Stain Removal Tips – Lipstick, Gum and Chocolate

Every now and then, our customers would inquire about home stain removal tips for makeup, wine, oily food, milk and so on. We try to answer some of these question on this blog. In this post, we provide three home stain remedies for lipstick, gum and chocolates.

Lipstick

One home remedy for removing lipstick is to rub the stain with white bread. This may help, but it will leave behind some bread crumbs which may get embedded in the fibers of a soft fabric. A better technique is to use cleaning fluid. Place the stain face down on clean white paper towels. Apply cleaning fluid to the back of the stain and blot. Replace towels frequently. Dry thoroughly. If the stain is still visible, try using a synthetic detergent and water.

If the stain is on a luxurious fabric such as silk, lace or satin, rather than trying to treat the stain with these simple methods and risk ruining the garment, you may wish to bring it to Utopia Cleaners for its signatory fine dry cleaning service, Classic Care, instead.

Gum

To remove gum, harden the area with an ice cube and gently lift off any large pieces. Do not scrape with sharp objects that may damage fabric. Wet with cleaning fluid over a clean, white paper towel to remove the final traces. Another method is to use peanut butter. The oils will help “unstick” the gum. After a few minutes, the gum can be lifted off the fabric with a napkin or paper towel. Then wash the item using normal washing procedures. However, the oil from the peanut butter may leave stains which may need to be removed by dry cleaning.

Chocolate

Chocolate contains oils and sugars, both of which are difficult to remove. Blot with cold water. Apply an enzyme detergent and rinse with water. If the stain persists after this process, apply a household ammonia and rinse thoroughly. Do not apply ammonia to silk or wool fabrics. If the garment can be safely bleached, your final resort at home may be to bleach the area.

Finally, if the tricks above don’t work, you should bring your stained garments to our dry cleaners in Boston. As trained professional dry cleaners with specialized equipment for cleaning and stain removal, we can give your garments the best chance of a full restoration.