Practical tips for stain removal

Happy New Year! I know it's been long since I found proper time to update the blog, but writing a book and working hard to progress with my career whilst caring for two children is not an easy task. Have I said that many times before??? Apologies :DDDDD. Having said that I am preparing a series of very interesting articles that I'll be posting throughout January and February 2019. I leave you with a few 'spoilers', though. There'll be an article on Nematomorpha, on blockchain and antimicrobial drug resistance, on limonene air sprays, on inflammation, on Sjogren's syndrome (this one you cannot miss as I'm the Guinea Pig in the experiment), one on anti-psychotics and a chronicle/essay on the job market/immigration (I know I always said I avoid any political stance in this blog but there's a moment we have to discur on what is being done to humanity when it does affect us all). As you see, it is a wonderful time for visiting The Toxicologist Today and this couple of months will deliver incredible information for those with genuine interest in science.

But because I do not want you to leave empty-handed I thought of making use of information that, back in Portugal, at around Christmas-Time-meets-New-Year is given to farmers by a periodical (annual, I guess, can't really say :/) agricultural newspaper. This time I found that they were publishing incredibly useful info concerning...

BEST PRACTICAL TIPS FOR STAIN REMOVAL

[Disclaimer - I was not able to verify any of the tips the table contains and that the authors shared with the public. Some mixtures might produce noxious gases, damage surfaces, be flammable or cause harm if not handled correctly; therefore I recommend common-sense and caution if you happen to decide on trying any of the tips at your own risk. Instead of expecting me to go double check the science behind these approximately 50 different tips, why don't you just individually ask me to do the ones you are really interested in. Because time is money and we all need it, when you send in your request, please also visit the different ads that you can find within the blog as they help me maintain the blog alive!!!].

Stain To Remove	From Surface	With Removal Product	How to do it
Plaster	Floor	Vinegar	Eliminate plaster debris by scrubbing the surface with a cloth soaked in vinegar
Fat	Suede	Ether	Scrub with a cloth soaked in ether
Fat	Leather	Turpentine	Scrub with a cloth soaked in essence of turpentine
Fat	Tile	Ammonia	Scrub with a sponge soaked in ammonia and hot water
Fat	Ceramics	Ammonia	Eliminate stain with cotton soaked in ammonia
Fat	Wool	Turpentine	Scrub with a sponge moist in turpentine
Fat	Cotton	Petrol	Dissolve stain with a cloth soaked in a lighter’s petrol, then wash and rinse
Fat	Synthetic fabrics	Ether	Dissolve stain with ether, then wash and rinse
Fat	Marble	Petrol	Rub stain with gasoline and rinse
Damp	Fabrics	Ammonia	Rinse with ammonia dissolved in water (one spoon per litre)
Damp	Delicate fabrics	Milk	Soak with milk and rub, then wash
Damp	Resistant Fabrics	Lemon	After humidifying with some water, apply a boiled mixture of lemon juice and talcum powder
Iodine	Fabrics	Alcohol	Dissolve the stain with alcohol and rinse with water and ammonia
Mud	Marble	Hydrogen Peroxide	Soak with hydrogen peroxide until stain disappears
Mercury solution	Fabrics	Alcohol	Dilute stain in alcohol and rinse
Mould	Tile	Bleach	Apply bleach until stain disappears
Mould	Ceramics	Bleach	Eliminate stain with cotton soaked in bleach
Nicotine	Fabrics	Alcohol	Dilute stain with alcohol and rinse, but before make sure you try it on a hidden part of the fabrics so to check effect on colours
Oil	Cotton	Purified Petrol	If the stain is a recent one, powder with talcum to absorb the fat. Then rub the stain with a cloth soaked in purified petrol (from a lighter, for example) and wash with water and soap
Oil	Linen	Purified Petrol	If the stain is a recent one, powder with talcum to absorb the fat. Then rub the stain with a cloth soaked in purified petrol (from a lighter, for example) and wash with water and soap
Oil	Linen	Turpentine	If the stain is a recent one, powder with talcum to absorb the fat. Then rub the stain with a cloth soaked in turpentine and wash with water and soap
Oil	Synthetic Fabrics	Turpentine	Dilute stain with ether and then wash with normal detergent
Oil	Silk	Ammonia	If stain does not require dry cleaning, just add water with a spoon of ammonia to the washing up
Oil	Carpet	Trichloroethene	If the stain is a recent one, powder with talcum to absorb the fat. Then rub the stain with a cloth soaked in trichloroethene and wash with a carpet-washing shampoo
Oil	Paper	Talcum	Powder with talcum and apply a hot-ironed blotting paper
Oil	Washable paint surface	Ammonia	Dilute a spoon of ammonia with another one of detergent in a litre of water and scrub with a cloth. Then rinse with clean water.
Oil	Leather	Rub with	Rub with ether-soaked cotton, then apply cream or wax to hydrate and shine up
Oil	Waxed wood	Turpentine	Rub with a turpentine-soaked cloth then apply cream or wax to hydrate and shine up
Oil	Varnished wood	Petrol	If the stain does not go with detergent and ammonia, clean with petrol
Oil	Alabaster	Turpentine	Apply talcum to absorb as much fat as possible, then rub with a turpentine-soaked cotton and apply silicon wax to hydrate and shine up
Oil	Marble	Turpentine	Apply talcum to absorb as much fat as possible, then rub with a turpentine-soaked cotton and apply silicon wax to hydrate and shine up
Egg	Silver	Lemon	Remove the black stains egg leaves on silver surfaces by scrubbing with the half of a lemon
Egg	White Fabrics	Hydrogen peroxide	Wash with cold water using a spoon of hydrogen peroxide per litre of water
Egg	Coloured Fabrics	Ammonia	Wash with cold water using a spoon of hydrogen peroxide per litre of water
Egg	Pavement/Flooring	Ammonia	Add ammonia to water mixed with a floor-washing product
Oxide	Iron	Coke drink	Dip it in Coke soda, then use a soft abrasive,  and then brighten up with oil
Oxide	Iron	Soya oil	Mix soya oil with burned wood ashes and rub with a woollen cloth
Oxide	Iron	Petrol	Leave it in a mixture of petrol and oil, and then rub with a gentle abrasive
Oxide	Ceramics	Oxalic acid	Eliminate the stain  by rubbing with an oxalic acid-soaked cotton
Oxide	Ceramics	Vinegar	Soak with vinegar and non-refined salt
Oxide	Copper	Vinegar	Clean with a soft abrasive cloth soaked in a mixture of vinegar and non-refined salt
Oxide	Copper	Bleach	For deep-sitting stains ‘cook’ the object on a mixture of water and bleach
Oxide	Marble	Vinegar	Rub with vinegar-soaked pumice-stone
Oxide	Fabrics	Lemon	Rub the stains with lemon and add salt

Post Photo by Brina Blum on Unsplash