Effective at-home solutions to remove pesky food stains from clothes

With a bit of patience and just a few household items, you can get rid of annoying food stains from your clothes. It is important to differentiate what kind of stain you are treating before beginning.As reported by Self,there are usually 3 kinds of stains on clothing. Broadly, these are:

• tannin stains are from things with acidic content, like coffee, tea and wine stains. These also include ketchup, mustard and tomato sauce
• protein stains are from meat or dairy including milk and yoghurt
• grease stains are from anything oily like vegetable oil or butter

Below are the most common food stains and how to remove them;

Coffee and tea stains

To remove tannin stains like coffee and tea, vinegar is a great ingredient. As per Eating Well,

• Soak the stained area with water.
• Then use ½ spoon of dish-wash soap and 1 spoon white vinegar and apply to the stain.
• Keep it for on 15 mins and then wash it in the laundry as usual.

Tomato sauce stains

To remove tomato sauce stains, follow this simple hack from The Spruce.

• First scrape away the dried sauce from the cloth.
• Then run cold water over the area and flush the stain thoroughly.
• Rub liquid laundry detergent on the stain and work it in gently.
• Let it sit for 10 minutes and then wash it.

If the stain still remains, add some hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar to the area and let sit for a few minutes before washing it. Once the stain goes, you can wash the cloth as usual.

Fruit and wine stains

As per Food and Wine, for red wine stains on clothes, a mix of laundry detergent and hydrogen peroxide works wonders.

• Mix equal parts of both and apply thoroughly over the stained area.
• Let it sit for a while and you will soon see the stains fading.
• You can gently rub the area to ensure that the stains are gone and then put the cloth in the wash as usual.

You can also use a similar method for removing fruit juice stains. Instead of hydrogen peroxide, you can also use white vinegar.

Grease stains

According to Better Homes and Gardens, to treat stains from oil,

• Apply liquid detergent on the area. If you happen to have detergent powder, you can apply some power with water instead, as well.
• Ensure that the stain is very well saturated with the liquid mix and then work the stained area gently but firmly with your fingers.
• Let it sit for a few minutes and then wash it in the highest temperature possible for the fabric.
• The piece of clothing should be air-dried since grease tends to disappear when wet.

If the stain persists, you can repeat the process but ensure that the garment has been air dried and the stain has disappeared before putting it in a dryer.

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