The Cleaners

Garment care tips

Oxidized Stains

We’ve talked about stains that turn yellow or brown over time, and that these colors often tell you that a stain has “set” with time. How can you tell if these stains will come out and if they will respond to bleach and other special care from your drycleaner?

1. “Old” yellow and brown stains – which we call oxidized stains – come from two basic food groups; water-based and oil-based (which we discussed in Clothing Care Basics: Part 1).
2. Water-based stains usually have a ring around the perimeter and may respond to color-safe bleach.
3. Oil-based stains usually look absorbed into the fabric with NO ring around the perimeter and respond only to drycleaning solutions and other special stain removers.

Why you need to know the difference between the two types of stains:
Water-based stains may come out at home or at the drycleaner, but if you try to remove an oxidized oil-based stain you will set it and make further removal by your drycleaner impossible.

Remedy:
Do not allow stains of any kind to “sit” in your clothing for weeks or months at a time. If you catch stains when they are fresh, then you and your drycleaner will have a fighting chance of removing them.

This tip is © The Clothing Doctor and used with permission. May not be reproduced in any form without permission.