Give thanks for clean, stain free clothes!
/We here at Pearly Street Laundry want to wish all of our friends and neighbors a heartfelt Happy Thanksgiving. It’s a wonderful time of year to sit around with family, gorge yourself on turkey and pumpkin pie, watch the football game over a beer with your uncles. Whatever your traditions may be on this special American holiday, chances are that they involve plenty of things that can stain your clothes. That’s where we come in, of course! Let us remove the worst part of your Turkey Day hangover by sending us your aprons, table spreads, and even that lovely dress you accidently dropped cranberry sauce on. However, if you do decide to do it yourself, here are some tips on removing those nasty stains in honor of this day of feasting and plenty!
For the majority of Thanksgiving food stains, the first step is to scrape or blot the offending food off the item as soon as possible and before starting stain treatment. Most cleaning steps also culminate in a hot water wash with bleach or color-safe bleach to the degree allowed by the fabric.
Gravy
Who doesn’t love good gravy? It keeps the meat from getting dry and if done right, tastes like heaven. But what happens when this divine sauce of sauces lands on your shirt. The resulting stain can be tough, but we’ve got a trick or two to help you out. Because gravy is a grease based stain, the best results come from a strong grease cutting agent like dishwashing soap (use non-colored) and scalding hot water. (Here at PSL we keep stain brushes on hand to work the dishwashing soap into the fabric, but a toothbrush will do as well!) This combo will eliminate most of the oily film, and any brown color left should be treated with a laundry stain remover and bleach if possible.
Cranberry Sauce
When it comes to a cranberry stain, all bets are off. This devilishly delicious little berry has some serious staining power, so when your little nephew drops a big dollop on your carpet or freshly laundered tablecloth, the best thing you can do is to stay calm and act as quickly as possible before that reddish color becomes a permanent fixture. First, remove any sauce you can and rinse with cold water, taking care not to spread the stain. Next, soak with a mixture of cold water (1 quart), white vinegar (1 tablespoon of our favorite!) and a little bit of laundry detergent (1/2 a teaspoon) and then rinse in cold water after soaking. If this still doesn’t work a few drops of rubbing alcohol will add a little extra kick (though be careful, as this stuff can take the color off of furniture as well). Then launder! (For more information and directions turn to this page on Good Housekeeping’s website or Stain Removal 101.)
Sweet Potato
What says American Thanksgiving more than Sweet Potato Pie? Nothing, that’s what. But what can we do about those orange stains that these spuds often leave in their wake? Have no fear! This stain is nothing compared to other, more dubious Thanksgiving terrors. This is another situation where dishwashing liquid is your friend, so dab it onto the affected area with a sponge. Treat with a laundry stain remover and then wash the stained object in the hottest cycle your machine and the fabric will allow. Presto! More sweet potato goodness in your tummy and less on your clothes and linens.
Whatever the stain, the best possible solution is to head on down to Pearl Street and let us, with our near three decades of experience, take a whack at it. We don’t mind if you bring us some leftovers as well! Kidding, but we earnestly do want to tell anyone reading this that we are truly thankful to have you as customers, neighbors, and/or friends. Happy holidays to all from Pearl Street Laundry!