Linen | Stain Removal Tips
Running a guesthouse, there’s no doubt that you’ll encounter numerous stains on your linens – some easy to get out, and others seemingly impossible. According to the American Cleaning Institute, there are some hard and fast rules to getting stains out of your linen.
In general, deal with the stain as early as possible – the less time it has had to soak in, the harder it is to get out. Pre-treat with stain remover and soak before laundering according to the fabric care instructions – however, it’s important to never put in the dryer until the stain is removed. Here’s how to get out specific items:
Baby Formula: Pretreat or soak stains using a product containing enzymes. If the stain is old, soak for at least half an hour or several hours before laundering.
Blood: For fresh stains, soak in cold water (never use hot water – it sets blood stains) before laundering. For dried stains, pretreat in warm water with a product that contains enzymes before laundering.
Coffee/Tea: Sponge or soak stain in cool water. Pretreat with prewash stain remover, liquid detergent booster or paste of powder laundry product and water, then launder using sodium hypochlorite bleach if safe for the fabric.
Cosmetics/Lipstick: Pretreat with prewash stain remover, liquid laundry detergent, paste of powder detergent or laundry additive and water, or rub with bar soap, before laundering.
Perfume: Pretreat with prewash stain remover or liquid laundry detergent before laundering.
Wine: Sponge the stain with cool water or soak it in cool water for about 30 minutes. Pretreat with a prewash stain remover before laundering.
You could, however, just rent linen from fanute – not only is the linen of a high-quality thread count, but it’s also laundered with the water-saving Hydrofinity washing machine, so it’s better for the environment. Click here to find out more.