Spinach can be a wonderful addition to many recipes, but it's a lousy addition to your clothes. With its dark color and stringy consistency, spinach can often prove a difficult stain to remove, especially on lightly colored clothing. The secret is to treat the stain as soon as possible. Make sure to test the garment for colorfastness before each stain removal technique.
Difficulty: Average
Time Required: 30 minutes
Here's How:
- Treat this stain as quickly as possible. Spinach stains have a way of becoming permanent when they are dried in place. Place clothing upside down on a clean cloth or plain white paper towel.
- Test rubbing alcohol in a hidden spot on the garment to see if it is colorfast. Many garments can have rubbing alcohol safely sponged onto them using a clean white cloth to remove spinach. Sponge the stain with rubbing alcohol or with laundry detergent. Rinse well with cold water.
- Rub the stained area gently with a paste of three tablespoons of baking soda and one tablespoon of water using a laundry brush or toothbrush. Vinegar can also be substituted.
- After allowing the baking soda paste to stand on the stain for at least 5 minutes, rinse the fabric thoroughly.
- Now is the best time to examine the area that was stained with spinach. Make sure all traces are removed. Spinach can sometimes leave a slightly yellowed area on the outer rim of where the stain was. Repeat the previous steps until the stain is gone.
- Rub the stain with a stain remover stick, gel, or spray. Allow the solution to sit for at least 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, wash in the washing machine with a liquid detergent.
Tips:
- Be sure to never use rubbing alcohol on wool. For nylon fabrics, be sure that the alcohol is diluted.
What You Need
- Clean white cloth or white paper towels
- Rubbing alcohol
- Clean white cloth
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Laundry brush or toothbrush
- Stain remover stick, gel, or spray
- Laundry soap
