How to remove stubborn stains
Did you knock over your red wine glass during dinner? Is your shirt covered in grease splatters from cooking? There are many types of stains that the washing machine cannot reliably remove. That's why it's important to pre-treat stubborn stains before throwing the garment into the washing machine.
1. The sooner, the better
If you wash out stains immediately, you have a better chance of getting your fabrics completely clean again. Waiting too long will cause the stains to bond with the fibers and stick to the garment. Therefore, even if it is tedious, you should treat fresh stains quickly.
2. Be gentle with your clothes
Rubbing vigorously may help to remove stains from the fabric. However, it puts a lot of strain on the fibers and causes your clothes to lose their appearance more quickly. For fresh stains, rubbing is not always necessary: apply a little water to the stain and dab it gently with an absorbent cloth.
3. From the outside in
If you are treating a stain before washing, you should work from the edge inwards. This will prevent the stain from spreading unintentionally.
4. Soak with Washo
Old stains in particular are difficult to wash out of fabric. In this case, soak the garment in water overnight after pre-treating it with gall soap. To enhance the effect, you can tear up half or a whole Washo tablet, depending on the amount of water, and dissolve it in the water.
5. Gall soap – a miracle cure
Gall soap is a quick and easy remedy for stains. This natural product consists of bovine bile and curd soap, which enables environmentally friendly washing. Moisten the fabric, gently rub the soap over the stain, leave it to work for a while, and then rinse. You can find it in drugstores and retail stores—make sure that the soap does not contain palm oil. If you want to avoid animal-based ingredients, you can use a vegetable-based curd soap instead.
But why does gall soap work so well on many types of stains? Bovine bile contains enzymes that are normally needed for digestion and therefore easily remove stains containing fat, protein, or dyes. However, gall soap is not suitable for delicate fabrics.
6. Stay away from bleach and universal stain removers
Chemical bleach destroys deposits in the fabric, but it is harmful to nature. Due to halogen compounds that are difficult to break down, bleach in detergents (as well as in other cleaning products) can heavily pollute wastewater.
Universal stain removers are also not a good choice. According to Stiftung Warentest, they are usually no more effective than a heavy-duty detergent.
