Not all the stains during the holidays are food related – bringing us to our next holiday stain tip: candle wax. Luckily, GoodHousekeeping.com‘s list of holiday time stain removal is pretty extensive.

Candle wax on linens

Rapid response: Wait for the wax to dry, then pick off what you can with your fingernails.
Postparty steps: Put the cloth in the freezer for several days so the remaining wax will stiffen. Once the wax has hardened, scrape it off with a regular table knife. Place paper towels on the top and bottom side of the stain and press with an iron set at warm. It may be necessary to change the towels several times to absorb all of the wax. Then launder as you normally would.

Here’s the third installment of Preparing for Thanksgiving Stains. During the holidays, wine pour like… well, wine, and some of it never makes it to the glass. Here’s how GoodHousekeeping.com handles the situation:

Wine on the tablecloth

Rapid response: Pour a good amount of salt, baking soda, or artificial sweetener on top of the liquid to absorb it.
Postparty steps: Place the tablecloth in cold water and rub out the stain. Pour an enzyme detergent into the hottest water that’s safe for the fabric and soak for about a half hour. Then launder as usual.

Here’s part two of Preparing for Thanksgiving Stains. Gravy – perhaps the worst of the holiday stains. But, where there’s a will , there’s a way. Here’s what GoodHousekeeping.com has to say:

Gravy on linens
Rapid response: Spoon up as much as you can, then cover the spot with flour or cornstarch.
Postparty steps: Soak the tablecloth in a mixture of 1 teaspoon mild, colorless detergent to each cup of lukewarm water. If the stain remains, pour a bit of full-strength liquid laundry detergent onto the fabric, rub well, and then launder as you normally would.

Turkey day is just around the corner, and our in-house psychic sees stains in your future. Prepare yourself for the worst, and jot down these tips from GoodHousekeeping.com that we’ll be sharing over the course of the next few days.

Cranberry sauce on the tablecloth

Rapid response: Scrape off what you can into a paper towel. If possible, sponge the spot with cool water.
Postparty steps: Work a drop of mild dishwashing detergent into the area and then rinse. If the stain is stubborn, blot with white household vinegar while the spot is still wet, then rinse. If the cranberry still isn’t gone, apply several drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide to the damp fabric. Let the cloth sit until the stain lifts; wash right away.

Here are 13 tips for removing bike chain grease from your clothing. Now, before you quote us on any of these, we found the list on BikeHacks.com. The list is in order of how caustic the chemical is. In fact, the writer of the original article says that they may  not even consider using the final three. So! Here’s the list. Use with your own discretion!

• Sprinkle cornstarch on freshly greased clothes. Let it soak up the grease for a while, then shake it out, slop some dishwashing liquid on there and wash as usual
• On fresh grease: a dot of laundry detergent, rub, wash as usual
• On set grease: sprinkle some baby powder, let it set a while, shake out, wash as usual
• Rub some Dawn dishwashing detergent into the spot, then wash
• Make a paste of Ajax dish soap and baking powder, then rub into the stain using an old toothbrush. Let it sit for about 5 minutes before washing as usual
• Dribble a little bit of your shampoo (brand agnostic) on the stain, rub and wash as usual
• Use Simple Green on stains, wash as usual
• Throw some PineSol or Simple Green in with your laundry
• Use Goo-Gone on stains, wash as usual
• Get the stain out with Goof-Off, then get out the Goof-Off residue with
• Goop hand cleaner before washing as usual
• Use oven cleaner on the stain, wash as usual
• Use tire cleaner on the stain, wash as usual
• Use brake parts cleaner on the stain, wash as usual

Nano technology has opened new doors in fashion, giving clothing manufacturers the ability to make stain resistant clothing. Even some of the most well-known brands (Old Navy, Brooks Brothers) and leading designers (Hugo Boss and Tommy) have taken advantage of the technology. But, does it actually keep you stain free? Susan Koeppen of CBS’ The Early Show put some stain resistant clothes to the test.

Test #1: 
Koeppen spilled coffee all over her trenchcoat, and orange juice all over her suit. Both wiped right off without soiling the fabric. PASS

Test #2:
Koeppen smeared mustard, ketchup, chocolate ice cream, juice, paint, pizza grease, yougurt and paint all over the clothes. Most of it wiped away without stains, but some items (namely the mustard and the ketchup) caused stains that couldn’t even come out in the way. FAIL

The verdict is that stain resistant fabric does a great job at repelling liquids, but doesn’t seem to handle heavy dyes or oil-based substances any better than other materials. Still, stain resistant clothing may be worth the extra coin if you’re looking for some relief from everyday stains.

Ever wonder how to keep your shirt collar clean? So have we, but we could never figure out a solution. Luckily, someone else did and they were kind enough to post their method on YouTube. Enjoy!

Here are a couple stain removal tips for those inevitable summer stains. Thank the Montgomery Advertiser for the info. Now, let’s clean our shorts:

• Barbecue sauce: Try a spot remover, or pre-treat the garment with a liquid detergent, followed by the recommended laundering procedure. Air dry. If the stain remains, repeat the process.

• Grass: Soak the garment for 30 minutes in a bucket or sink with a solution of half the recommended amount of detergent (powder detergents work best on grass stains), mixed with one gallon of warm water. Weigh the garment down with a white cotton towel to ensure the whole garment stays in the solution. Then, wash the garment in the washing machine according to the detergent manufacturer’s instructions. Air-dry and, again, repeat if necessary.

• Sunscreen: Apply a spot remover on the stain. Pre-treat the garment with a liquid detergent, and wash in warm water as you normally would.

• Mud: Using a soft-bristle brush, remove as much mud as you can. Then, rinse the item in cold water to dilute the remaining mud. Put the garment in the washer and wash it in warm water with the full amount of detergent per volume of water recommended by the detergent manufacturer. If the stain is not completely removed, try a rust remover product following the manufacturer’s instructions.

• Mustard and ketchup: Gather clear or white dishwashing liquid, white vinegar, light-colored cloths and a knife or spoon. Use the knife or spoon to scrape away extra residue. Holding the light-colored cloth underneath the stain to keep it from spreading to the other side of the garment, pre-treat the garment with a solution of the dishwashing liquid, white vinegar and water – for mustard, use lukewarm water but for ketchup use cold water. Then, wash the garment in the hottest water recommended by the care label.

• Perspiration: For new stains, pre-treat the garment with a liquid detergent and wash as normal. If the stain does not come out, sponge the area with a solution of one tablespoon ammonia and 1/2 cup water. For older stains, sponge the area with one tablespoon white vinegar and 1/2 cup water. Wash items with a bleach-free detergent in warm water.

Raspberries = dark red stains that are nearly impossible to remove. Unless, of course, you’ve got friends in clean places, like GoodHousekeeping.com. Thanks to them, here’s a spectacular raspberry stain removal tip.

How to do it:

1. Flush stain with cool water.

2. Mix one tablespoon of white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of liquid laundry detergent with one quart of cool water. Soak in this solution for 15 minutes.

3. Rinse with water.

4. If the stain remains, sponge with rubbing alcohol and rinse thoroughly.

5. Launder, using chlorine bleach, if safe for the fabric.

Traveling soon? Well, keep your clothes cleaner longer when you’re away from your laundry room this summer. Here’s what the Canadian Press recommends:

Here are some things the experts recommend you bring or find at your destination if you run into trouble:

• Lemon dish detergent. Helps remove grease, lipstick and mascara stains, says Joseph Hallak Jr. of Hallak Cleaners. Pack in a small bottle.

• Blue laundry detergent. Hallak says it works well on blood stains.

• Shout Wipes. They work great on stains from wash-and-wear fabric, says Anne Hankey, an instructor in Fashion Marketing and Management at The Illinois Institute of Art-Chicago. She advises against using them on cashmere or silk.

• Stain stick. Good for pretreating a stain until you can get to the dry cleaners, says Hankey. Janie Dry Stick helps remove grease stains and works well on lighter coloured garments, says Hallak.

• Forever New. The fabric care wash works best on delicates, says Hankey. Soak the stain in the powder-water solution, blot it, and then rinse. The wash also refreshes garments, making them smell nicer, she says.

• Baking soda. A paste works well as a pretreatment for oil and blood stains. Follow up with laundering when you get back, says Hankey.

• White wine. For removing red wine, put a little white wine on the stain and soak it in water, says Hankey.

• Woolite packets. Good for hand-washing garments in the sink.

• Q-tips for dabbing at the stain. Rubbing is a no-no.