We continue our glossary of stain removal, from a to zeta.

In the second installment we covered alcohol stains, with a specific focus on the dreaded red wine stains [inserire link a paragrafo finale seconda puntata],.

Let us now continue, in strict alphabetical order, with the treatment of two other rather difficult types of stains: burn spots and beet stains.

Let’s start right away with the stains of Beet: how to remove them from fabrics?

The purplish-red color of the beet is a real killer–all it takes is the slightest contact with a surface for it to leave its fearsome mark.

In general, beet stains should be treated with water and perborate: on white fabrics you can directly sprinkle the beet stain with the perborate, leave it for about ten minutes and then rinse, while for colored fabrics it is better to prepare a solution of water and perborate (1 tablespoon for every half liter of water) in which to soak the garment for about ten minutes before proceeding with the usual washing.

A trick for dealing with beet stains as they form: take a piece of bread and soak it in cold water for a few seconds so that it becomes spongy, then dab the stain with the wet bread–you will see that the traces of red will be all but absorbed! When you are able to, proceed with the usual pre-treatment washing as described above.

Now the beet is no longer a problem…but the burned? Stains of Burns from tissue? And can it be done naturally?

Ruining a garment with a burn can happen to anyone: unfamiliarity with an iron or lapilli from a lit cigarette are among the most common causes of burns on fabrics.

It is true that very often a burned fabric is to be considered permanently ruined, but no dramas, if action is taken quickly, all is not lost!

There are several possible natural remedies for burn spots: ice, white vinegar and lemon.

Let us delve into these the 3 remedies one by one:

1. Let’s start with ice, a remedy suitable for even the most delicate fabrics: if the burn is barely noticeable, try soaking the garment in cold water and ice cubes, leaving it to soak for about an hour. Immediately afterwards, proceed with the usual washing.
2. As an alternative to ice, another remedy suitable for all types of fabric (even silk) iswhite vinegar, whose stain-removing properties were already known to our grandmothers: soak a clean cloth (preferably white) in vinegar and rub the soaked cloth over the burned stain so that it soaks well with vinegar. Leave for about 10 to 15 minutes and then rinse with cold water. Repeat the treatment on the burn until the halo is completely dissolved.
3. For more intense burn stains, if the fabric is not particularly delicate, you can try pouring lemon juice directly onto the stains, then soak the garment in cold water, leaving it to soak for at least half an hour. Then proceed with the usual washing of the garment.

Finally, for tougher fabrics and more persistent burn stains, you can attempt the miracle where previous remedies have failed with the help of perborate.

The purpose of the latter suggested treatment is to attenuate as much as possible the brown discoloration of the fibers left by the burn, thus reducing the halo as much as possible.

To get rid of burn spots, therefore, follow these 3 helpful tips:

1. In the case of washable fabrics, gently rub the burn stain under cold running water, then soak the garment in water and perborate for at least 30 minutes, then rinse and wash as usual.
2. If the fabric is not washable, clean the stain with a sponge moistened with warm water and apply a solution of perborate and warm water (1 tablespoon per half liter of water), then rinse by wiping with a sponge moistened with water only. If necessary, repeat the described treatment several times.
3. Top-tip: If the burn stain resists even this perborate treatment, you can give it one more try by treating it with 1 part 20-volume hydrogen peroxide diluted in 6 parts cold water. It is, however, an extreme remedy suitable only for fabrics that are white in color and are not nylon.

If we have intrigued you, don’t miss the next installments of our very useful s.o.s. spots column !