Summertime & the Eating is Messy! – Video

SUMMERTIME AND THE EATING IS MESSY! – As seen on 3TV/Phoenix (Good Morning Arizona) – Monday, May 13, 2019 – 8:50am

Watch the broadcast video at the bottom of this post

Having a BBQ is a day for food, friends, fun, and often for stains. Your cookout menu may end up on your shirt. Use these tips to conquer the five most common stains.

 

 

MUSTARD:

The problem with mustard, especially yellow mustard, is turmeric. Most people know turmeric as the bright orange-yellow spice commonly used in Indian cooking, but it’s also commonly used to give mustard its bright yellow color. Turmeric is one of those stains that I can’t offer an absolute promise of removal. Removing it can be trial and error,

These tips also apply to ketchup stains, so if you get a double spill you’re covered.

If you’ve dropped a big blob of mustard on your clothes, start by lifting as much of it as you can with a knife or spoon. Then squeeze lemon juice directly onto the stain and rub it into the fabric using your fingers. That may end up eliminating the stain entirely, especially if it’s on the smaller side, but at the very least it will help to pretreat the stain, making it more likely to come out in the wash. No lemon? Flush the stain with cold running water, working from the backside out, which will push the mustard off of the fabric, rather than back through the fibers.

What Not to Do

Use no bleach, no detergent and no hand soap. It will set the stain.

What to Do Later

Spray the stain with a laundry pretreatment product. Work the spray into the stain by rubbing the fabric against itself—if you notice the stain immediately lightening, flush it with cold running water and repeat the process. The stain may come out entirely before the shirt even goes into the wash.

If you have no luck with that, try Fels Naptha Laundry Bar Soap. It is a laundry spotter on steroids. .Just wet the bar and rub it on the stain. If you can launder the garment immediately, do so. Otherwise rinse the area with cold running water to remove the soap and then launder when you can, being sure to check that the stain came out completely before putting the item in the dryer.

Fels Naptha Laundry Soap Bar

 

 

KETCHUP:

Remove as much as the stain as you can and blot with a cloth. Mix a small about of detergent and cold water together and blog until the stain begins to disappear. If you still have a stain, combine 2 parts hydrogen peroxide and one part Dawn Ultra Dish Soap. Work it into the stain and allow to sit 15 minutes, then flush with forceful running water.

FRUITY DRINKS: Things like margaritas or punch-type drinks

As with any stain, it is important to treat the stain as soon as possible to remove the dye from fabric. Blot away as much of the moisture as possible with a white paper towel. With a washable garment or table linens, hold the fabric under a faucet with a running stream of cold water. Flush the stained area from the wrong side of the stain so that the dye is forced away from the surface of the fabric.

Next, sponge the stain with a bit of plain rubbing alcohol or non-sudsing household ammonia and rinse well. If the color is gone, wash as recommended on the care label.

If some stain remains, then treat the stained area with a solvent-based stain remover spray or gel-like Zout. Allow the stain remover to sit on the fabric for at least fifteen minutes. Next, wash the garment or table linen as usual. Check the stained area before drying. If the stain is not gone, move to the next step. Drying the item on high heat if it is still stained will make the stain even harder to remove.

Zout Laundry Stain Remover

 

 

Still have a stain? Combine 2 parts hydrogen peroxide and 1 part Dawn Ultra Dish Soap. .Saturate the stain well and allow to sit for about 30 minutes. Launder as usual,

COLORED CAKE FROSTING: What’s a BBQ without cupcakes? Cake frosting includes food coloring, which can be difficult to get out of any piece of clothing. Scrape away as much as the stain as possible. Blot with cold water and eco-friendly laundry detergent. If possible, apply an instant stain remover. If you still have a stain, spray with hydrogen peroxide, let sit 10 minutes and flush. Wash the fabric according to the care label.

CHEESEBURGER: No cookout is complete without a giant, juicy cheeseburger. A cheeseburger is a combination stain, so you have to treat each ingredient separately.

Cheeseburgers can cause grease stains, protein stains and stains from condiments. Blot the spot with a cotton swab or cotton ball dipped in rubbing alcohol to break down the oils. Flush out the rubbing alcohol and pour on some vinegar to break down the plant-based elements. Dab hydrogen peroxide on the stain.. Let it sit until the stain starts lifting. Reapply as need. Launder as usual.

Watch the broadcast video: