With a baby a few months old at home and a husband who can sometimes be a little clumsy, I have had plenty of opportunities to test my little habits for removing stains from clothes without using harsh chemical products. A few examples of everyday stains I have successfully removed using the method described below: newborn runny stools, carrot purée, red wine, tomato sauce, sweat. Tested and approved ;-)
I have three “magic” tools, all natural: a stain-removing soap made in Marseille from Marseille soap and baking soda, sodium percarbonate and Blanc de Meudon.
EVERYDAY STAINS other than grease
Coffee, carrot, grass stains, chocolate, blood, sweat, shirt collars… stains come from everywhere.
This is how I do it:
- I wet the stained area of the fabric with cold water
- I dampen the stain-removing soap and rub it directly onto the stain
- I then rub the fabric fabric against fabric or with an old toothbrush
- I leave it to act for a few hours if needed
- I put the garment in the washing machine with the rest of the laundry and my homemade laundry detergent
Of course, it is always better to do this as soon as you see the stain, rather than leaving the garment sitting in the laundry basket for days or weeks. That said, I am not a very good example and rarely do it right away... I usually treat all the stained clothes at once when I am about to start a wash.
If the garment is very stained and the stain has not completely gone with the stain-removing soap, I soak it in hot water with sodium percarbonate. After a few hours of soaking, I machine wash it.
GREASE STAINS
Butter, oil, grease… you first need to absorb the stain before putting water on the garment.
I put a little Blanc de Meudon on the stain to absorb the grease several hours, or even overnight.
Once the grease has been absorbed, I proceed as explained above for everyday stains rub with the stain-removing soap.