Say goodbye to stains! Stain removal tips for RVers

RV life is filled with kids, fish, tree sap, grass stains, pollen, pesticides, ketchup, bacon grease, mustard, splashes and splatters. Any of those things can easily end up on your RV’s upholstery, floor coverings, and garments.

Stain removal… and quick!

First, deal with any stain immediately if possible. Left standing it can soak in, set, dry, and react chemically with fabrics. Obviously, battery acid, dyes such as paints, wood stains or bleach do immediate damage, but don’t be casual about any stain, no matter how harmless it looks.

A drop of juice or perfume may hardly show at first, yet after going through the washer, it shows up and is probably permanent. Thanks to stain sticks, sprays, wipes and wands we can keep treatments such as Shout Wipes or Tide To Go as close as a pocket.

Blot and scrape stains, don’t rub!

Second, remove as much mess as possible by blotting or scraping. One time, an entire pot of beef stew landed on a carpeted area of my RV floor after I forgot to lock the refrigerator. Scrape up debris, then blot it. Don’t rub. By weighing down a thick layer of clean paper towels, you can draw moisture (including grease and chemicals) out of a carpet or upholstery for an hour or more. Every drop of goo that you can remove by blotting is a stain that you don’t have to deal with later. In fact, some soils, such as mud, usually dry on the surface if you just leave them alone. Later, they may be brushed or vacuumed away.

Third, don’t over-wet the spot. If you add water too soon, you dilute and spread the stain, driving it deeper into the fibers. The exception is harsh chemicals and acids that should be diluted as much as possible, as soon as possible.

Stain removal tips for oil, ivy, markers, gum, wax and tree sap

• If you get a serious oil spot on something that can be washed in hot, soapy water, add more grease. Really! Rub in white shortening, then wash in hot, soapy water. The bad grease will come out with the good.
• Poison ivy oil can linger in fabrics for up to two years. A jacket or jeans or tent flap may not look dirty, but unseen oils from last season are still toxic.
• If the kids make a mess with markers or crayons, go to visit the Crayola website for advice on stains from crayons, markers, colored chalk and other art supplies. If the kids go overboard with white glue on fabric, soak it in warm water. The glue should soften enough to come out in the wash.
• Freeze chewing gum with ice cubes or put the item in the freezer. Once brittle, the gum can be broken up with a hammer and removed in pieces with tweezers. It can also be dissolved with peanut butter. Rub it in, let it work on the gum for a while, scrape away as much as possible, then treat the spot as you would any stubborn oil or fat stain. (Launder in hot, soapy water.) If the item is not machine washable, such as upholstery, test it in an unseen spot and rub a little arthritis cream into the gum. The methyl salicylate in the medication will dissolve the gum. Let it soak in, scrape away as much as possible, then proceed with an upholstery cleaner.
• To remove candle wax, cover the area with several layers of paper towel and iron with low-medium heat. Melted wax will wick up into the towel. Keep ironing, using the most absorbent towels you have, until no more wax appears. Then use a cleaner appropriate for the fabric. Caution: Some fabrics and carpeting can be melted by too hot an iron. Overheating can also damage some stain-proofers.
• One cure recommended for tree sap removal is diluted isopropyl alcohol such as hand sanitizer gels… but not all saps are the same. According to Better Homes & Gardens, pine resin (think Christmas trees) is different. Do a Google search for specific sap treatments.

Additional stain removal tips

• Read labels. Some stain treatments are flammable or create toxic odors. Nail polish remover, used on acetate fabric, might flare up. Hair spray, used to remove ballpoint ink, may be flammable. Don’t use gasoline or lighter fluid.
• Petroleum jelly is inexpensive and readily available. Rub it into tar to make stains come out easier. Hydrogen peroxide removes blood stains (test first to see if the fabric can tolerate it). Baking soda should be used immediately to neutralize any acid spill. Household bleach, diluted according to each job, is effective on mildew, cutting boards, and coffee stains.
• Vacuum often, even if the carpeting doesn’t look soiled. Vacuuming picks up crumbs and bits of food containing oils that slowly but surely migrate into fibers. Stains may not show until days or even weeks later. And the unseen crumbs attract bugs.
• Buy cleaning products made for RV use. They’re formulated for each task and contain UV inhibitors or other protective substances not found in household cleaners.
• Lastly, stain removal pre-testing in small, hidden areas is always recommended.

##RVDT2170