It’s Halloween! The pumpkins are carved, the candy bowls are filled, and the faces of trick-or-treaters (big and small!) are painted up and ready to go… And as always, Mulberrys is dedicated to keeping your garments looking their best. Use these tips at home to treat the trickiest spots around!
Face Paint and Makeup:
Love your little clowns and vampires, but don’t love the stains their face paint leaves?? You might remember from an earlier post (ahem, https://www.mulberryscleaners.com/see-ya-stubborn-stains/) that makeup is an extremely tough stain to get rid of, because it combines oil and pigmentation. Finding a cleaner that can tackle both is the key to removing face paint and makeup stains. One good cleaner to try is good ol’ color-safe bleach, like hydrogen peroxide. Toss the garment in the wash with this cleaner, and it will whisk stains away faster than a witch on her broomstick.
Sticky Candy/Sugary Stains:
Don’t let those lollipops get you down. If the stain is mainly treat-related, you’re in luck! This can be one of the easier stains to remove. Most sugary spots will dissolve with a little gentle elbow grease and some water. Use a soft damp cloth to gently remove any stickiness. However, chocolate and food coloring spots can be more persnickety, because they introduce dye and oil elements to the garment… If chocolate or food coloring stains are vexing you, those might be better left to the pros!
Dirt and Grime:
Trick-or-treaters, bless their little hearts, are very good at tracking down dirt and mud! Dirt can become ground into the hems of little ones’ costumes, and their little feet can carry mud and dirt onto your lovely hallway rug too. But never fear– dirt can also be defeated.
One important tip: Don’t try to use water to get out a dirt or mud stain, because you will end up creating more mud and the stain could become permanent! Rubbing wet mud into the fabric will cause the dirt to get trapped into the garment’s fibers. Let the stain air dry. You can remove any loose dirt from garments (and rugs!) by gently shaking the item, and all the loose dirt will come free (you might want to try that step outside!)
You can pre-treat mud and dirt stains before laundering them, by simply using some common liquid dish soap on the stain. This will grab onto dirt, and help get it out in a normal wash cycle.
Still seeing spots?? Some garments are more delicate than others, and require special care. Dry-clean only items and special fabrics should be brought in for a professional cleaning. Enjoy your Halloween, and let the Mulberrys witches work their magic on your toughest stains!
Team Mulberrys