Raise your hand if – at least once in your life – grappling with yet another impossible stain, you have not wished that unscrewing the cap of some cleaning product would bring out the famous genie in the lamp with the magic recipe for every kind of stain…

We wish we could tell you that we have this magic recipe to make any type of stain disappear in the blink of an eye, but unfortunately we do not.

What we can assure you, on the contrary, is that each stain is different from the other and therefore needs specific treatment in order for it to be truly removed.

The real “trick” lies in knowing what the specific remedy is for that specific stain. And the magic is made!

Some stains, for example, respond better to alkaline substances, while others respond better to basic substances…but don’t worry, you don’t need to be a chemist to know which solution is most effective for the dirt being treated! We will help you with some “top-tips.”

And remember a fundamental truth: often effective stain removal simply takes time and timeliness!

Here are some general rules to always keep in mind when dealing with a stain:

1. Take action on the stain as soon as possible: the less time elapses since the object became stained, the higher your chances of success.
2. The first time you use a particular stain removal product, try it first on a hidden corner of the surface to be treated (such as in the hidden part of the hem of a dress).
3. Never mix different stain removal substances … they may cause dangerous chemical reactions!
4. If you want to remove the garment/object care instruction labels after purchase, file these instructions in a binder so that you can refer to them when you need them
5. Most stain removal products release volatile chemicals, so always open doors or windows when using them.
6. It may be necessary to repeat the stain removal operation more than once to achieve the desired success.
7. Often stains, in order to be removed effectively, must be soaked before being rinsed or put in the washing machine

We know that it is important to first determine the nature of a stain so that we can then identify the best tool to use to remove it.

If Mary Poppins had an anti-stain set, we are sure that inside it we would find.

• Substances such as white vinegar, acetone, hydrogen peroxide, turpentine, denatured alcohol, ammonia, bleach, glycerin, perborate, Marseille soap (solid), talcum powder,
• Tools such as paper towels (kitchen), toothbrush (tooth or nailbrush), white rags

However, the method by which the stain is removed should also never be underestimated.

In fact, one must know how to adopt a more appropriate method to achieve the best result in the stain removal operation.

For example, cleaning egg or blood traces with hot water is likely to achieve the opposite effect by fixing them on the fabric for eternity, while only ice can remove chewing gum stuck to a fabric.

Before going into detail about specific stains and their characteristics, below are some practical methods that are particularly effective in removing any type of stain:

1. Washing: drape the stained area over a glass/cup/bowl, with the stain facing the inside of the container; place it under the faucet and drip cold water over it, rubbing your finger over the stain until the stain disappears; if despite this the stain persists, it is necessary to proceed with the addition of an appropriate stain remover according to the nature of the stain
2. Before pouring the stain remover, drape the stained fabric over an old sponge cloth with the stain facing upward; at this point you can proceed in 2 ways:
   1. Rubbing: soak a white cotton cloth with the stain remover, moisten the stain, and rub it lightly from the center toward the edges (caution: rubbing can discolor darker fabrics for which it may be better to adopt the dipping technique)
   2. Absorption: pour stain remover onto stain and blot cloth with paper towels, repeating with clean paper towels until stain disappears
3. Dip: pour stain remover into a saucer, dip the stain into it and rub with the back of a teaspoon; if necessary, renew the liquid and repeat until the stain disappears
4. Evaporation: take a thick cloth, moisten it thoroughly, fold it over itself so that it is quite high, and place it on an ironing board; with the iron, produce a lot of steam by evaporating the moistened cloth. At this point place the stained fabric where the steam is greatest and tap with the back of a spoon until the stain is removed

And now, as promised, let’s get into the “meat” of our practical guide to removing the most common stains.

We are going to go in alphabetical order, so as to create a true GLOSSARY OF SMASHING, FROM “A” TO “ZETA.”

As you can imagine, there are so many stains while and the space available to us rather small… So we thought we would divide this column into installments, each of which will deal in detail with some specific stains.

Here is a small taste of what you will find in the upcoming installments.

The stains with the letter “A”: Adhesive stains (and glues in general)

Have you stained a surface with glue? Have you peeled off a sticker leaving sticky adhesive residue? Don’t worry, nothing irreparable.

Follow these 7 helpful tips on how to remove glue or adhesive stains from fabrics and various surfaces.

1. If you have left glue stains a fabric, do not put it in the washing machine right away, but always pre-treat the stain. Below we tell you how.
2. On surfaces such as carpets, we recommend that you lightly trim the pile where the glue stain is located with very sharp embroidery scissors.
3. On hard surfaces, such as glass and ceramics, to remove residue after scraping, moisten a cotton ball with olive oil or cleansing milk and rub until all traces of glue are removed, then rinse the surface under running water. For stubborn residues, try denatured alcohol or pure alcohol.
4. On wood, try it first with the eraser, rubbing it gently over the surface to be treated (if the furniture is painted, however, be careful not to remove the glue along with the paint!). Alternatively, rub a cloth soaked in olive oil on the glue stain. Finally, if the glue just doesn’t want to know, try the most extreme remedy: moisten the stain with nail polish acetone and then try to scrape it off with a rubber spatula.
5. In case you have just spilled specifically vinyl glue on a fabric, immediately blot the stain with warm water and then wash the garment. If, on the other hand, the vinyl glue is already dry, add flakes of Marseille soap to a little ethyl alcohol and then rub the solution onto the stain. Finally, if it is vinyl glue poured on a hard surface, there is no need for special solvents, simply let the glue dry and then peel it off with your fingers.
6. If, on the other hand, it is all-purpose glue (clear or yellow), the best way to remove it from a fabric is to let it dry first and then try scraping it off gently, being careful not to ruin the fabric.
7. Top-Tip: For all operations that involve scrubbing the stain, always remember to use a white cloth, so as not to run the risk of transferring the color to the surface being treated!

If we’ve intrigued you, don’t miss the next installments of our very useful S.O.S. MACCHIE column!