Your clothes are not ruined yet: 7 free fixes for stains you gave up on

1. Treat the first five minutes as the whole job

1. Scrape off anything solid with a blunt knife, then blot the liquid up with white absorbent paper or a clean cloth. 1
2. Dab from the outside of the mark towards its centre. Rubbing spreads a stain and can damage the fabric. 1
3. Slip absorbent paper under the fabric and work on the underside, so what you lift leaves through the back of the cloth instead of being pressed further in. 1
4. Keep each application small and repeat it rather than flooding the fabric; over-wetting makes a mark spread. 1
5. Before any product goes near the mark, test it on a hidden inside seam or hem to check the fabric holds its colour. 1
6. Never spot-clean a stain you have not identified with hot or warm water. Either one can set it. 1

2. Grease, oil and salad dressing: soap first, water after

1. Keep the garment dry. Scrape off any solids and blot the excess oil with paper towel, but do not put water on it yet. 1
2. Put a couple of drops of washing-up liquid straight onto the dry mark and work it in with your fingers. 2
3. If you use a small brush, move it along the direction of the fabric's threads. On silk and other delicate fabric, dab instead of brushing. 2
4. Leave the soap sitting on the mark for 15 minutes before it goes anywhere near water. That dwell time is what lets it break the oil down. 2
5. Rinse, then wash at the warmest setting the care label allows, using a detergent that lists enzymes; lipase is the one that targets oils. 2

3. Protein: blood, egg, milk and anything bodily — cold water, then enzymes

1. Hold the mark under cold running water as soon as you notice it, and flush out as much as you can. 5
2. Rub a bar of soap into the wet mark, or put hydrogen peroxide on a cloth and blot it on. For a heavy mark, and only if the fabric is colourfast, apply the peroxide directly or soak the area in a small bowl of it. 5
3. If the mark has already dried, presoak the garment in cold water with one or two teaspoons of liquid laundry detergent or an oxygen-based laundry soaker, for several hours or overnight. 5
4. Rub in a pre-wash treater or a liquid detergent that lists enzymes, then wash in warm water with a bleach that is safe for that fabric. 5
5. If a trace is left, repeat the presoak rather than the drying cycle. The garment does not go in the dryer until the mark is completely gone. 5

4. Tannin: coffee, tea, wine, juice and berries — flush it cold, and put the salt down

1. Blot up as much as possible with white paper towel or a clean cloth. 6
2. Flush or sponge the area with cold water carrying a few drops of white vinegar, then blot again. 6
3. If it happens away from home, sparkling water buys you time. Pour or spray it on the mark straight away and blot, repeating until the worst of it is gone; the bubbles and the slight acidity both help break the mark down. 7
4. At home, presoak in an oxygen-based, colour-safe bleaching product for as long as its instructions allow. Washing soda in a strong solution is the option for anyone avoiding bleach, and it works on the same stains. 6
5. Then machine-wash with a biological detergent at as high a temperature as the fabric allows. 6
6. Berries only, and only on sturdy colourfast cotton: boil a kettle, turn the garment inside out, stretch the mark over a bowl and pour the boiling water through it from above, then dry the piece in sunlight. 8

5. Deodorant and sweat: a white mark outside, a yellow ring inside

1. For the white streaks on the outside of a shirt, rub the area with a dry, clean cloth. A damp cloth shifts the tougher ones, though go gently on delicate fabric, and a baby wipe does the job if you are out of the house. 9
2. Before washing anything, rinse the underarm area with cool water, so the heat of the wash cannot fix the antiperspirant in place. Doing that every time also stops the yellowing from building up. 9
3. For yellowed underarms, work liquid detergent or an enzyme-based stain remover into the fabric with your fingers or a soft brush, and let it sit as the product's own instructions say. 10
4. For older marks, submerge the garment in warm water with a few tablespoons of detergent for 30 to 60 minutes before the wash. 10
5. Wash at the hottest temperature the care label allows, and check the garment before it goes near the dryer. 10

6. Ink and pen marks: alcohol, dabbed, never rubbed

1. Lay the stained area face down on clean paper towels, so the ink has somewhere to go. 11
2. For a small mark, use an eyedropper to apply rubbing alcohol. For a larger one, pour the alcohol into a small dish, immerse the stained area and soak it for 15 minutes. 11
3. Blot with clean paper towel, and keep sponging and blotting until no further ink comes out of the fabric. 11
4. If the ink will not shift, rinse it under cold water, then soak the garment in hot water with a bleach-free liquid detergent and a few splashes of ammonia for 30 minutes to an hour, or overnight with an occasional rub, and wash as usual. 11
5. For a fresh mark, dampen a cloth or cotton pad with acetone-based nail polish remover and blot gently until the ink begins to lift. 11
6. Rinse, apply a pre-wash stain remover, and wash at the hottest setting the fabric can take, with a bleach that is safe for the colour. 11

7. No heat until the mark is gone, and the point where you hand it over

1. After treating, look at the garment in daylight while it is still damp. If any mark remains, repeat the treatment before it dries, not after. 10
2. Air-dry the first round rather than tumble-drying it. Heat sets whatever is left. 10
3. If the mark has already been washed and dried, do the long soak: dissolve a generous scoop of a powdered oxygen-bleach stain remover in enough hot water to submerge the garment, leave it from an hour up to overnight, press the water out rather than wringing it, then launder as usual. Those oxygen formulas are safe on colours, and you should start with hot water only if the fabric tolerates it. 12
4. If the care label says dry-clean only, stop and take it in — and point the stain out, saying what caused it. 1
5. On silk and wool, use only stain removers and detergents designed for delicates. 1