No matter what kind of travel you do, stains happen. Whether it’s red wine at an expensive client dinner or ketchup at a baseball park on your son’s new white t-shirt, you need quick and easy ways to attack the stain. The problem is, you can’t just throw your clothes in the washer when you’re traveling. But, what you may not know is that most travelers carry simple items that can be quickly and rapidly deployed to your stain-fighting defense.
SPOT CLEANING FOR TRAVELERS
The best thing to come along for the traveler is the stain towelette marketed under "Shout Wipes." Like the spray-on stain remover, these handy little towelettes are perfect for removing stains on the spot, allowing you to wipe the stain off quickly and efficiently before it sets in. Tucked into a briefcase, handbag, or glove compartment, you’ll be able to attack a stain before it sets it.
Another helpful traveler's aid for spot cleaning? Hand-wipe towelettes or small packs of babywipes. Yes, those same towelettes you use to clean your hands are also excellent spot removers that will take up stains from clothing to carpet. Travelers should try to carry one of those handy packs in their purse or briefcase. Look for small, travel-sized wipe packs in the travel size section of the personal care products in your grocery store. However, if you don't have either of these handy little spot cleaners, and you're in a pinch, common items can often come to the rescue.
But before undertaking stain removal, it's important to note that if a garment says "Dry Clean Only," you could be taking a risk by treating the stain yourself. However, it's also possible that a major stain won't come out even when cleaned professionally. So gauge the competence of your cleaner with your love of the garment when deciding whether or not to treat the stain yourself. My personal feeling is that it's better to try and treat a stain quickly than to allow it to set.
Below are some very common stains for business and pleasure travelers as well as some treatment steps and products that everyone has access to.
RED WINE
Blot up as much wine as possible and then apply club soda or sparkling water, applied to the stain and blot to lift the stain. Repeat with the soda and blotting. In the hotel, wash with plain bar soap. For stubborn stains, soak overnight in water with shampoo or buy detergent from the hotel store or vending machine.
GREASE
If you get grease on a garment, apply some baby powder to the stained area and let it sit over night. Any kind of talcum powder will do. In the morning, brush off the powder and then spot wash with plain bar soap and water. A travel-sized bottle of washing detergent powder is a good addition to your suitcase.
LIPSTICK AND INK
To remove makeup, lipstick, or ballpoint ink, apply hairspray or hand sanitizer lotion. Because these liquids are mostly alcohol, they will break up ink and lipstick stains quickly. The trick with any product on this kind of stain, though, is to reapply. Saturate the stain with hairspray or hand sanitizer solution, blot with tissue or cloth, apply, blot, apply, blot. It may take a few minutes of this -- maybe even five or ten -- to remove the stain completely. Dry clean or wash as usual afterwards.
Remember that with ink, not all inks are created equal. Dry erase, permanent markers, and rollerball ink are especially stubborn and sometimes impossible to remove, but if you can get hand sanitizer solution on it fast enough, you might be able to save your garment. The longer you wait the more it will set in.
MUSTARD, COFFEE, TEA, CONDIMENTS
Regardless of the type of food spill or stain you may have, plain soap and water will usually help remove it. The trick is to treat it as quickly as possible so that it doesn't set into the fibers. A baby wipe towelette should also be used as quickly as possible.
BUSINESS TRAVELERS
Because business travelers often wool wear suits, it's important to know that it's better to take your wool garments to the cleaners right away than to expose them to water or any kind of cleaning. Always make an effort to absorb a stain by blotting with napkins or paper towels, though, so you can remove as much of the stain as possible. Small spot treating with soap or water or treated stain towelettes are helpful if the spot is small and you can get to it right away.
So, for instance, if you spill wine or coffee on your wool suit, be sure to dab at the stain to absorb as much as possible. Once you're in your hotel, take your suit to the front desk and explain the situation and ask them to make note of it for their dry cleaning service. If you're returning home, take the suit to your cleaners as quickly as possible and be sure to tell them the type of stain you have.
If you're trying to get a stain out of silk, such as a tie or silk charmeuse shirt, bear in mind that any kind of treatment may cause you to harm the fabric and that you must judge the treatment against the possibility of losing the garment. For instance, some silk, like charmeuse that's often worn by female executives, is damaged by water, so it's always better to take the stained garment to the cleaners for professional treatment.
However, some silk, like that used in silk ties can take water, and it might be worth the effort to try some stain removal. It's possible, though, that you may lose the tie whether you try stain removal or not. I prefer to try and remove stains, but, again, this is a judgment call.
So, with some simple personal care items, you can set forth on your next vacation or business travel and feel confident that you can tackle the next stain that comes your way.
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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Everydayclean.com Calender -- the calendar that helps you end the power struggle with your house. Keeping a clean home is about knowing what to clean when. Virtually everything that needs to be cleaned is on this calendar in a year-round cleaning schedule that helps you keep your house clean easier and faster. Click here for more information.