Kitchen stains (and how to make them disappear)
Shit, another stain on your new shirt. Sometimes you’re simply clumsy and awkward, sometimes you’re being really careful and it still goes wrong. The most common stains you pick up in the kitchen or while eating, plus tips on how to remove them.
Wine
Red wine on your clothes. Everyone’s had it happen at some point. Opinions differ on the remedy. Some swear by a combination of white wine, salt and soda water, while others say lukewarm water alone will do the trick. Others douse the stain with a generous splash of jenever or beer. I recently tried the white wine-salt-soda combination, to no avail. Next time I’ll try jenever. And if that doesn’t work either, I’ll just buy ten of these wine-repellent shirts.
Chocolate
Chocolate stains are nasty. They often seem fairly harmless at first, but before you know it, you’ve accidentally made the stain much bigger. I’ve never tried it, but apparently milk works. Hang your stained garment in a bowl of milk and before you know it, it’ll be chocolate free again. Apparently. But hey, don’t hold me to it.
Turmeric
Is a bitch. When it comes to stains, that is. Otherwise, we absolutely love the golden root. A jar of this spice is a standard fixture in our pantry. But anyway, the stains it causes are no joke. Stubborn stains that can drive you to despair. The solution? Baking soda. This miracle cleaning product is indispensable in the kitchen and works on turmeric stains too.
Canned tomatoes/ketchup
A can of tomatoes is incredibly versatile. Whether you use it to make curry, pasta sauce or shakshuka, you have to empty the can into a pan. The chance of splattering tomato juice is high at that point. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever emptied a can of tomatoes without getting stains on my shirt. Toothpaste will do the job. Rub a little onto the stain, scrub with a toothbrush, and then wipe it with a warm, damp cloth. There you go, stain gone. The same goes for ketchup. There are also wild stories about tomato stains that remain after washing: hang the stained garment in the sun after taking it out of the washing machine (while it’s still wet!). The stain is said to literally disappear like snow in the sun. Never tried it, but I’m curious.
Gravy
Gravy = fat. Fat causes stains. Dish soap dissolves fat. Tada, there’s your solution. After letting the dish soap soak in for a while, simply put your clothes in the washing machine. When you take them out, they’ll be as good as new.
Red fruit
Strawberries, raspberries and berries cause nasty stains. Has it happened to you? Never use soap straight away! It makes the stains worse. Instead, fill a bowl with buttermilk and a splash of lemon juice and put the garment in it. Leave it for a few hours. Then rinse first with cold water and afterwards with warm water. Finally, wash according to the care instructions. And order that raspberry sorbet again.
Blood
Everyone cuts their finger now and then. My first reaction is to wave the bloody finger around. Not very sensible, stain-wise. Luckily, bloodstains in clothes disappear easily if you spit on them. No kidding. Saliva contains an enzyme that dissolves blood. Maybe a little unappetizing, but hey, anything for your favorite shirt, of course.
Beets
A beet stain is complicated. First, you should wash your shirt by hand in lukewarm water. Then dab the stain with ammonia water, using a water-to-ammonia ratio of 1:10. If it still hasn’t disappeared, you can try bleaching the stain with hydrogen peroxide. Or just buy a new shirt.
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