1. Water
Where would we be without water? With most types of stains, water is going to be extremely useful. Not only is water odorless, colorless, and extremely gentle on fabrics, it also is a wonderful solvent — meaning that some types of dirt will actually dissolve in it. However, for stains that are hydrophobic, namely oil and grease, water will not do much. In such cases, what is called for is…
2. Soap
Everyone knows that soap is awesome for washing clothes. How it works is that the chemical structure of soap is such that one part of the molecule is hydrophobic (water repellant) and another part is hydrophilic (attracted to water). The part that is hydrophobic attaches itself to dirt, oil, and other substances, while the part that is hydrophilic attaches to water molecules like high school sweethearts at Prom. Soap and water alone may be sufficient to take on your stain. Soap is useful for treating the following types of stains:
3. Baking Soda
Baking soda is another extremely useful cleaning substance. This is because it is slightly alkaline, which helps dissolve dirt and grease — assisting water stains like John Stockton assisted his teammates on the Utah Jazz (Stockton being the NBA’s record holder for the most number of assists of all-time). Baking soda is a useful cleaning agent on everything from carpet to kitchen sinks.
4. Vinegar
Baking soda’s partner in crime, vinegar, is a classic, low-impact substance for removing stains. One solution for removing grease stains from clothes, for example, is a 50/50 combination of vinegar and water, followed by a bit of laundry soap and some water after the vinegar has done its work. Vinegar can be useful for treating the following type of common stains:
