I just gotta Tell Ya:
- Cleaning products including traditional stain removers are responsible for nearly 10% of all calls to poison Control.
- Treating stains with non-toxic stain removers immediately rather than running water over them- will save thousands of gallons of water.
- Scorecard, the hazards ranking system developed by Environmental Defense in the U.S., ranks bleach as a high risk environmentally and a slight to moderate risk in the workplace.
Personally Speaking, I just throw in baking soda in the wash. Tougher stains- just leave the dryer lid up and let it soak for 30 minutes or more. Almost everything I own now is completely washable (no need for dry cleaning) and easier to clean stains. If something is really bad, I just put it into a bowl for soaking- no need to run valuable water. Then I take it into the shower with me, do a quick scrub and rinse.
The best part of going clean green and non-toxic- it saves you money, space, landfills and keeps you healthier while greening the environment!
Below are a collection of Non-Toxic Recipes- always test first to see how the recipe reacts with the fabric.
Basic Ingredients- Baking Soda, White Vinegar, Lemon Juice
Non Toxic Stain Removers
Beer:
- Vinegar.
Berries
- Natural Solution: White vinegar or lemon juice; washing soda- Instructions: Soak stains in white vinegar or lemon juice for one hour; rinse. If there is some remaining stain, dampen the area with water, make a paste of equal parts washing soda and water, and rub it in gently.
Chewing Gum:
- Put in freezer for a few hours; once cold, peel off gum.
Blood
- Natural Solution: Cold water; hydrogen peroxide; corn starch-Instructions: Soak in cold water. For stubborn stains, soak in hydrogen peroxide (a natural bleach; spot-test to make sure it won’t affect the fabric). Or use a paste of equal parts corn starch and cold water.
Chocolate
- Natural Solution: Vegetable-based detergent or soap; digestive enzymes- Instructions: Mix 1 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent with 1 cup of water, and soak the stained area. To remove the dairy component, buy digestive-enzyme tablets at a natural-foods store, grind up three or four tablets, and add equal parts water to make a damp paste. Gently rub the solution into the stain. Leave for at least one hour.
Cigarette Smoke:
- For yellow stains, try washing soda or sodium perborate.
Coffee and Tea
- Natural Solution: White vinegar or lemon juice; cream of tartar-Soak the stain in straight white vinegar or lemon juice for one hour. If there was milk in the tea or coffee, follow directions for removing dairy protein under “Chocolate.” Alternatively, clean with a paste made of cream of tartar and water.
Crayons and Candle Wax:
- Freeze the stain, remove the residue, and pull off the wax. Next, heat an iron, cover the wax stain with an absorbent cloth, and melt the wax onto the cloth.
Decals and Price Stickers:
- Rub with vegetable oil.
Egg
- Natural Solution: Cold water; digestive enzymes-Instructions: Soak the garment in cold water. If some egg remains, follow directions for using enzymes under “Chocolate.”
Fat/Oil (Salad Dressing-Gravy)
- Rub cornstarch (or cornstarch powder, or even talcum powder) into the stain , let it sit for at least 20 minutes, and then brush it off with a dry washcloth or soft dry brush. You may need to repeat the treatment several times to fully remove the fat. It works especially well on silk and wool.
Feces:
- Lemon juice or vinegar.
Grass
- Natural Solution: White vinegar-Instructions: Soak the area in white vinegar for one hour. Alternatively, use an enzyme paste (see “Chocolate.”
Grease
- Natural Solution: Vegetable-based detergent or soap; washing soda- Instructions: Sometimes just blotting the stain with detergent is all you need. If the stain remains, make a paste of equal parts washing soda and water and gently rub it in. Leave for at least one hour.
- Sometimes olive oil can be used to remove oil, but be careful not to create a new stain. Also, try cornstarch or citrus solvent.
Gum
- Natural Solution: Ice-Instructions: Freeze with a wrapped ice cube, then peel off the frozen gum.
Ice Cream:
Ink
- Natural Solution: White vinegar; milk- Instructions: Soak in milk or white vinegar. citrus solvent.
Lipstick and Makeup:
- Use a few drops of oil or glycerin, being careful not to spread the oil farther than the stain. Scrape off. Pretreat with detergent, and then wash in hot water.
Mildew:
- Vinegar.
Mold:
- Vinegar.
Mustard:
- 3 percent hydrogen peroxide.
Oil:
- Glycerin
Paint
- Natural Solution: Citrus solvent-Instructions: Soak the area in citrus solvent for 10 minutes.
Perspiration
- Natural Solution: Shampoo Saturate the area with shampoo, then launder as usual. If the perspiration stains remain, use an enzyme paste (see “Chocolate.”)
- Wet the area and soap up with a good plain laundry soap and then place it on grass in the sun, it must be green grass. Leave in the sun for a number of hours keeping it damp and well soaped all the time. I don’t know why or how this works but the stain just seems to rise to the surface (you can see it happen when it does ) and then rinses off quite readily. Fresh and clean and not a trace of perspiration stain. It will remove ingrained stains from pillow covers and pillow slips and especially those in men’s shirt underarms
- Enzymes. Or soak item in salt water. Lay clothing in the sun for a few hours
Rust:
- Borax paste
- Wet the cloth, put a layer of salt( I used some coarse sea salt that I had, but any should work just fine) and then drizzled lemon juice over the salt.
Tomato Sauce
- Natural Solution: White vinegar; washing soda; borax-Instructions: Soak in white vinegar. Alternatively, make a paste of equal parts washing soda or borax and water and rub in gently.
Urine:
- Enzymes; alternating between vinegar and baking soda.
Vomit:
- Enzymes; alternating between vinegar and baking soda
Wax
- Natural Solution: Hot iron-Instructions: Place a clean cotton rag over the wax and iron, making sure not to overheat the fabric. Blot the melted wax with an absorbent rag as you go to remove the residue.
Wine
- Natural Solution: Boiling water; club soda-Instructions: Stretch the fabric over a bowl, then pour boiling water from a height of two to three feet. Or rinse the stain with club soda.
Enzyme Remover Recipe-Digestive enzymes work on stains the same way they do in the stomach — by digesting proteins and carbohydrates. Health food stores sell prepared enzyme stain remover products made from “natural” enzymes that have been custom-made for removing certain types of stains. Or you can buy just the enzymes (use pepsin/papain for protein stains and amylase for carbohydrate stains) and make my simple “Eat-it-Up Enzyme” paste — just grind up the enzymes and mix with enough water to make a paste to cover the stain.
Want to buy instead-
- Eco One – Stain Remover- Pack of 9 about $33.00 –Ecover Stain Remover, 6.8-Ounce Bottle (Pack of 9)
- Pink Solution. It is enviromentally friendly and made from 100 percent organic materials. Manufactured by Earthcare Sales Marketing. 207 Rabbit Lane, West Vancouver, B.C. Canada. 1-800-565-9972.
- Shaklee’s Get Clean
My Recommendations:
1.) Keep a Book Handy- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Cleaning, 2nd Edition
2.) Put Baking Soda, Lemon Juice and Vinegar on your Shopping List.
Resources
File for reference.