from deodorants can make them particularly stubborn.

Removing Glue
Begin by scraping off whatever you can a dull knife (rubbing ice on the glue first to harden it). If the glue is white school glue, treat it as you would a protein-based stain, so don't use hot water - the hot water could cook the proteins. If it is model-aeroplane glue, treat it as an oil-based stain. If the glue won't come out, place the stain face down on absorbent paper towels. To force the stain out, blot the back of the fabric with a cloth moistened with dry-cleaning solvent.

removing emulsion paint.
Treat while it is wet - immediately is best. Soak the fabric in cold water and then wash it in cold water with laundry detergent.

Removing gloss paint
Spot treat while it is still wet, using paint thinner or white spirit and a sponge or cloth, until the paint is loosened and as much is removed as possible. Before it dries, wash in hot water and detergent.

Removing mud
Removing mud Handle mud as you would a protein-based him, with one exception: its best to wait until mud has dried before cleaning it. Once it has dried, scrape off the excess solids. Then follow the protein-stain procedures.

Removing rust stains
If a rust stain remains after removing mud treat it with a commercial fabric-stain rust remover. Since rust removers can be toxic, follow the directions on the container carefully. A solution of lemon juice and salt sometimes removes rust. Sprinkle salt on the stain, squeeze a lemon juice on it, and put the item in the sun to dry. Be sure to test the lemon juice first, since it can bleach some fabrics. Don't use chlorine bleach: it will make rust stains permanent.

Removing Nail Polish
Blot with a clean cloth moistened with acetone or nail-polish remover until the stain is gone. If possible lay the stain face down on white paper towels and blot from the back side to force the stain out the way it came in.

Removing Yellowing from white Fabrics
Fabrics can take on a yellowish tinge for several reasons: not enough detergent in a wash cycle, too much detergent, an insufficiently hot wash, colour transfer from other items or the loss of a fabric's artificial whiteners. Your best bet is to launder with the correct mount of detergent - find one that has both bleach and optical brighteners in it. Most biological powders have the greatest whitening power. If that doesn't work, try oxygen bleach As a final resort, try a cycle with chlorine bleach.

Domestic Cleaning London expert's advice:
To remove stains from dry-clean-only fabrics, first remove as much of the stain residue as possible - by blotting or scraping - and then have the item dry-cleaned as soon as you can (within a day or two).