I am the fairy godmother of stain removal; friends email, call, text or come to see me from far and wide lamenting their latest accidents – and potentially ruined favorite articles of clothing. It is often in my power to return a stained garment in pristine condition. Well, most of the time. What a claim to fame!
My arsenal is vast and varied. I’ve found many products during trips around the world. I like to check out local markets and can’t resist a hardware store. I frequent them all here at home on the Island. However, in the end, everything still depends on tactics and perhaps my magic wand.
My Strategy
1. Avoid trouble in the first place: When dining, use your napkin by laying it over your lap all the way up to your waist. That’s where it is supposed to be and where most accidents happen.
2. If you do stain your clothing, rule number one: never dip your napkin into a water glass to rub the stain. If you are desperate to do something, sprinkle salt on it. Better still: wait until you get home. Speed is not of the essence.
3. Use the right product for your particular stain. See my tips below.
The Culprits, The Solutions
Grease, meet Terre de Sommières.
More often than not, mealtime stains are grease-based; they will not disappear with water. Oil and water don’t mix. If you incur a grease stain while you are out to dinner, try hiding the stain behind a scarf or tie a sweater around your waist!
Once you are home, trust and use this French magic potion: Terre de Sommières. It is actually ground-up earth – a dry clay – from the region of Sommières. I used to stockpile it every time I went to France. Now it’s available, yes...on Amazon!
Believe me, this will solve many of your problems. To use Terre de Sommières, sprinkle a generous layer of this dry miracle powder on the stain. (Do not add water!) Let rest overnight. Brush off the next morning. The stain should be gone without having to wash the whole garment. No dry cleaning necessary either.
If, for some reason, the stain is not gone the next morning, put a clean cloth (or piece of paper towel) underneath the stained area. Sprinkle with Terre de Sommières again. Put another clean cloth (or a paper towel) on top and gently iron the spot. The point is to heat up the grease. Move the clean cloth (or paper) around and iron until the stain disappears.
Shake the garment and brush (I use a wire brush) in every direction to remove any trace of powder.
Wine spilled, wine away.
If a wine stain is your problem (not an uncommon one), use a clean cloth to absorb as much liquid as possible. Spray the stain with a product called Wine Away, then dab. (Use a clean spot on the cloth with each dab.)
I find this sometimes works with rust stains as well.
Got milk?
You can use it to dissolve red fruit stains. If raspberries or strawberries stain your blouse or pants, soak the stained area in milk overnight. Wash normally the next morning.
Candle wax, be gone.
If you get candle wax on your clothing, scrape off as much wax as possible. Tear a brown paper grocery bag into pieces. Put one piece of the brown paper underneath the wax stain and put another piece on top. Iron carefully, and the paper will absorb the wax. For maximum absorption, move the paper around frequently (so that fresh paper is over the spot) until the stain is gone.
And about those mystery closet stains… And those little orange-yellow stains you find on clothes that have been hanging for way too long at the back of a closet? Clothes that you should have given away after not wearing them for several years? Those stains are practically impossible to remove. I think they might be mouse urine that if caught early enough could have been washed with vinegar, but over time they become permanent. But given the fact that the stains have set over time, they will be permanent by the time you see them. That’s my theory. If anyone has more information about that, I’d love to hear about it.
Not sure? Turn to Savon de Marseille.
No household should be without Savon de Marseille, a fabulous 72-per cent oil-based soap that has been made in Marseille, France since the 17th century. It comes in various sizes, in both traditional olive and ivory, and in variations infused with herbs and flowers. It is available from many online sources.
I use this as my go-to weapon when I don’t know what the stain is. For generations French households have used the soap not just to wash up at the sink but to clean fabrics as well. We use it as our kitchen soap, to wash hands, plates, pots and even sponges. It lasts forever. (I keep both a nail brush and a toothbrush for working on stains.)
Here on the Island, Olive Branch Fair Trade (in Woodland Center on State Road in Vineyard Haven), also carries Nablus soap, a Palestinian olive oil soap that has very similar properties to Savon de Marseille.
My Complete Arsenal
I use all of these products on cashmere, wool, linen, and cotton and they mostly work. However, it is very difficult to get stains out of synthetic fibers.
Almost all of these products are available from online sources, but I prefer to buy from local hardware stores whenever I can. Availability varies, so check when you are out shopping in order to purchase local if possible.
You’ll also want to have a brush or two on hand; I use both a nail brush and a tooth brush.
- Vanish, from the UK, for undetermined stains
- Rubigine, from France, for rust and blood
- Savon de Marseille, from France, multiple uses
- Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover, from the U.S., multiple uses
- Unbelievable, from the U.S., for blood, grease, wine and more
- Gonzo, from the U.S., for blood stains
- Exit, found in Ireland, made in Australia, for lipstick and red wine Linum, found in Switzerland, for a variety of stains
- Starwax “The Fabulous Savon au fiel de boeuf,” from France, for grass and grease stains
- Wine Away, from the U.S., for red wine stains Shout, from the U.S., for multiple uses
- Terre de Sommières, from France, for grease stains
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Monina von Opel lives in Chilmark. She was brought up in an area of France where water was precious, and it was considered wasteful to wash a garment that could be rescued by spot removal.
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