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How to remove ink stains

Ink stains are a potential outfit ruiner. Whether you’ve accidentally ran a ball-point pen over the sleeve of your best white shirt, or your children have decided to give your favourite skirt a new design, ink stains can be incredibly difficult to remove. Try these methods for removing them.

  • Cover in Salt
  • Apply liquid laundry detergent 
  • Blot with rubbing alcohol 
  • Spray with hairspray 
  • Soak in milk
  • Spread over with vinegar and corn starch

Cover in salt 

If you catch your ink stain before it has dried you are incredibly lucky because they are easier to remove than dried stains. To remove fresh ink stains, cover the stain in salt and dab gently with a wet paper towel. Brush off the salt and check to see if the stain has been removed. If the stain hasn’t been removed, repeat the process, or try an additional method explained in this post.

Apply liquid laundry detergent 

For a dried, water-based, ink stain a liquid laundry detergent is best to use. Begin by laying your stained item of clothing on a clean towel. Apply water to the stain and blot with a clean cloth. As you blot you should begin to see the ink transferring from your stained clothing onto the cloth. Once no more ink is being transferred onto the cloth, apply a small amount of liquid laundry detergent on what’s left of the ink stain. Leave it to soak in for three to five minutes. After three to five minutes, wash your clothing on the hottest setting advised on the care label. Before drying, check that the stain has been completely removed and, if not, complete the process again. 

Blot with rubbing alcohol 

Before beginning with this method you need to check that your clothing won’t be stained further by the rubbing alcohol. To do this, dab some rubbing alcohol onto the seam of your garment and wait to observe if a reaction occurs. If nothing happens, you are safe to begin.

Firstly, lay your stained item of clothing on top of a clean towel. Using a clean cloth blot your ink stain with rubbing alcohol, this will begin diluting the stain. Be aware that the towel underneath your garment may become wet with rubbing alcohol and stained with transferred ink. If this happens, replace the wet and stained towel with a fresh one to ensure that no ink is re-transferred on to your clothing. Continue dabbing your stain with rubbing alcohol until no ink is transferred onto the cloth. Once you’ve reached this point, wash off any rubbing alcohol residue. 

If you are treating a ball-point pen stain, rub a small amount of liquid laundry detergent on to the stain and leave it for three to five minutes. Wash off the detergent and observe whether the stain has been removed. 

Before moving forwards, observe whether the blotting and liquid detergent has been successful in removing the ink stain. If so, wash your garment on the hottest wash suggested on your clothing items care label. If the stain has not been successfully removed, mix a solution of oxygen-based bleach and cool water. Completely submerge your clothing in the solution and leave it to soak for 8 hours. If your stain has still not been removed, make a new solution, and leave your clothing for another 8 hours. This should remove the stain, and leave your clothing ink free.

Spray with hairspray 

Most hairsprays contain alcohol which is incredibly useful when dissolving ink and removing ink stains. The higher the alcohol content in the hairspray, the more effective it will be in removing the stain- often the cheaper hairsprays have the highest alcohol content.

Lay your stained garment on a clean towel, and thoroughly spray the stain. Blot the stain with a clean cloth until the stain has been removed. Once removed, wash your clothing according to the advice on your garments care label. If the stain has not been removed, repeat the process.

Image by Andrew Magill

Soak in milk

If you have time for a more time-consuming ink stain removal method this could be the solution for you. Fill a bowl with enough milk to completely submerge your ink stain. Place your stained clothing in the milk and leave it overnight to soak. Remove your clothing in the morning and observe whether the stain has been removed. If your stain has been removed, wash your garment as normal. If your stain has not been removed, repeat the process, or perhaps try one of the other methods suggested in this post.

Spread over with vinegar and cornstarch 

Begin this process by laying your damaged item on a clean towel and soaking your stain with vinegar. Whilst the vinegar begins breaking down the ink, mix two parts vinegar with three parts cornstarch until a paste has formed. Once you have reached paste consistency, spread it over the ink stain and leave it to completely dry. Once your paste has dried, wash your item as you normally would. 

If these methods aren’t successful in removing your ink stain, leave it to us to remove. Book your slot by visiting the Laundryheap website or by downloading the Laundryheap app.  


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How to get rid of ironing stains

Marco Verch Professional Photographer and Speaker

Ironing stains are easily done and yet increasingly difficult to get rid of. Some ironing stains are unsalvagable and can only be aesthetically lighter rather than removed. These six methods will either help to lighten, or completely remove, ironing stains. 

  • Method 1- Bleach the stain 
  • Method 2- Soak in hydrogen peroxide
  • Method 3- Squeeze lemon juice over the stain 
  • Method 4- Soak in ice water 
  • Method 5- Rub with white vinegar 
  • Method 6- Use an emery pad

Method 1- Bleach the stain 

Before starting this method make sure that you check the stained items care label. Some clothing will come with a warning to not use bleach, in which case this method should not be used. 

Once you have checked the care label, soak your item in diluted bleach. After 15 minutes, remove the item and wash it as you usually would. To get the most effective result, dry in direct sunlight. The sun’s natural lightening abilities will help lighten the stain so at the very least the mark will be less visible.

Method 2- Soak in hydrogen peroxide 

Begin by laying the garment on a flat surface. Soak an old cloth or piece of fabric in hydrogen peroxide and place it on the iron stain. Next, put a clean, dry, cloth or piece of fabric on top of the hydrogen peroxide soaked material whilst you let your iron heat to a high temperature. Once your iron is hot, gently rub it over the top piece of fabric. The heat will gently permeate through to the hydrogen peroxide and help work it into the stain. As you iron make sure that you check the progress of the stain. If you notice that your bottom cloth is getting dry, apply more hydrogen peroxide to it. Likewise, if your top cloth is becoming damp with hydrogen peroxide switch it for a new, dry, cloth as this will prevent rust stains transferring from the iron. This process can take a while, so patience is key.

Method 3- squeeze lemon juice over the stain 

Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the stain until it’s completely soaked. Place your item of clothing in a container of hot water and let it sit for 15-30 minutes depending on how severe the stain is. Remove the clothing item and dry as normal. 

Method 4- Soak in ice water 

If your stain is mild soaking it in ice water for an hour could remove it. For this method, you need to ensure that your water is ice cold. To guarantee this either add ice cubes to cold water or leave your item in some water in the freezer. If you do leave your clothes in the freezer, make sure you only leave them in there for a maximum of 1 hour. Completely freezing your clothes won’t cause any additional damage, but can slow down the stain removing process. 

Image by Bruno /Germany from Pixabay

Method 5- Rub with white vinegar

If you decide on this method it’s important that you use white vinegar only- using any other type of vinegar could stain your clothing further. Soak a rag or sponge in white vinegar and rub it over the stain. Once the stain is completely soaked, leave the item to sit for 10-15 minutes before rinsing with cool water. Leave your clothing to dry as normal. 

Image by Willis Lam

Method 6- Use an emery pad  

A heavy scorch mark can not be removed, however the damage can be made less visible. Using an emery pad, or any rough material, gently rub the burn mark, removing any dark singed material. Be gentle with your rubbing movements, being too aggressive can cause further holes and damage to the material. 

Image by Marco Verch Professional Photographer and Speaker

If your clothing has been stained beyond repair and you are considering throwing out the item, try and reuse it for an alternative purpose. Consider making a tote bag or pillow case- anything to limit the clothing pollution that comes with throwing away clothing. 

The best way to treat any stain is by getting it treated at a dry cleaners. Book your slot on the Laundryheap website or by downloading the Laundryheap app. 


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8 Natural Stain Removers

When a stain comes upon our clothing, many of us want to avoid using toxic stain removal products, with the obvious factor being that they contain harsh chemicals and solvents. Who would want the aftermath of that rubbing against their skin?

Fortunately for all of us, there are many ways to remove stains naturally.

8 Natural Stain Removers

  1. Borax
    Believe it or not, borax is a natural mineral composed of sodium, boron, oxygen and water. Borax is a great cleaning agent that helps to disinfect and remove stains from clothes.
  2. Hydrogen Peroxide
    This antiseptic compound is a natural alternative to bleach and works well in removing stains such as curry, red wine and underarm yellowing.
  3. White Distilled Vinegar
    The acetic acid in the vinegar helps to lift stains and banish odour. See how else distilled white vinegar can do wonders for your clothes.
  4. Baking Soda
    Baking soda (or sodium bicarbonate) works as a natural cleanser and deodoriser. It is a mild alkaline powder so it’s completely safe to use on all fabrics.
  5. Lemon Juice
    Lemon is a natural lightener because of it’s acidity, it almost works as a natural bleaching agent.
  6. Talcum Powder/chalk
    For stains that need absorbing (grease and oil), these powders are a wonderful natural treatment to get the heavy stain out.
  7. Salt
    Salt works as a gentle abrasive element to help absorb moisture from liquid stains.
  8. Rubbing Alcohol
    Another antiseptic that works great in breaking down tough stains. It doesn’t penetrate the fabric and evaporates quickly. So you can be sure it won’t damage your clothes.