Logan County
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Care of Textiles

Conditioning Dingy Clothes - To restore whiteness and brightness, condition clothes in the following way: Fill washer with hot water and add a nonprecipitating water softener (check package labels). Add clothes. Use two times the amount of water softener necessary to soften the water. (If you have a water softening system, using just the recommended amount for hard water will be sufficient). Add ½ cup nonsudsing household ammonia for extra power. Allow the washer to go through the complete cycle automatically. Soap or detergent deposits in the clothes will form active suds when enough softener has been added. Do Not Add Any Soap Or Detergent. The deposits present in the fabric will be sufficient to wash the clothes. This should remove any film that may remain on the fabric. In extreme cases, it may be necessary to repeat the process several times before all the film is removed.

After conditioning, you may wish to rewash the clothes load using hot water and allowing the washer to go through the complete cycle.

Fruit Juice - Sponge or soak in cool water. If not removed, soak in a solution of 1 quart warm water, ½ tsp. mild liquid detergent and l tbsp. white vinegar for 15 minutes or 1 quart warm water and 1 tbsp. enzyme product. Rinse with water. Use bleach for very stubborn stains.

Grass Stains - Remove as soon as possible for best results. Pretreat or soak the stain in a product containing enzymes. (Read the ingredients list on the label, it might be a presoak product, a powdered bleach or a laundry detergent.) Wash the garment as usual after soaking.

Miller Moth Stains - Miller moths may be vacationing in the mountains, but you’re still trying to rid your house of tiny brown miller moth droppings. Here are some suggestions for removing miller moth stains:

Launderable items such as curtains, bedding, etc. can be presoaked in cold salt water and then laundered according to the manufacturer’s care label.  Heavily soiled areas may benefit from a laundry pretreating agent.

Lamp shades, fabric vertical blinds, small spots on draperies can be cleaned by using a foam type upholstery cleaner. Follow the instructions on the can for use.

Windows and other smooth surfaces will respond to regular glass cleaner.

Always be sure to use a soft, clean white cloth. If color is transferred to the cleaning cloth, then the item is not colorfast.

Alert your drycleaner to the presence of miller moth stains so that appropriate pre-spotting can be done.

Perspiration - Soak the stained items in warm water with an enzyme pre-soak product, then wash in the hottest water safe for the fabric and color.  If some stain remains, dampen the stained are and apply a full-strength detergent or a paste make of powdered detergent with water. Rewash. If the stain is still there, it’s probably been permanently set in.

Pine Resin - This is a very difficult stain to remove. For washables, sponge stain with cleaning fluid; let dry. Mix liquid laundry detergent and ammonia. Soak stain in the solution. Launder using liquid laundry detergent.

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Email: jnixon@coop.ext.colostate.edu

This page was last updated 02/24/06