June 1, 2015
by Laundry Expert
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Stain Removal: Red Wine

Red wine is a favorite among many people. Unfortunately, it’s easy to spill and leaves a nightmare stain.  There are several ways to remove a wine stain, but our experts have put them to the test to determine which is the best. Below, we have disclosed our favorite methods!

Red Wine Stain Removal Methods | Raleigh Laundromat

Believe it or not, salt is the best option for a recent wine stain. Sprinkle the stain with salt and let it absorb the excess wine. Then, wash it out and launder as normal.

This method will work for any type of fabric, couches, curtains and carpet.

For delicate fabrics: Soak the spot, immediately, or as soon as possible,  with denatured alcohol. Flush with white vinegar to remove the residual stain.

Oxi products are another great way to wash out a wine stain, especially old, dried stains. Try laundering according to the instructions on the product. If it doesn’t do the trick the first go round, try washing again.

You can also soak cotton fabrics in hot water first, and then launder with Oxi products or regular detergent.

Below, you’ll find another age-old method that seems to work every time, as well:

  • Carefully blot any excess wine with a clean rag or paper towels.  Don’t rub the wine. The goal is to only mop up excess liquid.
  • Pour white vinegar on the stain. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
  • Again, blot any excess vinegar with a different clean rag or paper towel.
  • Pour laundry detergent on the stain.
  • Let the detergent sit for 5 minutes.
  • Blot the excess detergent.
  • Let the area air dry.

We hope these tips help you remove your wine stains! If you have any methods that work best for you, feel free to share with us. We love learning about new laundry tricks! For more laundry tips be sure to visit back with our blog soon. We have tons of laundry tricks to help you keep your laundry stresses at bay.

Laundry Express

If you’re running yourself ragged, trying to keep up with all the extra laundry, also be sure to check out our Raleigh Laundromat! We offer state of the art machines for washing and drying. We also offer laundry services that include dry cleaning, wash-dry-fold, and stain removal! Don’t fall behind on laundry when we are here to help! Visit us soon!

 

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May 25, 2015
by Laundry Expert
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Stain Removal Tips: Coffee

Stains never seem to happen at a good moment. It’s always when we are in a hurry! Especially during the morning when it involves our beloved coffee. Thankfully, there are some common household products you can use to remove coffee stains from clothing, rugs, carpets and even china.

Coffee Stain Removal Tips | Coin-Op Laundry in Raleigh NC

  • Cold Water. Run cold water through the back of the stain. For a very fresh stain, this might be all that is needed. It is important to go through the back of the stain. You want the water mixed with coffee residue to have to travel through the least amount of fabric possible, so going out the way it came in is your best bet. If the stain isn’t fully removed, or your stain is old, you’ll need to move on to our other hints.
  •  Club Soda. Spill coffee or tea on yourself while you’re out? Pour club soda liberally on the stain and blot, continuing until the stain has completely lifted. This method is also great for when you spill coffee on your rug or tablecloth.
  • Beer. Getting that coffee stain out your rug may seem impossible, but you can literally lift it out by pouring a bit of beer right on top. Rub the beer lightly into the material, and the stain should disappear. You may have to repeat the process a couple of times to remove all traces of the stain.
  • Vinegar. You can lift out many water-soluble stains—including black coffee or tea—from your cotton-blend clothing or tablecloth by patting the spot with a towel moistened with undiluted white vinegar just before placing the item in the wash. For large stains, you may want to soak the garment overnight in a solution of 3 parts vinegar to 1 part cold water before washing
  • Baby Wipes. Use a baby wipe to blot up coffee spills from your rug or carpet; it absorbs both the liquid and the stain. Baby wipes can also be effectively deployed when attacking various spills and drips on your clothing and upholstered furniture
  • Baking Soda. Remove coffee stains on your good china by dipping a moist cloth in baking soda to form a stiff paste, then gently rubbing the cups or saucers. Rinse clean and dry.
  • Egg Yolk. This stain remover might surprise you, but many people swear by it. Beat an egg yolk and work into the coffee stain with a terry-cloth towel for about a minute. Rinse thoroughly with water, and the stain should be completely gone.
  • Salt. You can easily scrub away unattractive rings on tea cups or coffee pots by sprinkling salt onto a sponge and rubbing in little circles across the stain. If it doesn’t come out immediately, mix white vinegar with salt in equal proportions and rub with the sponge.

We hope these tips help you with on-the-go coffee stains that seem to happen at the worst time! For more stain removal tips, visit back with our blog, soon!

Laundry Express | Coin-Op Laundry in Raleigh NC

If you are too far behind on your laundry chores and need help catching up before implementing the new family laundry routine, stop by our laundromat! We offer many different services including coin-op laundry in Raleigh NC, dry cleaning, laundromat and more!

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May 20, 2015
by Laundry Expert
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Stain Removing Tips: Grass

Those that have kids know that they love to play outdoors and get dirty!Learning how to remove grass stains is an important piece of knowledge. This type of stain can be difficult to remove from clothes and upholstery because they are “combination stains.” There are generally a couple of stains involved. They include dirt and grass.

The green color of the stain comes from chlorophyll. It quickly sets into fabrics. The faster you act to remove these stains the better your chances of getting them clean.

Fabrics And Clothing | Raleigh Laundromat

  • Pretreat the stain with a paste of Enzyme added powdered laundry detergent mixed with a little water, or with liquid laundry detergent (also containing enzymes).
  • As an alternative, you can pretreat the stain with a laundry prewash stain remover formulated to remove stains caused by grass.
  • Launder in the hottest water the fabric will allow to get out the stain. If it’s allowed, use bleach, as well.

You must make sure the stain is gone after washing before placing it in the dryer. Otherwise, you may set the stain. If the stain does not come out after one wash, repeat before placing in the dryer. You may also want to soak the stain in a solution of hot water and laundry detergent containing enzymes. Do this for a couple of hours. For stubborn stains, leave it soaking overnight.

Upholstery

  • Mix a solution of two cups cool water and one tablespoon dishwash liquid.
  • Using this to sponge the stain from the grass with a clean white cloth.
  • Next, blot at the stain until the liquid is absorbed.
  • Repeat steps 2-3 until the stain from the grass is removed from the upholstery.
  • If this completely removes the stain, you will next get plain cold water and a new white cloth and sponge the area to remove the cleaning solution, and then blot dry. Be sure that you get the upholstery only as wet as necessary to remove the stain from the grass.

If this does not remove the stain you may try these alternatives:

  • Sponge the stain with dry cleaning solvent
  • Mix a solution of one tablespoon of ammonia with two cups warm water. Be cautious with this method. Spot test first,  in an inconspicuous area to make sure it will not harm your upholstery.

We hope these tips help you with all your grass stains! For more laundry tips be sure to visit back with our blog soon! We have tons of laundry tricks to help you keep your laundry stresses at bay!

If you’re running yourself ragged, trying to keep up with all the extra laundry, also be sure to check out our Raleigh Laundromat! We offer state of the art machines for washing and drying. We also offer laundry services that include dry cleaning, wash-dry-fold, and stain removal! Don’t fall behind on laundry when we are here to help! Visit us soon!

To learn more about stain removal, visit the blogs below:

  • Stain Removal: Grass
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May 20, 2015
by Laundry Expert
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Stain Removal: Ink

Are you looking for ways to remove ink stains? If so, you’ll benefit from the information below! So many people deal with ink stains and often never get them cleaned. Using these tips, you should be able to salvage your favorite fabrics and clothing!

Ink Stain Categories | Wash Dry Fold Raleigh NC

  • Water-based ink stains. These are some of the easiest to remove. Washable markers fall into this category.
  • Permanent ink stains. Most can be a nightmare to remove. These include most permanent highlighters and markers.
  • Ballpoint ink. These stains can be the hardest to remove. However, responds well to stain removal efforts when done properly!

Water-Based Ink Stains

  • Begin by laying the stained clothing on top of a clean dry towel or cloth.
  • Apply water to the stained area and blot with another clean cloth. As you blot, the stain will begin to transfer onto the cleaning cloth. Apply a small amount of liquid laundry detergent onto the ink stain and allow the fabric to sit for between 3-5 minutes.
  • Using the hottest water recommend for the fabric type, wash normally.
  • Before drying, check to make sure the entire stain was removed. If any trace of the stained area remains, repeat the steps above. Drying the stained area before everything is removed will make it nearly impossible to remove later.

Permanent Ink Stains

Permanent ink is a very difficult stain to remove. If the fabric is able to be bleached, there might be a shot at removing the ink with it. Otherwise, the following tips may help to at least fade the stain.

  • First, try rubbing alcohol. Grab a clean white towel and put the stained item on top.
  • The towel underneath may start to be wet and discolored from the ink leaching out. Try moving the garment to a clean dry section of the towel as this happens to keep from picking back up any of the removed ink. Continue until no more can be removed. Make sure you rinse the stained area completely free of the rubbing alcohol. Rinsing multiple times may be necessary.
  •  If rubbing alcohol does not work you can try fingernail polish remover. This is very strong and there is a chance that it will damage the fabric. Be sure to test what happens on an inner seam or a hidden area of the clothing. Blot in the same way as you did with the rubbing alcohol making sure you move the stained area to a clean dry section of a towel as the ink stain is removed.  Rinse the rubbing alcohol completely from the fabric.

Ballpoint Ink Stains

Ballpoint stains are tricky. Sometimes they’re able to be removed, sometimes not. You may attempt to try using the same methods as above.

Be sure to rinse the fabric completely after each try, if you have to use both the rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover method. These items shouldn’t be mixed. Before drying, make sure the stain is completely gone. If it is not, repeat the previous steps until the stain is hopefully removed.

We hope these tips help in removing ink stains that have soiled your favorite items! If you need further help with stain removal, consider contacting our stain specialist at Laundry Express!

Be sure to visit with our previous blog on other stains and how to remove them, below:

  • Stain Removal: Grass

If you are too far behind on your laundry chores and need help catching up before implementing the new family laundry routine, stop by our Raleigh laundromat! We offer many different services including wash dry fold in Raleigh NC, dry cleaning, laundromat and more!

 

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May 10, 2015
by Laundry Expert
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More Laundry Tips and Tricks!

Looking for easier ways to do laundry without all the hassle of having to soak, pre-treat, rinse and wash? Below our Raleigh laundromat has several great tips and tricks that will help you with your laundry troubles!

Tips and Tricks From Our Raleigh Laundromat Expert!

Drying Out Shoe Odors – Ridding shoes of dampness from foot perspiration can help prevent odor and lengthen the life of the shoes. Whenever you’ve take off a pair of shoes for the day, slip a few small pieces of white chalk into each shoe to help absorb the moisture. For an easy, non-messy way to move the chalk pieces in and out of your shoes, consider wrapping them in small scraps of cheesecloth and tying the tiny bundles with twist ties. Another way to remove moisture and odor from shoes is to crumple newspaper up and place it inside your shoes when they aren’t being worn. For best results, use fresh newspaper and leave them overnight!

Remove Smoke Odors – Smoke can cling to clothing, even if you aren’t the smoker. To remove the smoke odor, soak the clothing in hot water, in the bathtub. Add two cups of white vinegar. Soak the clothing in the vinegar and water for at least 10 minutes. Then, wring out the garments and hang over the shower rod. Allowing the hot water to steam the vinegar soaked clothing removes the smell of smoke, without ruining the fabric. Whether you’re a smoker or not, you can probably agree that one aggravating aspect of tobacco is the odor that clings to everything. The smell of smoke will come right out of most fabrics when you wash them as normal, but fabrics that lock in odors and are sensitive to washing, like wool, are a bit trickier.

Save Your Dyed Whites – Have you washed your new red shirt with a load of whites or light colors? If so, we’ve all done it! Don’t worry. We can fix this problem! Before putting any of the newly colored pink clothing in the dryer: Soak the damp clothes in a solution of baking soda and warm water with 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup detergent added to it. Use your favorite detergent to wash as usual.  The combo of the soaking mixture and detergent will turn your whites white again!

Laundry is never fun, yet it must be done. We hope that our Raleigh laundromat can help, either with our laundry tips or with our laundry services. Laundry Express wants to help you get your laundry done! We offer many different laundry services, including:

  • Onsite stain specialist
  • Pick up or drop off dry cleaning
  • Fluff and Fold
  • Pet laundry for dogs, cats, and other animals
  • Bedspreads
  • Comforters
  • Rugs
  • Table Cloths

If you have any questions, or would like to find out more about our Raleigh laundromat, contact us!

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