Can my tablecloths be saved?

[conorsmom2000]

In 2006, before the Holidays, Mike and I bought new table linens for Christmas dinner - they were made by Lenox and just beautiful - we purchased 2 tablecloths and 16 cloth napkins in this Christmas design that we loved.

Well, we used them again this year....and had pasta for dinner. :( The tablecloths got horribly stained. We immediately treated them with Shout Gel but then due to a mis-communication ("I thought you washed them! "No, I thought you washed them!") they sat downstairs for about a week. I soaked them and then washed them, but alas, you can still see the stains. (not as bad, but they are there). I have not dried them yet, as I know that would set the stains in.

Is there anything else I can try that might help? It's times like this I miss my Mom the most - she had a tip for everything!! :D

If they are a lost cause I think I learned my lesson about buying expensive table linens for family dinners! :blush:

[princessjojo]

I don't have any solutions for you, but just wanted to send you hope for one.

I have some very old table linens that were my great grandmothers. No one else wanted them, they all wanted the "good stuff." I'm afraid to use them though for that very reason. Though no one else wanted them, if I were to ruin them, I would never hear the end of it; "How could you let that happen; I should have known you would ruin something that valuable..."

Good luck! You could try Hints from Heloise. She usually has a lot of laundry tips.

[kakn7294]

I don't know if :pixie: will save them but it can't hurt! If you have a local uniform shop, check there to see if they sell anything in the way of a detergent or laundry additive to remove stains. I used to have one from Life Uniforms that would remove almost anything. The only thing I couldn't get it to take out was a large black ink stain on the front of my red Mickey t-shirt. It took all kinds of other nasty stains out of my uniforms including blood, iodine, and activated charcoal (the stuff they use when they pump your stomach). I also like the powder version of Biz - it's taken out some set-in baby stains. If you are able to save them, in the future, you might want to consider a clear vinyl tablecloth to use over top of the linen one for the actual meal. Good luck!!!

[kakn7294]

Okay, I checked my "Big Book of Hints from Heloise" - yes, I really do have one - and she suggests soaking and washing in an enzyme detergent. She also says that hydrogen peroxide can be used on bleach-safe fabrics - rinse well with cold water after using the peroxide.

[Jeri]

I don't know if this the same Shout Gel you are talking about but I use the Shout advanced Gel on some set in stains and it worked.
It is in the blue bottle and it says it works on even stains that have been dried in the dryer. I had some shirts that got stained and dried and sure enough it took them out.

The bottle says to spray on the stain, rub in, and let it sit overnight or up to a week before washing to let it work.

Any other stains I get I use Biz either in a presoak in the washer or make a paste and rub in the stain, then let sit overnight. I got this tip from my Aunt who owned a dry cleaners for many years. Also Dawn dish soap for any grease or oil. This even works for car grease and oil.

[tinklover]

I used to have one from Life Uniforms that would remove almost anything. The only thing I couldn't get it to take out was a large black ink stain on the front of my red Mickey t-shirt.

spray hairspray on ink before washing it will take the ink out believe it or not.

Spaghetti sauce stains - Scrape residue, if any, gently with a spoon. Apply a small amount of dish detergent to stain. Let set for at least ten minutes. Launder as usual. Haven't tried this on dry cleanables, but for clothing that can be washed. It always works

Good luck

[kakn7294]

spray hairspray on ink before washing it will take the ink out believe it or not.Not on this one! This must have been some super-duper extra powerful ink even though it was just a standard little ink pen. I've tried multiple brands - even bought some just for that purpose - and nothing works. It's lighter but still there and unfortunately after so much scrubbing, the red t-shirt is lighter in that spot too.

[Tink1]

I have had great luck with the Duo action Spray and Wash. It took out stains from a shirt that had already gone through the dryer. The bottle has 2 sides to it, Oxyclean on one and Spray and Wash on the other.

My other option would be the old powder BIZ.

When I worked in the Lab and would spill blood on my scrubs, we would pour straight peroxide through the fabric onto 4x4's that we put behind it, then COLD water. You coold put old towels behind the cloth to do the same thing. Guess it would depend on the color and material though.

nanci

[crazypoohbear]

This is what I have used on my son's baseball uniforms. Add it to a load of wash with detergent and color safe bleach or bleach if white and wash in the hottest water you can. It has taken out ketchup, grass stains, blood etc.
Good luck and next year don't have pasta :blush:

[RenDuran]

I've found this to help when I pulled old baby clothes from storage with set-in stains.

Fill washing machine with the hottest water available, dump in Oxi-clean (the more the better), let it agitate for a few minutes, and then let the items soak overnight. Drain it the next day and wash as usual.

This saved many items that I had stored for over 5 years, so it may help your tablecloth. Good luck!

[SBETigg]

My mother in law has a trick with Lestoil and super hot water that works every time. I don't know if it's on the Lestoil bottle, but if your fabric isn't bleach safe it's a good one to try. I think she just puts the item in the sink, treats the stained area with a liberal dosing of Lestoil, and then pours a kettle of boiling water right on top of it, lets it sit for five or ten minutes, then washes it normally.

[magicofdisney]

I was going to suggest Oxiclean. But I have to admit, sometimes it works for me and sometimes it doesn't.

Someone left a small marker in their shorts. I don't know if it exploded in the washer, dryer or both. By the time I realized what happened I had stain in both plus a dried load of clothes with purple marks all over them. I used the Oxiclean and it took the majority of the stains out. Enough so that I didn't have to spend hundreds of $$ replacing clothes.

[merlinmagic4]

I would try oxyclean. I was just asking a friend about this. Make a thick paste with the oxyclean powder and rub it into the stain. Then soak it in warm water and oxyclean. Wash as you normally would. I'm really hoping this is going to get some set in stains out of some clothing that the kids have ruined :)

[conorsmom2000]

Thanks so much everyone!!! I'm going to give some of your tips a try and I'll report back what worked! :D And just as an fyi, the tablecloths are ivory with green and red holly & ribbons on it.

[princessgirls]

Just keep treating and washing, eventually you will get the stain out. I recommend hanging the table cloth to dry until you are certain that the stains are out.

They eventually do come out.

Good Luck!

Julie:mickey:

[Dsnygirl]

Here are my tried and true suggestions for spaghetti sauce, and believe me, I've had to fight through my share of stains like yours... First, spray the area with Shout and scrub it in. Then, re-spray it lightly and sprinkle a liberal amount of OxyClean powder over the area. Let it sit a few hours, then wash. If this doesn't work, try again and after spraying with Shout, rub the area with Fels-Naptha soap, apply OxyClean again and let it sit - then wash. These suggestions have worked for me 90% of the time... I'm imagining the deciding factor is the type of fabric the tablecloths are made out of.

Good luck - I hope one of these ideas works for you - I know how frustrating it can be!! :fingers:

[Dsnygirl]

Thanks so much everyone!!! I'm going to give some of your tips a try and I'll report back what worked! :D And just as an fyi, the tablecloths are ivory with green and red holly & ribbons on it.
Oooh - I think I saw them at Kohl's - I do believe they were the Lenox ones!! They were so pretty!! I sure hope our ideas helped!! :thumbsup:

[RedheadWriter]

My mother in law has a trick with Lestoil and super hot water that works every time. I don't know if it's on the Lestoil bottle, but if your fabric isn't bleach safe it's a good one to try. I think she just puts the item in the sink, treats the stained area with a liberal dosing of Lestoil, and then pours a kettle of boiling water right on top of it, lets it sit for five or ten minutes, then washes it normally.

My grandmother swore by Lestoil for everything and it really works.

My advice is also the dish detergent with hot water. Spaghetti sauce is ough because it is greasy. The dish detergent works its way through breaking up the grease.

As an aside, the reason hairspray works on ink is the alcohol in the spray. I used to get regular rubbing alcohol and soak a cotton ball with it and then hold a towel behind the stain and then just press the cotton ball into the ink. DO not rub. push the ball down into the fabric and let the towel soak up the liquid behind where you are pushing. MANY MANY expensive outfits got ink on them when I worked at travelers adn this was my fool proof way to make them OK again.