I wore a brand new, bright white dress shirt yesterday. While on the airplane with Mrs. Bernse, she spilled orange juice on my cuff and belly. After I got home, I cut myself and got blood on it, which I didn’t notice at the time and is now dried.
It is a polyester and cotton mix. How do I best prepare these “stains” before I wash it for the first time? I was going to treat it with Shout for a while before the washing. Will that be good enough? What temperature should I wash it at?
Thanks! I don’t want to ruin this shirt! I’ve only worn it once!
We’ve had good luck with enzyme cleaners. Initially we had picked them up at the pet store to rid ourselves of lingering cat pee smells in the carpets. It did the trick, and we started using it on other organic stains. We now use it as a supplement to our laundy on a regular basis, for spilled coffee, blood, and food stains.
Soak it in the enzyme cleaner and let it sit for a while, then scrub the area lightly with a damp brush and re-treat with the enzymes…it may need some time to have a decent effect. Keep it damp, then launder normally.
Non-chlorine coloursafe bleach is great on blood - apply some directly to the spot immediately before you start the washer, and the stain will fizz up into a white froth before your eyes. Or as Fat Bald Guy mentioned, just use peroxide if you have some on hand; it’s basically the same stuff, and will work just as well.
For fruit juice stains, I just run a hot wash with detergent and non-chlorine bleach. Works every time, with no real pre-treatment needed.
