Stain-fighters don’t need to be fancy, experts say

There was a bad run of salad-dressing spills recently at my house.

When several of my husband’s shirts came back from the cleaners with the oil and vinegar stains still showing, I spritzed on my go-to pre-treat spray and washed. Sadly, there was no improvement.

So I called my personal oracle for housekeeping tips, a friend raised in a Southern home where learning to care for everything correctly was paramount.

She swore by OxiClean Max Force Gel Stick, which has “stain-grabbing nubs.” I bought a bottle, applied the gel and let it soak in overnight. Then I washed them in hot water, and the stains disappeared.

Here, more experts share simple techniques for common stains.

■ Your pet pees on a rug: Don’t panic, says Cameron Capel of Capel Rugs, a 100-year-old rug company in North Carolina. Keep on hand a bottle of liquid laundry detergent, such as Tide Free and Gentle or All Free Clear. Blot the area with a dry cloth, then mix two cups of water with two teaspoons of liquid detergent and apply to the stain with white paper towels, working from the edges to the center. Keep blotting, never overwetting, until your paper towel comes away clean. Use plain water at the end to remove detergent residue.

■ Your pots and pans are caked in crud: The trick to a good pot cleaning is to scrub a warm pot. You can heat it on medium heat just before you start, says Jolie Kerr, a cleaning expert and advice columnist. Of course, be careful not to touch it with your hands while cleaning. Sprinkle on baking soda and scour the pan with a damp sponge. Her favorites are the Dobie pad and other ScotchBrite products. Scrub until it’s clean, then rinse in hot water.

■ The grout on your tile floor is perpetually dingy: Kerr says this is a chore best done on your hands and knees. Mix a gallon of water with a scoop of oxygen bleach. Working in sections, pour a thin layer on the floor. As you move across the room, work the solution into the tile and grout with a scrub brush. Allow it to sit for 30 to 60 minutes before wiping up. If you see residue, wipe with clean water. “As it dries, you’ll start to see a big difference,” Kerr says.