WAYS TO MAKE STAINS VANISH

EVEN if you have the dining etiquette of a duchess, your clothes will at some point fall victim to a splash of sauce or a dribble of gravy. But most stains do disappear. The clue is to work out what kind of stain you’ve got . . . PIGMENT-BASED STAINS COLOURED products and food e.g. wine, coffee, tea, fruit juice, perfume, grass, ink

Treatment: Blot stain with kitchen paper, flush with cold water and blot again. Pre-soak using a biological pre-wash powder or apply a gel. Leave for five to ten minutes then wash.

Remember: For tannin-based stains, never use salt or soap. Both will set it permanently. PROTEIN-BASED STAINS MOST food stains eg. egg. Sweat, blood.

Treatment: Lift excess solids with a blunt knife. Blot with paper towel. Soak in cold water and add a biological pre-soaking agent. Machine wash at 40c with biological detergent.

Remember: Never use hot water; the protein can set into the fibres of the textiles. GREASE-BASED STAINS BUTTER, oil, mayonnaise, sun tan lotion

Treatment: Scrape off solid parts. Soak up excess moisture with kitchen paper. Sprinkle with baking powder or baby powder to absorb the oil. Shake off and apply liquid detergent, then leave for a few minutes. Machine wash.

Remember: Lipstick contains grease and pigment. Treat the grease element first, then follow with a treatment for pigment-based stains if needed.