How Stain Removers Work, And How To Lift Coffee, Chocolate, And Tomato Sauce
Posted on: 20 March 2019
If you spill food or drink on a favourite item of clothing, you are probably keen to get rid of the stain as soon as possible. But the myriad of stain removers on the shelves can make it difficult to know which to choose. Here are some ways these different products work, and also how to deal with three common stains, coffee, chocolate and tomato sauce.
Surfactants
Soap and clothes detergents are typical examples of surfactants. These cleansers remove stains by helping water to disperse throughout the clothing fabric. One end of the surfactant molecule attaches to the stain, while the other end connects to water (being hydrophilic). These types of cleansers help the water in a tub or washing machine to interact with the dirt and to flush it out of the fibres.
Oxidisers
Another way that stain removers do their job is with the use of oxidisers. These don't flush away the staining food material itself. They use oxygen to get rid of the colour of the staining substance. Chromophores are the part of molecules that create colour, and oxidisers use oxygen molecules to eliminate them. Gentle oxidisers can remove the colour caused by stains without removing the dyes within a material. These sorts of products include sodium percarbonate or mild solutions of hydrogen peroxide. It is always advisable to test these, if you can, before using them on a much-loved item.
Enzymatic Cleaners
Other stain removers are enzymatic cleaners. These apply a variety of enzymes to break down the staining molecules. Products vary widely with different formulations and concentrations. Look for terms such as 'enzymatic blend' or 'enzymatic action' to determine these sorts of products.
Coffee, Chocolate And Tomato Sauce Stains
Different kinds of stains will benefit from some of these approaches more than others. If you spill coffee on your skirt or shirt, the most important thing is to gently blot the excess and then to flush cold water through. If you can't go that far, after blotting, you could dab the stain with water-soaked paper towels to dilute it. Once in the washing machine, oxidisers are best as you simply need to eliminate the chromophores responsible for the coffee colour.
Chocolate stains are best dealt with using a two-pronged attack. Surfactants, such as soap, can counter the oiliness, and an enzymatic cleaner can attack the cocoa solids. So using soap and cold water first, then washing with a stain remover which states something like 'enzymatic action' is a sound approach. Chocolate is one stain where rubbing can help. The stain removal of tomato-based foods is also most efficiently done using enzymatic type cleaners. Before this though, as soon as the accident occurs, immediately flush the sauce with cold water to dilute it.
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