Most of us have kitchen cupboards teeming with a number of condiments and sauces like mustard, tomato and barbecue sauce. These sauces top our favourite foods, adding to their flavour, but may easily be an accident waiting to happen. If you’ve spilled sauce or a condiment onto your clothing, removing the stain is as simple as following these tips.
The first thing you need to consider is the type of sauce you’re dealing with. Some may require extra care when removing. Typical sauces include:
- Mustard
- Tomato Sauce
- Spaghetti sauce
- Hot sauce
- Gravy
- Mayonnaise
- Pasta sauce
- Soy sauce
- Barbecue sauce
- Marinara
- Scrape as much sauce away as possible
- Turn the clothing inside out and flush the stain with cool water from the backside
- Choose a suitable Cold Power detergent from the range of Liquids and Powder
- Pre-treat the stain if necessary
- Wash at the highest temperature possible that is safe for the fabric (refer to the care label)
- Check the stain
No matter what type of sauce you’ve dribbled on your clothes, your first step should be scraping as much of it as possible off. Then, turn the clothing inside out and flush cool water through the backside of the stain. This makes it easier for the stain to exit the clothing, as it goes back through the same fibers it came through.
Opt for a detergent that works best for the type and colour of fabric. For most colours and fabrics, Cold Power is safe to use. If you are unsure though, either test in an inconspicuous place or try using Cold Power Sensitive detergent for hand-wash-only garments and delicate fabrics.
Check the colourfastness of your fabric before you begin. For pre-treatment purpose apply Cold Power Liquid directly onto to the ketchup, mustard or sauce stain and let it soak into the fabric for a couple of minutes.
After a few minutes of soaking in the liquid detergent, place the clothing in the washing machine using your detergent’s ‘heavily soiled’ dosage.
After washing, check to see if the stain is gone before you place the clothing in the dryer. If it isn’t, wash it again and use the highest temperature possible according to the fabric’s care label.
If you need to remove a tomato sauce stain from a shirt or a mustard stain from your pants, the steps above will typically be all you need to get rid of the stain. However, if your clothing is a delicate fabric, like silk, satin or wool, use Cold Power Sensitive detergent for your stain remover and hand wash the clothing. It may take a few additional washes to completely remove the stain, but this detergent will be gentler on the fabric. Other fabrics, like cotton and polyester will typically do well in the washing machine.
Have a sauce stain that has dried on your clothing? If you can, scrape off the old mustard, tomato or barbecue sauce, then apply a small amount of Cold Power directly onto the stain, gently rub in and let it sit for a couple of minutes, then soak the fabric in a mixture comprising your selected Cold Power detergent and warm water for thirty minutes. Afterwards, wash normally.
Condiment and sauce stains are notoriously difficult to get rid of, especially on certain colours of clothing. White clothing doesn’t mix well with red tomato sauces, while darker clothing may stubbornly hang onto mayonnaise stains. Mustard contains turmeric, which acts like a dye and can be hard to remove on white shirts. The best way to get rid of these stains is to apply your detergent and wash the fabrics as quickly as possible.
Accidentally spill a condiment or sauce on your shirt or pants? Don’t let that stain ruin your clothing. Use these tips to remove it.