April, 2011

Green Away Baby’s Stains

By Linda Mason Hunter

    Babies vomit, pee, and poop. Curious toddlers spill grape juice, get into Mother’s lipstick, and suffer bloody noses. Such activities can stain clothing, linens, upholstery, and carpet. There’s no getting around it.

    Removing stains is a matter of basic chemistry. It’s all about neutralizing the pH. Acidic stains have a high pH and require an alkaline cleaner, and vice versa. Club soda or a mix of baking soda and water (alkaline) helps remove a coffee stain (acidic). A mixture of warm water and distilled white vinegar (acidic) neutralizes an alkaline stain, like fruit juice.

    Stains caused by an infant’s bodily functions are easy to treat. Pee, poop, vomit, and spit-up are either alkaline or acidic depending on how that infant is fed. A formula-fed infant tends to be more acidic while a breast-fed infant (especially one whose mother eats a plant-based diet) will be alkaline, according to Anne Matthews, doctor of Chinese medicine in Vancouver, British Columbia. If the mother’s diet is rich in wheat, dairy and meat, her constitution will be acidic, making her breast milk acidic as well, Anne says.

    By the time your adorable infant morphs into a curious toddler, the chemical complexity of baby-caused stains multiplies greatly. How to deal with dribbles of grape juice down the front of little Nemo’s shirt, or a sticky mess of ice cream in the middle of your car seat? My book Green Clean tells you how. A few make-it-yourself recipes are listed below.

    It’s a good idea to try experimenting with a few brands of green cleaners until you find one you like, then invest in their carpet and upholstery cleaner, and a stain remover if they have one. Shaklee, Seventh Generation, and BabyGanics have good green cred.

    Just keep in mind that sometimes it pays to bring out the big guns—let the dry cleaner handle the problem. Delicate fabrics like leather, suede, and silk require professional treatment.

Old-Fashioned Do-It-Yourself Recipes

Berries/Fruit Juice

Fabric: Pour boiling water directly over the stain. Or treat the stain immediately with fresh lemon juice. If the stain has already set, try blotting with glycerin and letting it sit for 30 minutes, then rinse the fabric clean with warm water and allow to air dry. Launder as usual.

Upholstery and carpet: Wipe up any excess residue. Blot with mild laundry detergent and warm water. Rinse the spot with a one-to-one mixture of distilled white vinegar and water (do not soak the spot), blot again with mild detergent and water, then sponge clean with cold water.

Dried Blood
Soak freshly stained garments in a mixture of salt (about a handful) and cold water for 30 minutes. If the stain has set, try covering it with a paste of unseasoned meat tenderizer and warm water. Leave it for 15 to 20 minutes; rinse with cold water. Launder as usual.
On upholstery and carpet, blot a fresh stain continuously with cold water until it disappears. Treat dried stains with a small amount of glycerin. Let stand for 30 minutes, then blot with water.

Crayons
Crayon is not water-soluble; you’ll probably need to use some sort of solvent. Crayola recommends WD-40, though it’s not a green product. Heat from a blow dryer can help. Scrape off excess crayon with a dull knife, then apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol to the stain and blot. Rinse, apply a small amount of liquid dish soap to the stain, then blot with a damp towel. Launder as usual. On walls: Try heating the marks with a blow dryer then wiping off the loosened crayon. Rubbing with a baking soda and water paste works, as well, and is gentle enough to use on most wall coverings and paint.

Grass
Do not use ammonia or degreasers—they can make stains permanent. Blot with a little rubbing alcohol, then rinse with water. Apply liquid dish soap to the stain, rinse with water, and allow the garment to air dry. Launder as usual. If discoloration remains, soak the garment in warm water with a stain remover for 30 to 60 minutes. Relaunder in hot water.

Lipstick
Lipstick leaves a difficult, oily stain; professional treatment may be necessary. Upholstery and carpet: Wipe away any excess lipstick. Wet the stain with a small amount of rubbing alcohol. Blot with a white towel until no stain is transferred to the towel. Treat with a carpet cleaner or spot remover if a blemish remains.

Milk
A forgotten milk spill can leave a smell that is difficult to remove. Dab fresh stains with a sponge and warm water, then apply a stain remover or carpet cleaner.

Linda Mason Hunter (host of “The Green Zone” on KFMG 99.1 FM in Des Moines) is the author of 12 books, including Green Clean (Melcher Media, 2005) and The Healthy Home: An Attic-to-Basement Guide (Rodale, 1989), which established her reputation as a pioneer in the ecology movement. She consults with businesses and homeowners and can be reached at Linda@Hunterink.com.

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