Out, damned spot

Another alternative is the laundry. Send it to the dry cleaners and forget about it. But here, you are faced with the problem of getting the garment back with the stained area bleached a shade lighter than the original colour. To protect themselves against this most laundrymen refuse to take a garment without checking the quality of the fabric.

But saying, "Out, damned spot," is not good enough. Stains are a fact of life and here to stay. The only thing one can do is try and get rid of them even if it is fighting a losing battle. One of the most common complaints is of oil and food stains. Despite wearing an apron, most women end up with soiled clothes while cooking. Says Uppal, the owner of Regent Dry Cleaners at Churchgate, "Gravy is an integral part of our diet, thus we are bound to spill food on our garments. Specially on the edges of the cuff." And if one’s plate was not full enough, tea, coffee and perspiration stains are other common complaints. Ink and blood stains are almost impossible to get rid of. But with the rains, along with problems of fungus, a trail of mud stains are what you have to contend with while fighting your way through endless lanes of slush.

But stains are no excuse to give your clothes away. As mentioned earlier, the dry cleaner is the easiest option. But they charge exorbitant prices to take your problems off your hands.

The only safe, inexpensive and yes, efficient solution to cleaner clothes are home remedies. Every housewife has her own set of rules, some of which are zealously guarded and handed down generations. "I firmly believe in the power of alum. Whatever the stain, I use alum to remove it," says Mrs Chaudhari, a housewife. Others prefer to rely on the power of bleaching to fade stains. And this is done with lime, a natural bleach. No time, for all this? Then make a one-time trek to Princess Street and pick up a variety of stain-removing products the most famous being `Saaf’.

Here are a few carefully ferreted out home tips to erase those stubborn stains:

Mud stains: These can be removed with the water of boiled potatoes. Or soak the muddy clothes overnight in warm water and wash with soap the next day.

Pencil and carbon paper: Use a soft eraser to remove pencil marks. Dark and persistent marks can be removed by soaking the stained cloth in alcohol, ether or acetone.

Tea / coffee stains: Glycerine helps remove tea and coffee stains from delicate fabrics and clothes. Dip the stained part in glycerine overnight and wash it with soap thehnext day. Fresh tea stains can be removed if the area is washed with cold water, immediately. While fresh coffee stains and old tea stains can be removed by sponging it with borax solution.

Ink stains: Immerse the affected part in milk for two hours. Then wash it off with soap. Or apply salt on the area and wipe it off. For fresh ink stains, apply talcum powder and wash it with water. If the stain is old, put hot milk and lime juice on it. Leave it for 15 to 20 minutes, and wash it off with soap.

Blood stains: Soak the affected part in cold water and salt, for not less than an hour, and thereafter rinse it in cold water and soap.

Remember, the next time you get caught in a sudden downpour, don’t rush to the dry cleaner. Instead, try a few old-fashioned solutions and watch nature work its magic