Stains the bane of our lives. How many of us have those awful memories of days, or evenings, that have been spoilt by unsightly food,or drink stains. I have listed a few possible remedies to remove the little blighters.

The first thing is to always read the makers clothing care label, to make sure you do not apply an ill-advised product or wash it in a way that could damage it. Ironing or drying may set the stain permantly so it is vital to read the washing instructions.

Here”s a few tips on how to remove common stains using products that you probably already have at home.

1. Red Wine, pour salt onto the stain if its still fresh,do not rub in. Rinse it off with cold water, after two minutes. Another  idea is to pour white wine on it to keep it from setting. I have also been told that if you sprinkle with corn flour when stain is wet, allow to dry, brush it then dab of with a cloth soaked in milk.Other remedies include one of the greatest cleaners of all time vinegar. Pour the vinegar onto a damp cloth and blot the stain until the wine is completely lifted.If that does not work you can pour the vinegar directly onto the stain to saturate before blotting.Once the stain is removed,blot with a damp cloth. Your clothes may smell a bit but this will be removed when cleaned as per makers instructions.
2. Lipstick this one could be for the chaps. Have you ever got lucky and been in a heavy snogging session, then Lipstick could be a problem,  not on your lips,  on your clothes. You can dab the stain,either by rubbing alcohol,ammonia,hairspray. Then just rinse of with cold water.
3. Beer stains, if on silk, remove the stain by blotting with a cloth soaked in a mix of equal parts of water and methylated spirt.
4. Coffee stains. Rub natural soap on the stain to wet it. You then use a mix of luke warm water mixed with egg yolk. Let it react and then rinse again with lukewarm water. On silk and wool, water mixed with surgical spirit may also give good results.
5. Grass stain, we have all been there,  all dressed up, at a outside function. Beautiful day, loads of beer, wine, shampoo, hot sun, next thing we, we have all done it, we are down on the grass. Grass stains are probably one of the worst to remove. When you get home with your thick head,gently rub in stain remover, and leave it for five minutes. Using bleach and detergent, wash normally in hot water. Another solution is to sponge some ethanol or methanol on the stain, then remove it with warm soapy, finally to mix one part glycerin with two parts water and cover the stain with it until it softens. Personally i have found if you want to keep your clothes clean, do not get into situations that involve falling over.
6. Ink in pockets. Suits are built with pockets to put things in, pockets are perfect for holding pens. Sometimes these pens leak, it does not matter whether the ink is black or blue. We all know that whatever colour, the mark spreads out to make a nice big stain, this idea might work. Put on a pair of plastic gloves. the ink will dye your skin when you are working to get it of your suit.Spray hairspray liberally on the stain, leave for sixty seconds. Wet a white cloth and wring it out. Don”t use a colored cloth as it could transfer its own dye to your suit. Dab up the ink with the white cloth, repeat until you have completely removed the stain. Again you must always read makers wash labels, and make sure you have it professionally cleaned to remove the hairspray smell from your clothes.
7. Blood. If the stain is fresh, soak the garment in cold water with a sprinkle of ammonia for twenty minutes.If the stain has already set, dampen it with warm water, then apply some unseasoned “this is important” meat tenderizer, making a paste over the stain. Cover this with a paper towel and make sure it stays moist. The next day, rinse off the paste with water mixed with a little bit of ammonia and wash normally.

All the above are tips that may help you remove stubborn stains, get to the stain soon. Work it slowly, be prepared to work it several times, and always remember to dab don”t rub. Preferably with cold water. Also, brush from the center of the stain out ward to avoid forming a circle on the fabric. First and foremost though, is to always, always, read the makers washing instructions, or else it cold be a-kin to putting diesel in a petrol car.