Originally posted – May 02, 2014
A customer of mine recently brought in a chocolate-colored suede coat, on which she had spilled cola. Do you have any tips that would help me remove this dark stain for her?
Suede can be very fragile to dye release. You can try using warm water and a drop of dishwashing detergent. Rub at the stain, while at the same time, wipe with a damp cloth. If you’re lucky, you mind be able to get the stain out without discoloring the suede coat.
However, if it’s an expensive garment, I would suggest that she simply send the coat to a professional suede and leather cleaner, which would have access to all of the proper cleaning processes, as well as re-dying capabilities; if they remove a spot, they can re-dye it. This might prove to be your best bet.
What’s the most effective way to remove mildew from towels?
Mildew is a real problem. And your ability to remove it depends on how long it’s been on your towels. If you catch it when it’s still in the lighter greenish state, soak the towels in a 1 percent bleach solution with hot water (120 to 160 degrees). Let them soak all day.
Mildew is a living organism, and the bleach will definitely kill it. After soaking, I would run the towels through a regular washing process, because once you destroy the mildew you have to remove it.
Unfortunately, once mildew gets into the darker state, where it’s dark gray or black, it’s almost impossible to remove because it changes the molecular structure and color of your garment.
Again, the hotter the water the better the solution will work. As long as you see a lightening in the towels appearance, continue to repeat the process.
Also, as a rule, don’t leave whites lying damp on a concrete floor or in any dark place.
I’ve heard that regular oven cleaner can be used to clean my dryer baskets and drums. Is this true?
No, I wouldn’t recommend that. Oven cleaners are made to clean mostly oil, grease and carbon stains, which are not the most common stains you will find in a dryer. Common dryer stains are scorch marks from overheated synthetic fabrics, as well as ink, crayon, rubber and adhesive stains.
One word of caution: Be careful what you use when cleaning your dryers. Some chemicals have very low flash points, and you could cause a fire or explosion. Gases can accumulate in your ductwork or may be captured in the lint around your dryers. Also, some chemicals are toxic and some are corrosive, especially when exposed to heat. My suggestion is to use a synthetic Brillo pad, a good all-purpose cleaner, a wire brush and/or a scraper.
I’ve been approached by an insurance company that would like me to launder clothing and bedding that has been damaged by smoke from house fires. Does smoke-damaged clothing require any special care? Also, is there any special way to treat scorching?
First of all, there really is no effective way to treat scorched garments. Once a garment is scorched, the molecular structure of the fabric has changed. Sometimes you can get lucky, and chlorine bleach or hydrogen peroxide will remove a minor scorch spot. Outside of that, you’re probably not going to have any luck.
Smoke damage is a bit easier to deal with. Your soap and chemical distributor should carry a commercial fabric softener that contains an odor eliminator. For badly damaged fabrics, you may need to do as many as four washes with the softener to completely remove the odor.
Another effective additive is Febreze, which is available in large bottles as a laundry additive at most grocery stores. Unless the smoke damage is excessive, I recommend using Febreze. Six to eight ounces for a 50-pound load should be effective, added directly to the wash cycle or in the final rinse in place of fabric softener. Again, you may need to repeat the wash cycle several times to remove all of the smoke odor.
Try washing the clothes once without Febreze, then washing them a second time with the additive. For stubborn odors, you can hang the freshly washed garment up and spray it with Febreze. Let it sit for a few hours, and see if the odor is any better.
