San Francisco Environment 2012 Awards Ceremony

We are as usually proud to be associated with the San Francisco Green Business Program.

Congratulations to all the businesses who received a Green Business Award this year.

We are honored to be a recipient of a Green Business Award and as a proud sponsor of the program.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners

Proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a health future.

Other Articles of Interest:

How to remove chocolate stains from Wool.

How to Remove a Blood Stain From Rayon.

How to Remove a Milk Stain from Cotton.

How to remove a Oil Stain from Silk.

Can you wash a Gortex Jacket at home?

Gortex is a trademarked name brand for a special design
of waterproof breathable material. The material is comprised of two pieces of
fabric fused together to make a breathable membrane. The outer layer is usually
a type of nylon and the inner layer is a rubber membrane consisting of micro
holes. These micro holes is what allows the Gortex to breathe.

These waterproof breathable membrane materials, whether
it’s Gortex or another manufacture version, can never be exposed to synthetic
solvents or high heat.

This type of material is best washed in a front load
washing machine with a full load of clothes consisting of heavier garments such
as Jeans. Due to the membrane the garment has a tendency to float to the top.
Therefore, it needs the heavier garments to help with the agitation. The
floating is also why these breathable membranes will not clean well in a top
load washer.

Pre-scrub the cuff and collar, pre-treat stains with
laundry detergent before washing.

Treat any oily stains with a citrus degreaser before
washing.

Wash on delicate cycle and hang to dry. DO NOT PUT INTO
THE DRYER.

These products are found in the laundry department at
your local grocery store such as Whole Foods Market and Mollie Stones Markets.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners

Your non toxic alternative to solvent dry cleaning.

Leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Other Articles of Interest:

How to remove a Red Wine Stain from Rayon.

How to remove a Oil Stain from Cotton

How to Remove Coffee Stains from Wool.

How to remove a Blood Stain from Silk.

Nancy’s Club and MONTESSORI PRESCHOOL

invite you to participate in our VALENTINE’S DAY EXTRAVAGANZA GIFTING the children who are in University
of California Children’s Hospital, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center Pediatric Ward, Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland on Valentine’s Day.

Two years ago, Susan Lissberger, Founder and Director of Mill Valley Montessori, and her 3-to-6-year-old children prepared valentines, paper chains, gift baskets filled with new toys, warm and fuzzy stuffed animals, cozy clothes, soft blankets, art and craft supplies, for all the children at UCSF Children’s Hospital … and even gifts for the medicalstaff.  We are doing it again! This time, we will serve the children in 4 hospitals.

We invite the San Francisco Bay Area community to participate in our extraordinary project this year,

THE SECOND VALENTINE’S DAY EXTRAVAGANZA!

Please contact Susan at M.V.Montessori@comcast.net or Nancy@NancysList.org

so that one of our volunteer parents can pick up your gifts for these special children.

If you wish to support Nancy’s Club for children and teens who are living with cancer

or send a check to Nancy’s List at

240 Almonte Boulevard

Mill Valley, California 94941

With immense appreciation,

Nancy Novack Ph.D. and Susan Lissberger

www.NancysList.org

www.millvalleymontessori.com

Make a donation and receive a $20.00 gift certificate for Certified Green Dry Cleaning from Pacific Heights Cleaners.

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Blood Stains from Wool.

How to remove a Coffee stain from Silk.

How to Remove a Milk Stain from Rayon.

How to Remove Chocolate Stains from Cotton.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners

Your non toxic alternative to solvent dry cleaning.

Other Articles of Interest:

How
to Remove Milk Stains from Wool.

How
to Remove an Oil Stain from Rayon.

How to
Remove Red Wine from Silk

How to
remove a Coffee Stain from Cotton.

We at Pacific Heights Cleaners are proud of the Delancy Street Foundation for the commitment they provide to our community. Thanky you for all you do.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners

Your Non Toxic Alternative

Other Articles of Interest:

How
to Remove a Marinara Sauce Stain.

How
to Remove Cranberry Juice Stains.

How
to Remove Ring Around the Collar and Cuff Stains

How to
Remove Cat Urine Stains.

Pacific Heights Cleaners

Your Non Toxic Alternative

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove
Grass Stains.

How to
Remove Dog Urine Stains.

How to Remove
Tea Stains.

How
to Remove Red Raspberry Stains.

Pacific Heights Cleaners

Your Non Toxic Alternative

Other Articles of Interest:

How to
Remove Ink Stains from a Ballpoint Pen.

How to Remove Ice Tea
Stains.

How to
Remove Dog Feces Stains.

How to
Remove Mayonnaise Stains.

How to Remove Breast Milk Stains from a Dress.

Breast milk is a strong bonding protein that is difficult to remove when it has dried and impossible to remove after it has aged. So as soon as your baby has finished spitting up all over you, quickly attend to the stain.

Fresh Breast Milk Stain.

Spotting Solution: Vaska Laundry Detergent

• Mix 1 part Vaska laundry detergent with 3 parts water to create a breast milk spotting solution.
• Apply the breast milk solution directly to the breast milk stain.
• Tamp (Tap) the breast milk stain with a brush.
• Let the breast milk solution penetrate the breast milk stain for 5-10 minutes.
• Rinse the breast milk stained area thoroughly with fresh water.

Dried Breast Milk Stain.

Enzyme Stain Remover: BioKleen’s Bac-Out

• Apply the Bac-Out directly to the breast milk stain.
• Tamp (Tap) the breast milk stain with a clean brush.
• Let the Bac-Out penetrate the breast milk stain for 1-2 hours. Re-apply if it starts to dry.
• Rinse the breast milk stained area thoroughly with fresh water.
• Enzymes take time to work. Repeat if necessary.

For stubborn breast milk stains soak the entire garment in the Bac-Out overnight.

Test First: in a hidden area apply the product to a white towel and dab in a hidden area of the garment. Check the towel to see if any color has transferred over. If the color is sensitive or the material is delicate, you must modify your technique.

Clean the entire garment per care label.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners, they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Cranberry Stains.

How to Remove Cat Feces Stains.

How to Remove Ravioli Sauce Stains.

How to Remove Pesto Sauce Stains.

How to Remove Red Raspberry Stains from a Evening Gown.

Red Raspberry is also known as Hindberry, Reapberry, Bramble, Gauriphal, by some. Whether the red raspberries are from a roadside bush, the farmers market, the Whole Foods organic grocery store, or the cheapest red raspberries you can find on sale, it doesn’t matter, they all stain the same.

Red Raspberry stain is a fruit stain making it an acidic tannin stain. Many of the spotting products such as Spray n Wash and Shout are high alkaline product, these products will change the structure of the red raspberry stain and make the stain much more difficult to remove. Stay away from these products for a tannin stain.

Choice of Products: Laundry Detergent, Distilled White Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Borax.

Fresh Red Raspberry Stain:

• Blot the raspberry stain with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat this step several times to remove the entire red raspberry stain.
• If necessary create a raspberry stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 1 part distilled white vinegar and 10 parts water.
• Apply the raspberry stain solution directly on to the red raspberry stain.
• Tamp (tap) the raspberry stain with a brush.
• Blot the raspberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Dried Red Raspberry Stain:

• Create a raspberry stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 5 part distilled white vinegar and 5 parts water.

• Apply the raspberry stain solution directly to the dried red raspberry stain.
• Tamp the raspberry stain with a brush.
• Let the raspberry stain solution penetrate the raspberry stain for 10-15 minutes.
• Blot the raspberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Stubborn Dried Red Raspberry Stain:

• Apply Hydrogen Peroxide directly to the stubborn dried red raspberry stain.
• Tamp the raspberry stain with a brush.
• Let the raspberry stain solution penetrate the raspberry stain for 15-20 minutes.
• Blot the raspberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat several times necessary.

*Hydrogen Peroxide is a natural bleaching agent that will remove color. Test in a hidden area before use.

Aged and Oxidized Red Raspberry Stains:

• Create a raspberry stain soaking solution with 2 ounces of Borax per 1 gallon of water.

• Soak the raspberry stained garment in the borax solution for several hours or over night.
• Rinse the entire garment with clean water.

Test for colorfastness before using any of the spotting solutions. Apply a small amount of the solution on a white towel, blot that part of the towel on a hidden part o the garment. Check for color transfer on to the towel.

When done with the stain removal process, always clean the entire garment as recommended by the care label. Never leave garments unclean after using spotting or cleaning products. Over time the spotting agent can discolor, or yellow, and weaken the material.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for your health and the our environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove a Salsa Stain.

How to Remove a Fish Stain.

How to Remove a Sour Cream Stain.

How to Remove Tomato Sauce Stains.

How to Remove Tea Stains from a Purse.

From a stain removal aspect tea is tea. Whether it is Fine Asian Green Tea from the herbal tea store, Celestial Seasonings Herbal Tea, Peet’s Spiced Tea, Starbuck’s Chai Tea, or Lipton Black Tea they are all made from tea leaves making the stain a Tannin stain. As with all tannin stains, it is always best to remove the stain as soon as possible, while the stain is wet it is much easier to remove. The longer we wait, the more difficult it will become to remove the stain and the stain will eventually set and oxidize over time.

Vaska Laundry Detergent:

• Create a spotting solution of 1 part Vaska Laundry Detergent, and 10 parts water.
• Apply this solution directly to the tea stain.
• Let the solution penetrate for a few minutes.
• Apply clean water to a white towel and blot stained area.
• Followed by blotting area with a dry towel.
• Repeat steps if necessary.

When done skip to Finishing Up.

Heinz Distilled White Vinegar:

• If the first steps did not achieve adequate results then continue; apply distilled white vinegar to the tea stain directly.
• Tap the stain lightly with a soft brush (toothbrush) to help the vinegar penetrate into the stain.
• Leave the vinegar on for a few minute to penetrate.
• Blot area with a wet white towel followed by a dry white towel.
• Repeat steps if necessary.

When done skip to Finishing Up.

Enzyme Stain Removers: BioKleen Bac-Out

• Apply the enzyme stain remover directly to the tea stain.
• Enzymes take time to work so apply the product a let it rest for 1-2 hours.
• Blot with a wet white towel followed by a dry white towel.
• Repeat steps if necessary.

FINISHING UP!

When done removing the stain always finish by cleaning the entire item per manufacture care instructions. Even benign spotting agents such as these will oxidize and yellow over time.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal and cleaning questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to remove a Fishy Smell.

How to Remove a Cake Stain.

How to Remove Tomato Juice Stains.

How to Remove Margarine Stains

How to Remove Cranberry Juice Stains from a Dress.

Cranberry juice is a great prevention for avoiding bladder infections. It is not so great when textiles are stained with cranberries.

Fresh Cranberry Juice Stain: Vaska Laundry Detergent

• Blot the cranberry juice stain with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat this step several times to remove the entire cranberry juice stain.
• If necessary create a cranberry juice stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 1 part distilled white vinegar and 10 parts water.
• Apply the cranberry juice stain solution directly on to the cranberry juice stain.
• Tamp (tap) the cranberry juice stain with a brush.
• Blot the cranberry juice stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Dried Cranberry Juice Stain: Heinz Distilled White Vinegar

• Create a cranberry juice stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 5 part distilled white vinegar and 5 parts water.

• Apply the cranberry juice stain solution directly to the dried cranberry juice stain.
• Tamp the cranberry juice stained area with a brush.
• Let the cranberry juice stain solution penetrate the cranberry juice stain for 10-15 minutes.
• Blot the cranberry juice stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Aged and Oxidized Cranberry Juice Stains: Borax

• Create a cranberry juice soaking solution with 2 ounces of Borax per 1 gallon of water.

• Soak the cranberry juice stained garment in the borax solution for several hours or over night.
• Rinse with clean water.

Test for colorfastness before using any of the spotting solutions. Apply a small amount of the solution on a white towel, blot that part of the towel on a hidden part o the garment. Check for color transfer on to the towel.

When done with the stain removal process, always clean the entire garment as recommended by the care label. Never leave garments unclean after using spotting or cleaning products. Over time the spotting agent can discolor, or yellow, and weaken the material.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for your health and the our environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Chocolate Stains.

How to Remove Milk Stains.

How to Remove a Chili Stain.

How to remove Oil Stains

How to Remove a Marinara Sauce Stain from a Pant.

It is next to impossible to eat pasta with a marinara sauce and not get some on yourself. No matter how hard I try. When I’m done with my plate and I look down and there it is a few specks on my shirt or pants, some on the placemat not to mention what the napkin look like. Tomato base stains are among some of the more difficult stains to remove. So be patient as it may take several attempts before achieving success. And treat the stains soon that later as it will set over time.

Test the colorfastness of the garment in a hidden area with the spotting solution of choice before attempting any stain removal.

Heinz Distilled White Vinegar and Dawn Dishwashing Liquid:

1.      Create a marinara sauce spotting solution with 1 part Dawn dishwashing liquid, 3 parts Heinz distilled white vinegar, and 3 parts water.

2.      For a small marinara sauce stained area apply the marinara sauce solution directly to the marinara sauce stain. For a large marinara sauce stained area soak the entire marinara sauce stained garment in the solution.

3.      Let the marinara sauce solution penetrate for 15-20 minutes.

4.      Rinse area with fresh water.

If we are not achieving the results desired, then switch to a stronger product.

BioKleen Bac-Out Enzyme Stain Remover:

1.      Apply enzyme stain remover directly to the marinara sauce stain.

2.      Let it penetrate the marinara sauce stain for 1-2 hours, re apply if it starts to dry out.

3.      Rinse area with fresh water.

Soaking the entire garment in the enzyme is a good idea for large stains or to prevent color loss from a specific area. Soak for several hours or overnight.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove a Tropical Fruit Punch Drink Stain.

How to Remove a Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce Stain.

How to Remove Red Wine Stains.

How to remove Olive Oil Stains

How to Remove Breast Milk Stains from a Down Comforter.

Breast milk is a strong bonding protein that is difficult to remove when it has dried and impossible to remove after it has aged. So as soon as your baby has finished spitting up all over you, quickly attend to the stain.

Fresh Breast Milk Stain.

Spotting Solution: Vaska Laundry Detergent

• Mix 1 part Vaska laundry detergent with 3 parts water to create a breast milk spotting solution.
• Apply the breast milk solution directly to the breast milk stain.
• Tamp (Tap) the breast milk stain with a brush.
• Let the breast milk solution penetrate the breast milk stain for 5-10 minutes.
• Rinse the breast milk stained area thoroughly with fresh water.

Dried Breast Milk Stain.

Enzyme Stain Remover: BioKleen’s Bac-Out

• Apply the Bac-Out directly to the breast milk stain.
• Tamp (Tap) the breast milk stain with a clean brush.
• Let the Bac-Out penetrate the breast milk stain for 1-2 hours. Re-apply if it starts to dry.
• Rinse the breast milk stained area thoroughly with fresh water.
• Enzymes take time to work. Repeat if necessary.

For stubborn breast milk stains soak the entire garment in the Bac-Out overnight.

Test First: in a hidden area apply the product to a white towel and dab in a hidden area of the garment. Check the towel to see if any color has transferred over. If the color is sensitive or the material is delicate, you must modify your technique.

Clean the entire garment per care label.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners, they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Grape Juice Stains.

How to Remove a Latte Stain.

How to Remove a Guacamole Stain.

How to remove Canola Oil Stains

How to Remove Red Raspberry Stains from a Jacket.

Red Raspberry is also known as Hindberry, Reapberry, Bramble, Gauriphal, by some. Whether the red raspberries are from a roadside bush, the farmers market, the Whole Foods organic grocery store, or the cheapest red raspberries you can find on sale, it doesn’t matter, they all stain the same.

Red Raspberry stain is a fruit stain making it an acidic tannin stain. Many of the spotting products such as Spray n Wash and Shout are high alkaline product, these products will change the structure of the red raspberry stain and make the stain much more difficult to remove. Stay away from these products for a tannin stain.

Choice of Products: Laundry Detergent, Distilled White Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Borax.

Fresh Red Raspberry Stain:

• Blot the raspberry stain with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat this step several times to remove the entire red raspberry stain.
• If necessary create a raspberry stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 1 part distilled white vinegar and 10 parts water.
• Apply the raspberry stain solution directly on to the red raspberry stain.
• Tamp (tap) the raspberry stain with a brush.
• Blot the raspberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Dried Red Raspberry Stain:

• Create a raspberry stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 5 part distilled white vinegar and 5 parts water.

• Apply the raspberry stain solution directly to the dried red raspberry stain.
• Tamp the raspberry stain with a brush.
• Let the raspberry stain solution penetrate the raspberry stain for 10-15 minutes.
• Blot the raspberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Stubborn Dried Red Raspberry Stain:

• Apply Hydrogen Peroxide directly to the stubborn dried red raspberry stain.
• Tamp the raspberry stain with a brush.
• Let the raspberry stain solution penetrate the raspberry stain for 15-20 minutes.
• Blot the raspberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat several times necessary.

*Hydrogen Peroxide is a natural bleaching agent that will remove color. Test in a hidden area before use.

Aged and Oxidized Red Raspberry Stains:

• Create a raspberry stain soaking solution with 2 ounces of Borax per 1 gallon of water.

• Soak the raspberry stained garment in the borax solution for several hours or over night.
• Rinse the entire garment with clean water.

Test for colorfastness before using any of the spotting solutions. Apply a small amount of the solution on a white towel, blot that part of the towel on a hidden part o the garment. Check for color transfer on to the towel.

When done with the stain removal process, always clean the entire garment as recommended by the care label. Never leave garments unclean after using spotting or cleaning products. Over time the spotting agent can discolor, or yellow, and weaken the material.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for your health and the our environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Grape Stains.

How to Remove Breast Milk Stains.

How to Remove a Peanut Butter and Jelly Stain.

How to Remove Blood Stains.

How to Remove Tea Stains from a Pant.

From a stain removal aspect tea is tea. Whether it is Fine Asian Green Tea from the herbal tea store, Celestial Seasonings Herbal Tea, Peet’s Spiced Tea, Starbuck’s Chai Tea, or Lipton Black Tea they are all made from tea leaves making the stain a Tannin stain. As with all tannin stains, it is always best to remove the stain as soon as possible, while the stain is wet it is much easier to remove. The longer we wait, the more difficult it will become to remove the stain and the stain will eventually set and oxidize over time.

Vaska Laundry Detergent:

• Create a spotting solution of 1 part Vaska Laundry Detergent, and 10 parts water.
• Apply this solution directly to the tea stain.
• Let the solution penetrate for a few minutes.
• Apply clean water to a white towel and blot stained area.
• Followed by blotting area with a dry towel.
• Repeat steps if necessary.

When done skip to Finishing Up.

Heinz Distilled White Vinegar:

• If the first steps did not achieve adequate results then continue; apply distilled white vinegar to the tea stain directly.
• Tap the stain lightly with a soft brush (toothbrush) to help the vinegar penetrate into the stain.
• Leave the vinegar on for a few minute to penetrate.
• Blot area with a wet white towel followed by a dry white towel.
• Repeat steps if necessary.

When done skip to Finishing Up.

Enzyme Stain Removers: BioKleen Bac-Out

• Apply the enzyme stain remover directly to the tea stain.
• Enzymes take time to work so apply the product a let it rest for 1-2 hours.
• Blot with a wet white towel followed by a dry white towel.
• Repeat steps if necessary.

FINISHING UP!

When done removing the stain always finish by cleaning the entire item per manufacture care instructions. Even benign spotting agents such as these will oxidize and yellow over time.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal and cleaning questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to remove Peanut Oil Stains

How to Remove a Urine Stain.

How to Remove Baby Formula Stains.

How to Remove Jam Stains.

How to Remove a Guacamole Stain from a Pant.

Chips and Guacamole, Yum! Yum! I can eat it all day but wearing it is a different story. Quickly remove it with: Dawn Dishwashing Liquid and water.

Use a butter knife or spoon to lightly scrape off any solid pieces of guacamole without smearing it or embedding it further into the material. Then create a spotting solution to lift off the remaining guacamole from the material.

• Create a guacamole stain spotting solution with 1 part Dawn Dishwashing Liquid, 5 parts water.

• Apply the guacamole stain solution directly to the guacamole stain.
• Tamp the guacamole stain with a brush.
• Let the guacamole stain solution rest on the guacamole stain for 5-10 minutes to penetrate.
• Rinse the guacamole stained area with fresh water.
• If necessary repeat steps.

Finish by cleaning the entire item as recommended by the care label.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Department of Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Coffee Stains.

How to remove Corn Oil Stains

How to Remove Caffe Mocha Stains.

How to Remove Jelly Stains.

How to Remove a Latte Stain from a Blouse.

Sitting outside at the local café, ok Starbucks, on a nice sunny day sipping a latte and people watching is as relaxing as getting a massage. So don’t stress out when you look down and see latte dribbled down the front of your shirt.

Attack the latte stain immediately for fantastic results.

Create a powerful Latte stain spotting solution with Vaska Laundry Detergent and Heinz Distilled White Vinegar to remove that nasty latte stain.

• Create a latte stain spotting solution with 1 part Vaska laundry detergent, 1 part Heinz distilled white vinegar and 5 parts water.

• Apply the latte stain solution directly to the latte stain.
• Tamp the latte stain with a brush.
• Let the latte stain solution rest on the latte stain for 5-10 minutes to penetrate the latte stain.
• Rinse the latte stained area with fresh water.
• If necessary repeat steps.

Test for color bleeding in a hidden area of the garment before proceeding with any stain removal product. Using a white towel apply a small amount of the solution onto the towel and dab a hidden area of the garment. If color transfers to the towel re-evaluate the use of the product and technique. Rubbing and scrubbing can cause excess color lost.

Finish by cleaning the entire item as recommended by the care label.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Department of Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Peanut Butter Stains.

How to Remove Bolognese Sauce Stains.

How to Remove Sesame Oil Stains

How to Remove Cappuccino Stains.

How to Remove Tomato Sauce Stains from Clothes.

You say Tomato – I say Toe mot toe, no matter how you say it, it stains the same. It is a tannin stain and it is also one of the more difficult to remove stains. Attack it quickly for best results.

Create a spotting solution with Dawn Dishwashing Liquid and Heinz Distilled White Vinegar.

• Mix 1 part Dawn Dishwashing Liquid, 3 parts Heinz Distilled White Vinegar, and 3 parts water to create a tomato sauce stain remover.
• Apply the tomato sauce solution directly to the tomato sauce stain.
• Tamp the tomato sauce stain with a brush to help the solution penetrate the tomato sauce stain.
• Let the tomato sauce stain solution penetrate the tomato sauce stain for 5-10 minutes.
• Launder as normal.

Need more muscle?

Create a soaking solution Sodium Borate: Borax

• Mix 2 ounces of Borax per 1 gallon of water in a bucket to create a tomato sauce stain soaking solution.
• Emerge the entire tomato sauce stained garment into the Borax solution.
• Soak the tomato sauce stained item for 3-4 hours.
• Periodically check tomato stained area and for color loss.
• Launder as normal.

Test First: in a hidden area apply the spotting solution to a white towel and dab a hidden area of the garment. Check the towel for color transfer. If color transfers to the towel re-evaluate the use of the product and technique. Rubbing and scrubbing will cause excess color lost.

Each item differs in colorfastness and sensitivity. Seek professional help if necessary.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Soy Baby Formula Stains.

How to Remove Pineapple Juice Stains.

How to Remove Decaffeinated Coffee Stains.

How to Remove Perspiration Stains.

How to Remove a Tropical Fruit Punch Drink Stain from Clothes.

As a child I loved tropical fruit punch drinks and Hawaiian Punch was my all time favorite. But from a green dry cleaners perspective…What the heck is in there? Is there really tropical fruit and how did it become red?

The original tropical fruit punch contained seven tropical fruits: apple, apricot, guava, orange, papaya, passion fruit, and pineapple. Many of these tropical fruits are reddish in color which explains why the drink is red. Fruits are categorized in the Tannin Stain family so we need to address the stain as such.

It is always best to remove the stain as soon as it happens. While the stain is wet it is much easier to remove. The longer you wait the more difficult it will become and eventually the stain will set to become difficult to remove.

Create a tropical punch stain spotting solution comprised of Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent, Heinz Distilled White Vinegar, and Water.

• Create a tropical punch stain spotting solution of 1 part Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent, 5 parts Heinz Distilled White Vinegar, and 5 parts water.
• Apply this tropical punch stain solution directly to the tropical punch stain.
• Tamp the tropical punch stain with a brush.
• Let the tropical punch stain solution penetrate the tropical punch stain for a few minutes.
• Apply clean water to a white towel and blot the tropical punch stained area followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat again if necessary.

Need more help?

Create a tropical punch stain soaking solution with Borax.

• Create a tropical punch stain soaking solution with 2 ounces of Borax per 1 gallon of water in a bucket.
• Soak the entire tropical punch stained garment in the Borax soaking solution.
• Let the tropical punch stained garment soak for several hours.
• Check status of the tropical punch stain. Continue to soak if necessary.
• Rinse tropical punch stained area with fresh water.

FINISHING UP!

When done removing the stain always finish by cleaning the entire item per manufacture care instructions. Even benign spotting agents such as these will oxidize and yellow over time.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal and cleaning questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Butter Stains

How to Remove Soy Milk Stains.

How to Remove Apple Juice Stains.

How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains.

How to remove a Fishy, Musty Smell from Clothes.

A fishy smell will generally wash out with a good laundry detergent, however if you went wrestling with a 100 pound sturgeon and lost then the stain and smell will be a little more difficult to handle. Or perhaps you stored something in the closet that is damp and moist. In any case we will need to use a two step technique.

First launder the fishy, musty item with a good laundry detergent.

Liquid Laundry Detergent. (Vaska or Seventh Generation)

Then soak the item in an enzyme stain remover to eliminate the fishy, musty smell.

Enzyme stain remover. (BioKleen Bac-Out or Earth Friendly Product’s Everyday Stain & Odor Remover)

• Soak the fishy, musty smelling item in a bucket with an enzyme stain remover.
• Let the product soak 4-5 hours, or overnight on the fishy, musty smelling item.
• Launder as normal.

Seek professional help if necessary. Each garment and stain vary due to material, color, and structure. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Ice Cream Stains.

How to Remove a Vomit Stain.

How to Remove Hand Lotion Stains

How to remove Highlighter Ink Stains

How to Remove a Cake Stain from Clothes.

The majority of a cake stain is oil from the cake and sugar from the frosting. The solids from the cake will easily wipe off. With a butter knife or spoon lightly scrape off any solid cake without imbedding the cake further into the material.  Applying a good oil remover and water will easily release the stain.

Dawn Dishwashing Liquid is a great oil remove because it is designed to remove oils from your dishes. I like this because it works well and everyone has some readily available in the kitchen.

• Create a cake stain pre spotter using 1 part Dawn dishwashing liquid and 10 parts water.
• Apply the cake stain solution directly to the cake stain.
• Tamp the cake stain with a brush to help solution penetrate the cake stain.
• Let the cake stain solution rest on cake stain for 5-10 minutes to penetrate into the cake stain.
• Rinse cake stained area with fresh water.

Remember to always evaluated color and material. Test for color bleeding in a hidden area of the garment before proceeding with stain removal. Using a white towel apply a small amount of the solution onto the towel and dab a hidden area of the garment. If color transfers to the towel re-evaluate the use of the product and technique. Rubbing and scrubbing can cause excess color lost.

Finish by cleaning the entire item as recommended by the care label.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Apple Sauce Stains.

How to Remove Oatmeal Stains.

How to Remove Maple Syrup Stains.

How to Remove Skin Cream Stains.

How to Remove a Chili Stain from Clothes.

ON FIRE! That’s my mouth at a chili cook off. Every chili I try seams to be hot than the one before and when I’m done my shirt has sampled more than I. How do I remove a chili stain?

Chili is a complex stain. There are as many different ingredients in chili as there are people in this world. Just look on Hormel’s website, Stagg’s website, or google chili ingredients to see a huge variety of recipes. So let’s break it down to the basics: water, protein of some sort (meat, beans), tomato, onion and spices, lots of spices.

It is always best to remove the stain as soon as it happens. While the stain is wet it is much easier to remove. The longer you wait the more difficult it will become and eventually the stain will set to become impossible to remove.

We are going to use a two step process to remove the chili stain.

First: Create a spotting solution with Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent, Heinz Distilled White Vinegar, and Water.

• Create a chili stain spotting solution of 1 part Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent, 5 parts Heinz Distilled White Vinegar, and 5 parts water.
• Apply this chili stain solution directly to the chili stain.
• Tamp the chili stain with a brush.
• Let the chili stain solution penetrate the chili stain for a few minutes.
• Apply clean water to a white towel and blot the chili stained area followed by a dry towel.

Second: Apply an Enzyme Stain Remover such as BioKleen’s Bac-Out or Earth Friendly Product’s Everyday Stain & Odor Remover.

• Apply the Enzyme Stain Remover directly to the chili stain. Or for a large chili stained area soak the entire garment in the Enzyme Stain Remover
• Let the enzyme stain remove rest or soak for several hours or overnight.
• Blot area with a wet white towel followed by a dry white towel or rinse with clean water.
• Repeat these steps again if necessary.

FINISHING UP!

When done removing the stain always finish by cleaning the entire item per manufacture care instructions. Even benign spotting agents such as these will oxidize and yellow over time.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal and cleaning questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Popsicle Stains.

How to Remove Hot Chocolate Stains.

How to Remove Grapefruit Juice Stains.

How to Remove Motor Oil Stains

What is truly green dry cleaning?

(article printed in The Daily Journal; October 08, 2009, 10:40pm by Julianna Mo)

Have you ever wondered what green dry cleaning really means? This term can confuse even the most educated consumer because there are no universally accepted guidelines as to what qualifies as a “green dry cleaner.” Many dry cleaners plaster the words “Eco-friendly,” “Organic” and “Nontoxic” all over their windows but what do those words truly mean? …

The main issue for dry cleaners is the toxicity of the process. The traditional solvent, Perchloroethylene (Perc) is still used by about 90 percent of the dry cleaning industry. It is a chlorinated solvent that accumulates in human body fat and is a known carcinogen. Perc has been shown to cause various cancers, respiratory illnesses and cause myriad health issues. Many dry cleaners have experienced firsthand the harmful effects of traditional dry cleaning solvents such as Perc through contamination of their land soil as well as serious health problems. Because of this, the California Air Resources Board has mandated a phase-out of Perc systems, which will begin in July 2010 and end by 2023.

Because of these toxicity issues, a number of alternatives have emerged although there are questions regarding some of them. Some dry cleaners use a silicone based solvent otherwise known as “Green Earth,” but laboratory studies have shown tumor growths in mice. And many dry cleaners use a petroleum based solvent, “Hydro Carbon,” which is in fact a Volatile Organic Compound.

So what are the best alternatives? Two options have emerged as safer alternatives: Professional wet cleaning and carbon dioxide cleaning (CO2). The professional wet cleaning system utilizes a special 100 percent biodegradable detergent, which is gentler than household detergents and acts as a solvent in conjunction with a gentle mechanical action to clean your clothes. Traditional machines that use harsh solvents often just “cover” your stains. This explains why white clothes return with a grayish tone. Professional Wet Cleaning also preserves better the color and fabric of clothing. Contrary to a mistaken belief, professional wet cleaning does not shrink clothes. Lastly, professional wet cleaning often utilizes citrus- and palm oil-based products in its pre-spotting process, which are also 100 percent biodegradable and safe for sensitive and infant skin.

Carbon dioxide cleaning utilizes pressurized gaseous and liquid carbon dioxide in combination with special detergents to clean clothes. Similar to professional wet cleaning, CO2 uses a special mechanical action to prevent damage to clothing. The CO2 itself is composed of by-products of existing industrial processes. At the end of a cycle, the CO2 is pumped back into a storage tank and can be reused. This is the same carbon dioxide which at room temperature is used to carbonate soft drinks and in its solid form is also known as dry ice.

These two systems also have the additional benefit of not generating toxic hazardous waste as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) do. Both professional wet cleaning and CO2 are approved by the EPA and are supported by many environmental protection advocates. It is important that consumers become aware of the harmful effects of traditional dry cleaning and the availability of safer alternatives.

What should one look for? If the dry cleaner is exclusively using one of the two safer aforementioned systems, it can qualify for a Green Business Certification. Consumers can also encourage local cleaners to switch to safer pre-spotting alternatives or to switch completely to either the professional wet cleaning or CO2 methods.

Julianna Mo is the co-owner of Snow White Dry Cleaners, a Certified Green Business in San Mateo County and city.

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Milk Stains from Wool.

How to Remove an Oil Stain from Rayon.

How to Remove Red Wine from Silk

How to remove a Coffee Stain from Cotton.

What Makes Pacific Heights Cleaners Different Than Other Dry Cleaners.

What Makes Us Different:

To put this into context, there are more dry cleaners than Starbucks, so why make the effort to come use us.

Years ago we made a huge commitment to preserve our environment without sacrificing our commitment to service, quality, and values. We started with our version of recycling, we reused products, long before the cities and counties had recycling programs. Approximately 15 years ago we offered reusable garment bags to replace plastic bags, we failed terribly, we were just a few years ahead of our time.

Our latest venture is to dry clean without the use of solvents (hazardous or not). Our specially designed computer controlled machines allow us delicately clean everything from your haute couture garments to everyday sportswear. This has earned us recognition from government agencies to the news media to dry cleaners around the world.

Since most dirt and stains are water soluble, this non toxic Wet Clean process leaves the garments cleaner, softer, and brighter than solvent dry cleaning. Unlike solvent (Percholoroethylene or PERC, Greenearth, Rynex, Hydrocarbon, DF2000) dry cleaning, there is no distillation, therefore, no redeposition (greying or yellowing of light color garments). A new batch of cleaning solution is made for each load and disposed of down the drain, eliminating the need for toxic waste handlers to remove the old solvent.

To further increase our quality, we have revamped our pressing machines to computer controlled finishing units. These unit provide the care required from fine designer garments. Simply put, in lieu of pressing we blow the garments with steam and air to eliminate the wrinkles. This process creates a much livelier, softer looking material, all the while being gentler on the fabric.

Have you ever noticed the pleats, ruffles, or seams on your garments that had the HECK smashed out of them and showing through to the surface of the material. Pressing the garments smashes the material smooth, that’s great if you have a flat piece of fabric like a sheet, but garments have shape and style to them. Our new finishing units allow us to gently steam out wrinkles to let the garment hang naturally, hence why you pay extra for fine designer garments.

Zero Breast Cancer Dipsea Hike/Run Fundraiser.

Sausalito Floating Home Tour.

We support our community events because without our community support we could not survive. We also support our industry by educating and training other dry cleaners in the Wet Clean system because the hazards of the dry cleaning solvents effect everyone’s health and our environment.

We all know that not all coffee houses provide the same quality of coffee, and not all dry cleaners provide the same quality, knowledge, expertise, and value. Without compromise, we take the time to care for your garments to provide you with the cleanest most beautiful result possible.

Pacific Heights Cleaners is your non toxic alternative to solvent dry cleaning, making a difference in our little corner of the world.

Other Articles of Interest:

How to remove chocolate stains from Wool.

How to Remove a Blood Stain From Rayon.

How to Remove a Milk Stain from Cotton.

How to remove a Oil Stain from Silk.

“Karl, I wanted to say thank you for the nice gift certficate for your cleaners, I love the level of service I get and finally have found a GOOD dry cleaners, Thank you, Susan R.”

How to Remove Chocolate Milk Stains from a Clothes.

General Info: Regardless of the chocolate milk manufacture, whether it’s Nesquik, Hershey or Clover Stornetta, most chocolate milk contain chocolate, sugar, and milk. Milk is a strong bonding protein and needs to be address sooner than later.

How to test for colorfastness: Take the stain removal product and apply small amount to a white towel. Take that part of the towel and blot a hidden area of the garment to see if color transfers over to the white towel.

First step: You can easily blot off a fresh chocolate milk stain with a dry towel as soon as it happens. Follow that by blotting it with a wet towel, and then again with a dry towel.

Like many stain once you let it dry it becomes more difficult to remove.

Need Help: Once the chocolate milk stain has dried you will need to resort to products to remove it. Laundry detergent and water is always a good place to start. Create a spotting solution with 1part Vaska Laundry Detergent with 6 parts water.

• Apply the chocolate milk stain spotting solution directly to the chocolate milk stain.
• Tamp the chocolate milk stain with a brush.
• Wait a few minutes.
• Blot the chocolate milk stain with a dry white towel, and then blot with a wet white towel, followed again by a dry white towel.
• Repeat again if necessary.

Skip to Finishing Up.

Need More Help: BioKleen Bac-Out is a great enzyme product to use on chocolate milk stains

• Apply the Bac-Out directly to the chocolate milk stain.

• Tamp the chocolate milk stain with a brush.
• Wait a 1-2 hour. Do not let the Bac-Out dry. Reapply if necessary.
• Blot the chocolate stained area with a dry white towel, and then blot with a wet white towel, followed again by a dry white towel.
• Repeat again if necessary.

Finishing Up:

Once the stain starts to dissipate dry clean (wet clean) or wash the garment per manufactures care label. It is not advised to leave spotting agents on a garment for long periods of time as it will age and discolor or yellow.

Seek professional help with your specific garment if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Chocolate Stains from Silk.

How to remove a Blood Stain from Cotton.

How to Remove a Coffee Stain from Rayon.

How to Remove Red Wine Stains from Wool.

How to Remove Ravioli Sauce Stains from a Skirt.

Ravioli’s date back to the 14^th Century in letters written by some guy named Francesco di Marco, however if a ravioli stain is that old my best educated guess would be it’s permanent. So don’t even try to remove the stain because you will damage the material in the process. Instead call the local museum to tell them you have an historical artifact.

Test the color of the garment in a hidden area with the spotting solution of choice to see if it is colorfast before apply to garment.

Create a ravioli stain spotting solution with 1 part Dawn Dishwashing Liquid, 3 parts Heinz Distilled White Vinegar, and 3 parts Water.

1.      For a small ravioli stained area apply the solution directly to the ravioli stain.

2.      Tamp the ravioli stain with a brush.

3.      Let the ravioli stain solution penetrate stain for 15-20 minutes.

4.      Launder as normal.

If we are not achieving the results desired, then use a stronger product. Enzyme stain removers such as BioKleen’s Bac-Out can be found in the laundry department of most grocery stores such as Whole Foods.

1.      Apply the enzyme stain remover directly to the ravioli stain.

2.      Let it penetrate the ravioli stain for 1-2 hours, re apply if it starts to dry out.

3.      Launder as normal.

Soaking the entire garment in the enzyme is a good idea for large stains or to prevent color loss from a specific area. Soak for several hours or overnight.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to remove a Red Wine Stain from Rayon.

How to remove a Oil Stain from Cotton

How to Remove Coffee Stains from Wool.

How to remove a Blood Stain from Silk.

How to Remove Cat Feces Stains from a Comforter.

Having your kitty on your lap and gently petting them is a comforting feeling. But looking down and seeing a skid mark (feces stain) is not a pleasant sight. A cat feces stain is a water soluble stain thus a good laundry detergent will easily break it down and lift it out.

Vaska Laundry Detergent:

1.      Create a cat feces pre spotting solution with 1 part Vaska Laundry Detergent and 5 parts water.

2.      Apply a small amount of the cat feces solution directly onto the cat feces stain.

3.      Tamp the cat feces stain with a brush to help the solution penetrate the cat feces stain.

4.      Let it rest on the cat feces for a few minutes.

5.      Rinse area with fresh water.

Any residual smell can be removed using an enzyme stain remover. Enzyme stain removers can be found in the laundry department of most grocery stores or in pet stores.

BioKleen’s Bac-Out or Earth Friendly Product’s Every Day Stain & Odor Remover

1.      Apply a small amount of the enzyme stain remover onto the cat feces stained area.

2.      Let it rest on the cat feces stain for 1-2 hours, re-apply if it starts to dry out.

3.      Rinse area with fresh water.

Done?

It is best to dry clean or launder garments when done with the spotting process. Leaving residual spotting solutions on the garment will oxidize over time and cause yellowing.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to remove chocolate stains from Rayon.

How to Remove Red Wine from Cotton.

How to Remove Oil Stains from Wool.

How to Remove a Milk Stain from Silk.

How to Remove Cranberry Juice Stains from a Down Comforter.

Cranberry juice is a great prevention for avoiding bladder infections. It is not so great when textiles are stained with cranberries.

Fresh Cranberry Juice Stain: Vaska Laundry Detergent

• Blot the cranberry juice stain with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat this step several times to remove the entire cranberry juice stain.
• If necessary create a cranberry juice stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 1 part distilled white vinegar and 10 parts water.
• Apply the cranberry juice stain solution directly on to the cranberry juice stain.
• Tamp (tap) the cranberry juice stain with a brush.
• Blot the cranberry juice stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Dried Cranberry Juice Stain: Heinz Distilled White Vinegar

• Create a cranberry juice stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 5 part distilled white vinegar and 5 parts water.

• Apply the cranberry juice stain solution directly to the dried cranberry juice stain.
• Tamp the cranberry juice stained area with a brush.
• Let the cranberry juice stain solution penetrate the cranberry juice stain for 10-15 minutes.
• Blot the cranberry juice stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Aged and Oxidized Cranberry Juice Stains: Borax

• Create a cranberry juice soaking solution with 2 ounces of Borax per 1 gallon of water.

• Soak the cranberry juice stained garment in the borax solution for several hours or over night.
• Rinse with clean water.

Test for colorfastness before using any of the spotting solutions. Apply a small amount of the solution on a white towel, blot that part of the towel on a hidden part o the garment. Check for color transfer on to the towel.

When done with the stain removal process, always clean the entire garment as recommended by the care label. Never leave garments unclean after using spotting or cleaning products. Over time the spotting agent can discolor, or yellow, and weaken the material.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for your health and the our environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Red Raspberry Stains from a Parka.

Red Raspberry is also known as Hindberry, Reapberry, Bramble, Gauriphal, by some. Whether the red raspberries are from a roadside bush, the farmers market, the Whole Foods organic grocery store, or the cheapest red raspberries you can find on sale, it doesn’t matter, they all stain the same.

Red Raspberry stain is a fruit stain making it an acidic tannin stain. Many of the spotting products such as Spray n Wash and Shout are high alkaline product, these products will change the structure of the red raspberry stain and make the stain much more difficult to remove. Stay away from these products for a tannin stain.

Choice of Products: Laundry Detergent, Distilled White Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Borax.

Fresh Red Raspberry Stain:

• Blot the raspberry stain with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat this step several times to remove the entire red raspberry stain.
• If necessary create a raspberry stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 1 part distilled white vinegar and 10 parts water.
• Apply the raspberry stain solution directly on to the red raspberry stain.
• Tamp (tap) the raspberry stain with a brush.
• Blot the raspberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Dried Red Raspberry Stain:

• Create a raspberry stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 5 part distilled white vinegar and 5 parts water.

• Apply the raspberry stain solution directly to the dried red raspberry stain.
• Tamp the raspberry stain with a brush.
• Let the raspberry stain solution penetrate the raspberry stain for 10-15 minutes.
• Blot the raspberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Stubborn Dried Red Raspberry Stain:

• Apply Hydrogen Peroxide directly to the stubborn dried red raspberry stain.
• Tamp the raspberry stain with a brush.
• Let the raspberry stain solution penetrate the raspberry stain for 15-20 minutes.
• Blot the raspberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat several times necessary.

*Hydrogen Peroxide is a natural bleaching agent that will remove color. Test in a hidden area before use.

Aged and Oxidized Red Raspberry Stains:

• Create a raspberry stain soaking solution with 2 ounces of Borax per 1 gallon of water.

• Soak the raspberry stained garment in the borax solution for several hours or over night.
• Rinse the entire garment with clean water.

Test for colorfastness before using any of the spotting solutions. Apply a small amount of the solution on a white towel, blot that part of the towel on a hidden part o the garment. Check for color transfer on to the towel.

When done with the stain removal process, always clean the entire garment as recommended by the care label. Never leave garments unclean after using spotting or cleaning products. Over time the spotting agent can discolor, or yellow, and weaken the material.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for your health and the our environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Chocolate Stains from Cotton.

How to Remove Blood Stains from Wool.

How to remove a Coffee stain from Silk.

How to Remove a Milk Stain from Rayon.

How to Remove Tea Stains from a Nightgown.

From a stain removal aspect tea is tea. Whether it is Fine Asian Green Tea from the herbal tea store, Celestial Seasonings Herbal Tea, Peet’s Spiced Tea, Starbuck’s Chai Tea, or Lipton Black Tea they are all made from tea leaves making the stain a Tannin stain. As with all tannin stains, it is always best to remove the stain as soon as possible, while the stain is wet it is much easier to remove. The longer we wait, the more difficult it will become to remove the stain and the stain will eventually set and oxidize over time.

Vaska Laundry Detergent:

• Create a spotting solution of 1 part Vaska Laundry Detergent, and 10 parts water.
• Apply this solution directly to the tea stain.
• Let the solution penetrate for a few minutes.
• Apply clean water to a white towel and blot stained area.
• Followed by blotting area with a dry towel.
• Repeat steps if necessary.

When done skip to Finishing Up.

Heinz Distilled White Vinegar:

• If the first steps did not achieve adequate results then continue; apply distilled white vinegar to the tea stain directly.
• Tap the stain lightly with a soft brush (toothbrush) to help the vinegar penetrate into the stain.
• Leave the vinegar on for a few minute to penetrate.
• Blot area with a wet white towel followed by a dry white towel.
• Repeat steps if necessary.

When done skip to Finishing Up.

Enzyme Stain Removers: BioKleen Bac-Out

• Apply the enzyme stain remover directly to the tea stain.
• Enzymes take time to work so apply the product a let it rest for 1-2 hours.
• Blot with a wet white towel followed by a dry white towel.
• Repeat steps if necessary.

FINISHING UP!

When done removing the stain always finish by cleaning the entire item per manufacture care instructions. Even benign spotting agents such as these will oxidize and yellow over time.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal and cleaning questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Popsicle Stains.

How to Remove Hot Chocolate Stains.

How to Remove Grapefruit Juice Stains.

How to Remove Motor Oil Stains

How to Remove a Sour Cream Stain from a Blanket.

Sour Cream is a protein stain. As the protein dries and ages it becomes more difficult to remove. Use a butter knife or spoon to scrape off as much of the sour cream as possible without embedding it into the material. Then proceed with creating a spotting solution to remove the remainder of the sour cream stain.

Dawn Dishwashing Liquid:

• Mix 1 part Dawn Dishwashing Liquid with 3 parts water to create a sour cream spotting solution.
• Apply the sour cream spotting solution directly to the sour cream stain.
• Tamp the sour cream stain (Tap) with a brush.
• Let the sour cream solution rest on stain for 5-10 minutes to penetrate into the sour cream stain.
• Rinse the sour cream stained area with fresh water.

Continue with an Enzyme Stain Remover if necessary:

BioKeen’s Bac-Out or Earth Friendly Product’s Everyday Stain & Odor Remover.

• Apply the enzyme stain remover directly to the sour cream stain.
• Tamp the sour cream stain (Tap) with a clean brush.
• Let the enzyme stain remover rest on sour cream stain for 30-45 minute to penetrate into the sour cream stain. Re-apply if it starts to dry.
• Rinse the sour cream stained area with fresh water

Test First: in a hidden area apply the product to a white towel and dab in a hidden area of the garment. Check the towel to see if any color has transferred over. If the color is sensitive or the material is delicate, you must modify your technique.

Regardless of the product used it is important to clean the entire garment after completing the stain removal process. Any product residue will age and oxidize over time and cause yellowing or discoloration.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners, they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Apple Sauce Stains.

How to Remove Oatmeal Stains.

How to Remove Maple Syrup Stains.

How to Remove Skin Cream Stains.

How to remove a Fish Stain from a Sweatshirt.

A fish stain will generally wash out with a good laundry detergent, however if you went wrestling with a fish and lost then the stain and smell will be a little more difficult to handle. In the case of the latter we will need a two step technique.

First pre treat the fish stained area with a good laundry detergent.

Liquid Laundry Detergent. (Vaska or Seventh Generation)

• Dilute 1 part laundry detergent with 3 part water to create a fish stain spotting solution.
• Apply the fish stain solution directly to the fish stain.
• Tamp the fish stain (Tap) with a brush.
• Let fish stain solution rest on the fish stain for 5-10 minutes to penetrate.
• Rinse area thoroughly with fresh water.

Then apply an enzyme stain remover to eliminate the fishy smell.

Enzyme stain remover. (BioKleen Bac-Out or Earth Friendly Product’s Everyday Stain & Odor Remover)

• Apply the product directly to the fishy smelling area.
• Tamp the fish stain (Tap) with a clean brush.
• Let product rest on the fish stain for 1-2 hours to penetrate, reapply the stained area if it starts to dry.
• Rinse the fish stained area thoroughly with fresh water.
• Repeat if necessary.

Test First: in a hidden area apply the spotting solution to a white towel and dab a hidden area of the garment. Check the towel for color transfer. If color transfers to the towel re-evaluate the use of the product and technique. Rubbing and scrubbing will cause excess color lost.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Ice Cream Stains.

How to Remove a Vomit Stain.

How to Remove Hand Lotion Stains

How to remove Highlighter Ink Stains

How to Remove Pesto Sauce Stains from a Sweater.

FOOD FIGHT!

No matter who won the fight, you, your fork, or your friend sitting across the table from you, the results are the same. Pesto Sauce everywhere! Luckily pesto sauce is more of less oil and herbs. So once we break down the oil everything else will lift off with it. End the victory dance quickly and treat the pesto sauce stains and prepare to battle again.

Dawn Dishwashing Liquid:

• Apply the Dawn Dishwashing Liquid directly to the pesto sauce stain.
• Tamp the pesto sauce stain with a brush to help it penetrate the pesto stain.
• Let the Dawn rest on pesto sauce stain for 5-10 minutes.
• Rinse the pesto sauce stained area with fresh water.
• Repeat steps if necessary. Stubborn oil stains may take a few attempts.

Something Stronger – CitraSolv Degreaser:

• Create a Stronger pesto sauce stain remover with 1 part Dawn Dishwashing Liquid, 2 parts CITRASOLV Degreaser.
• Apply the pesto sauce stain remover directly to the pesto sauce stain.

• Tamp the pesto sauce stain with a brush to help it penetrate the pesto sauce stain.
• Let the pesto sauce stain remover rest on the pesto sauce stain for 5-10 minutes to penetrate.
• Rinse the pesto sauce stain area with fresh water.
• Repeat steps if necessary. Stubborn pesto sauce stains may take a few attempts.

For large pesto sauce stained areas or Items with excess color loss: Soak the entire item in the solution of 1 ounce of Dawn Dishwashing Liquid, 5 ounces of CitraSolv Degreaser per 1 gallon of water for several hours or overnight.

Remember to always evaluated color and material. Test for color bleeding in a hidden area of the garment before proceeding with any stain removal product. Using a white towel apply a small amount of the solution onto the towel and dab a hidden area of the garment. If color transfers to the towel re-evaluate the use of the product and technique. Rubbing and scrubbing can cause excess color lost.

Finish by cleaning the entire item as recommended by the care label.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Department of Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Butter Stains

How to Remove Soy Milk Stains.

How to Remove Apple Juice Stains.

How to Remove Soy Sauce Stains.

How to Remove Cranberry Stains from a Slack.

Whether the cranberries are from the farmers market, Whole Foods organic grocery store, or the cheapest cranberries you can find on sale, it doesn’t matter, they all stain the same.

A cranberry stain is an acidic tannin stain. Many of the spotting products such as Spray n Wash and Shout are high alkaline products. These products will change the structure to of the cranberry stain and make the stain much more difficult to remove. Stay away from these products for a tannin stain.

Choice of Products: Laundry Detergent, Distilled White Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Borax.

Fresh Cranberry Stain:

• Blot the cranberry stain with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat this step several times to remove the entire cranberry stain.
• If necessary create a cranberry stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 1 part distilled white vinegar and 10 parts water.
• Apply the cranberry stain solution directly on to the cranberry stain.
• Tamp (tap) the cranberry stain with a brush.
• Blot the cranberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Dried Cranberry Stain:

• Create a cranberry stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 5 part distilled white vinegar and 5 parts water.

• Apply the cranberry stain solution directly to the dried cranberry stain.
• Tamp the cranberry stain with a brush.
• Let the cranberry stain solution penetrate for 10-15 minutes.
• Blot the cranberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Stubborn Dried Cranberry Stain:

• Apply Hydrogen Peroxide directly to the stubborn dried cranberry stain.
• Tamp the cranberry stain with a brush.
• Let the cranberry stain solution penetrate the cranberry stain for 15-20 minutes.
• Blot the cranberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat several times necessary.

*Hydrogen Peroxide is a natural bleaching agent that will remove color. Test in a hidden area before use.

Aged and Oxidized Cranberry Stains:

• Create a cranberry stain soaking solution with 2 ounces Borax per 1 gallon of water.

• Soak the cranberry stained garment in the borax solution for several hours or over night.
• Rinse with clean water.

Test for colorfastness before using any of the spotting solutions. Apply a small amount of the solution on a white towel, blot that part of the towel on a hidden part o the garment. Check for color transfer on to the towel.

When done with the stain removal process, always clean the entire garment as recommended by the care label. Never leave garments unclean after using spotting or cleaning products. Over time the spotting agent can discolor, or yellow, and weaken the material.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for your health and the our environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Soy Baby Formula Stains.

How to Remove Pineapple Juice Stains.

How to Remove Decaffeinated Coffee Stains.

How to Remove Perspiration Stains.

How to Remove Cat Urine Stains from a Clothes.

Cat Urine…Wow!  What a difficult problem. Cats are intelligent creatures. We regularly see cat’s urinate on their owner’s prized possessions, i.e. comforter, blanket, and pillows when they are upset with the owner. Often this is when the owner leaves the cat locked in the house for a long weekend. When the owner returns home the cat will urinate on the bedding to show their dissatisfaction.

A cat urine stain is composed of many different matters: salts, minerals, and pigment. Cat urine is a water soluble stain that will wash out if the stain is still wet. A dried and set cat urine stains will need a lot of extra help in the form of an enzyme.

Either apply the enzyme directly on the cat urine stain or use the enzyme solution to soak the entire garment, the technique you choose to use will depend on the amount of urine and the color of the garment. If there is a little urine stain, than apply the enzyme directly to the stain, but if there is a lot of urine or the color bleeds, then soaking the garment is a better choice.

A good enzyme remover will remove all of the visual stain and smell unless it has oxidized, in which case the enzyme will remove the smell but not all the visual stain.

In some cases the yellow oxidized stain can be removed with an oxygenated non chlorine bleach.

Urine Stain:

Enzyme Stain Remove: BioKleen’s Bac-Out or Earth Friendly Product’s Everyday Stain and Odor Remover.

• Apply the enzyme stain remover directly to the cat urine stain or soak the entire cat urine stained garment.
• Let the enzyme stain remover rest on the cat urine stained garment or soak the entire garment for several hours. Keep stained area covered with enzyme, do not let the area dry out.
• Rinse area with fresh water.

Oxidized Yellowed Urine Stain:

Oxygenated Non Chlorine Bleach – Sodium Carbonate & Sodium Percarbonate: Earth Friendly Product’s OXO Bright or Oxiclean.

• Create a cat urine soaking solution with 2 ounces of product per 1 gallon of water.
• Soak entire cat urine stained garment for several hours.
• Launder as normal.

If you are uncertain on how to handle a certain type of material then consult your professional dry cleaner.

Karl

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non-toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today – and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

More Questions?

Email me at kh@eco-drycleaners.com with questions.

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Peanut Butter Stains.

How to Remove Bolognese Sauce Stains.

How to Remove Sesame Oil Stains

How to Remove Cappuccino Stains.

How to Remove a Marinara Sauce Stain from a Polo Shirt.

It is next to impossible to eat pasta with a marinara sauce and not get some on yourself. No matter how hard I try. When I’m done with my plate and I look down and there it is a few specks on my shirt or pants, some on the placemat not to mention what the napkin look like. Tomato base stains are among some of the more difficult stains to remove. So be patient as it may take several attempts before achieving success. And treat the stains soon that later as it will set over time.

Test the colorfastness of the garment in a hidden area with the spotting solution of choice before attempting any stain removal.

Heinz Distilled White Vinegar and Dawn Dishwashing Liquid:

1.      Create a marinara sauce spotting solution with 1 part Dawn dishwashing liquid, 3 parts Heinz distilled white vinegar, and 3 parts water.

2.      For a small marinara sauce stained area apply the marinara sauce solution directly to the marinara sauce stain. For a large marinara sauce stained area soak the entire marinara sauce stained garment in the solution.

3.      Let the marinara sauce solution penetrate for 15-20 minutes.

4.      Rinse area with fresh water.

If we are not achieving the results desired, then switch to a stronger product.

BioKleen Bac-Out Enzyme Stain Remover:

1.      Apply enzyme stain remover directly to the marinara sauce stain.

2.      Let it penetrate the marinara sauce stain for 1-2 hours, re apply if it starts to dry out.

3.      Rinse area with fresh water.

Soaking the entire garment in the enzyme is a good idea for large stains or to prevent color loss from a specific area. Soak for several hours or overnight.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Coffee Stains.

How to remove Corn Oil Stains

How to Remove Caffe Mocha Stains.

How to Remove Jelly Stains.

How to Remove Breast Milk Stains from a Cushion Cover.

Breast milk is a strong bonding protein that is difficult to remove when it has dried and impossible to remove after it has aged. So as soon as your baby has finished spitting up all over you, quickly attend to the stain.

Fresh Breast Milk Stain.

Spotting Solution: Vaska Laundry Detergent

• Mix 1 part Vaska laundry detergent with 3 parts water to create a breast milk spotting solution.
• Apply the breast milk solution directly to the breast milk stain.
• Tamp (Tap) the breast milk stain with a brush.
• Let the breast milk solution penetrate the breast milk stain for 5-10 minutes.
• Rinse the breast milk stained area thoroughly with fresh water.

Dried Breast Milk Stain.

Enzyme Stain Remover: BioKleen’s Bac-Out

• Apply the Bac-Out directly to the breast milk stain.
• Tamp (Tap) the breast milk stain with a clean brush.
• Let the Bac-Out penetrate the breast milk stain for 1-2 hours. Re-apply if it starts to dry.
• Rinse the breast milk stained area thoroughly with fresh water.
• Enzymes take time to work. Repeat if necessary.

For stubborn breast milk stains soak the entire garment in the Bac-Out overnight.

Test First: in a hidden area apply the product to a white towel and dab in a hidden area of the garment. Check the towel to see if any color has transferred over. If the color is sensitive or the material is delicate, you must modify your technique.

Clean the entire garment per care label.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners, they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to remove Peanut Oil Stains

How to Remove a Urine Stain.

How to Remove Baby Formula Stains.

How to Remove Jam Stains.

How to Remove Ring Around the Collar and Cuff Stains from a Clothes.

Ring around the collar and cuff is made up of body oils and dirt. The oil attracts the dirt from the atmosphere. A good laundry detergent with a little help from an oil remover will solve the problem.

Vaska Laundry Detergent and Citrasolv degreaser:

1.      Create a ring around the collar pre spotting solution with 1 part Vaska Laundry Detergent, 1 part Citrasolv degreaser, and 5 parts water.

2.      Apply the ring around the collar solution directly to the collar and cuff.

3.      Tamp the cuff and collar with a brush to help the ring around the collar solution penetrate the ring around the collar and cuff stain.

4.      Wait 5-10 minute.

5.      Launder as normal.

Done!

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Grape Stains.

How to Remove Breast Milk Stains.

How to Remove a Peanut Butter and Jelly Stain.

How to Remove Blood Stains.

How to Remove Salsa Stains from a Baseball Cap.

Everyone has a comfort food. Chips and Salsa is my comfort food. Weird but true. Go figure, I guess that’s why everyone is different.

Use a butter knife or spoon to lightly scrape off any solid pieces of salsa without smearing it or embedding it further into the material. Most salsa’s have some sort of tomato base in it so we will need an acidic spotter to break that up and lift it out.

Spotting Solution: Vaska Laundry Detergent and Heinz Distilled White Vinegar.

• Create a salsa stain spotting solution with 1 part Vaska Laundry Detergent, 5 parts Heinz Distilled White Vinegar and 5 parts water.

• Apply the salsa stain solution directly to the salsa stain.
• Tamp the salsa stain with a brush.
• Let the salsa stain solution rest on the salsa stain for 5-10 minutes to penetrate.
• Rinse the salsa stained area with fresh water.
• If necessary repeat steps.

Finish by cleaning the entire item as recommended by the care label.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Department of Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Grape Juice Stains.

How to Remove a Latte Stain.

How to Remove a Guacamole Stain.

How to remove Canola Oil Stains

How to remove a Fish Stain from a Tablecloth.

A fish stain will generally wash out with a good laundry detergent, however if you went wrestling with a fish and lost then the stain and smell will be a little more difficult to handle. In the case of the latter we will need a two step technique.

First pre treat the fish stained area with a good laundry detergent.

Liquid Laundry Detergent. (Vaska or Seventh Generation)

• Dilute 1 part laundry detergent with 3 part water to create a fish stain spotting solution.
• Apply the fish stain solution directly to the fish stain.
• Tamp the fish stain (Tap) with a brush.
• Let fish stain solution rest on the fish stain for 5-10 minutes to penetrate.
• Rinse area thoroughly with fresh water.

Then apply an enzyme stain remover to eliminate the fishy smell.

Enzyme stain remover. (BioKleen Bac-Out or Earth Friendly Product’s Everyday Stain & Odor Remover)

• Apply the product directly to the fishy smelling area.
• Tamp the fish stain (Tap) with a clean brush.
• Let product rest on the fish stain for 1-2 hours to penetrate, reapply the stained area if it starts to dry.
• Rinse the fish stained area thoroughly with fresh water.
• Repeat if necessary.

Test First: in a hidden area apply the spotting solution to a white towel and dab a hidden area of the garment. Check the towel for color transfer. If color transfers to the towel re-evaluate the use of the product and technique. Rubbing and scrubbing will cause excess color lost.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove a Tropical Fruit Punch Drink Stain.

How to Remove a Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce Stain.

How to Remove Red Wine Stains.

How to remove Olive Oil Stains

How to Remove a Sour Cream Stain from a Bedspread.

Sour Cream is a protein stain. As the protein dries and ages it becomes more difficult to remove. Use a butter knife or spoon to scrape off as much of the sour cream as possible without embedding it into the material. Then proceed with creating a spotting solution to remove the remainder of the sour cream stain.

Dawn Dishwashing Liquid:

• Mix 1 part Dawn Dishwashing Liquid with 3 parts water to create a sour cream spotting solution.
• Apply the sour cream spotting solution directly to the sour cream stain.
• Tamp the sour cream stain (Tap) with a brush.
• Let the sour cream solution rest on stain for 5-10 minutes to penetrate into the sour cream stain.
• Rinse the sour cream stained area with fresh water.

Continue with an Enzyme Stain Remover if necessary:

BioKeen’s Bac-Out or Earth Friendly Product’s Everyday Stain & Odor Remover.

• Apply the enzyme stain remover directly to the sour cream stain.
• Tamp the sour cream stain (Tap) with a clean brush.
• Let the enzyme stain remover rest on sour cream stain for 30-45 minute to penetrate into the sour cream stain. Re-apply if it starts to dry.
• Rinse the sour cream stained area with fresh water

Test First: in a hidden area apply the product to a white towel and dab in a hidden area of the garment. Check the towel to see if any color has transferred over. If the color is sensitive or the material is delicate, you must modify your technique.

Regardless of the product used it is important to clean the entire garment after completing the stain removal process. Any product residue will age and oxidize over time and cause yellowing or discoloration.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners, they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Chocolate Stains.

How to Remove Milk Stains.

How to Remove a Chili Stain.

How to remove Oil Stains

How to Remove Ravioli Sauce Stains from a Slack.

Ravioli’s date back to the 14^th Century in letters written by some guy named Francesco di Marco, however if a ravioli stain is that old my best educated guess would be it’s permanent. So don’t even try to remove the stain because you will damage the material in the process. Instead call the local museum to tell them you have an historical artifact.

Test the color of the garment in a hidden area with the spotting solution of choice to see if it is colorfast before apply to garment.

Create a ravioli stain spotting solution with 1 part Dawn Dishwashing Liquid, 3 parts Heinz Distilled White Vinegar, and 3 parts Water.

1.      For a small ravioli stained area apply the solution directly to the ravioli stain.

2.      Tamp the ravioli stain with a brush.

3.      Let the ravioli stain solution penetrate stain for 15-20 minutes.

4.      Launder as normal.

If we are not achieving the results desired, then use a stronger product. Enzyme stain removers such as BioKleen’s Bac-Out can be found in the laundry department of most grocery stores such as Whole Foods.

1.      Apply the enzyme stain remover directly to the ravioli stain.

2.      Let it penetrate the ravioli stain for 1-2 hours, re apply if it starts to dry out.

3.      Launder as normal.

Soaking the entire garment in the enzyme is a good idea for large stains or to prevent color loss from a specific area. Soak for several hours or overnight.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove a Strawberry Stain.

How to remove a Yogurt Stain.

How to Remove Ink Stains made from a Gel Pen.

How to Remove Ink Stains from a Ballpoint Pen.

How to Remove Cranberry Stains from a Sleeping Bag.

Whether the cranberries are from the farmers market, Whole Foods organic grocery store, or the cheapest cranberries you can find on sale, it doesn’t matter, they all stain the same.

A cranberry stain is an acidic tannin stain. Many of the spotting products such as Spray n Wash and Shout are high alkaline products. These products will change the structure to of the cranberry stain and make the stain much more difficult to remove. Stay away from these products for a tannin stain.

Choice of Products: Laundry Detergent, Distilled White Vinegar, Hydrogen Peroxide, and Borax.

Fresh Cranberry Stain:

• Blot the cranberry stain with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat this step several times to remove the entire cranberry stain.
• If necessary create a cranberry stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 1 part distilled white vinegar and 10 parts water.
• Apply the cranberry stain solution directly on to the cranberry stain.
• Tamp (tap) the cranberry stain with a brush.
• Blot the cranberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Dried Cranberry Stain:

• Create a cranberry stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 5 part distilled white vinegar and 5 parts water.

• Apply the cranberry stain solution directly to the dried cranberry stain.
• Tamp the cranberry stain with a brush.
• Let the cranberry stain solution penetrate for 10-15 minutes.
• Blot the cranberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Stubborn Dried Cranberry Stain:

• Apply Hydrogen Peroxide directly to the stubborn dried cranberry stain.
• Tamp the cranberry stain with a brush.
• Let the cranberry stain solution penetrate the cranberry stain for 15-20 minutes.
• Blot the cranberry stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat several times necessary.

*Hydrogen Peroxide is a natural bleaching agent that will remove color. Test in a hidden area before use.

Aged and Oxidized Cranberry Stains:

• Create a cranberry stain soaking solution with 2 ounces Borax per 1 gallon of water.

• Soak the cranberry stained garment in the borax solution for several hours or over night.
• Rinse with clean water.

Test for colorfastness before using any of the spotting solutions. Apply a small amount of the solution on a white towel, blot that part of the towel on a hidden part o the garment. Check for color transfer on to the towel.

When done with the stain removal process, always clean the entire garment as recommended by the care label. Never leave garments unclean after using spotting or cleaning products. Over time the spotting agent can discolor, or yellow, and weaken the material.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for your health and the our environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove a Orange Juice Stain.

How to Remove a Salad Dressing Stain

How to Remove a Soft Drink Stain.

How to Remove a Spaghetti Stain.

How to Remove Cat Urine Stains from a Cardigan Sweater.

Cat Urine…Wow!  What a difficult problem. Cats are intelligent creatures. We regularly see cat’s urinate on their owner’s prized possessions, i.e. comforter, blanket, and pillows when they are upset with the owner. Often this is when the owner leaves the cat locked in the house for a long weekend. When the owner returns home the cat will urinate on the bedding to show their dissatisfaction.

A cat urine stain is composed of many different matters: salts, minerals, and pigment. Cat urine is a water soluble stain that will wash out if the stain is still wet. A dried and set cat urine stains will need a lot of extra help in the form of an enzyme.

Either apply the enzyme directly on the cat urine stain or use the enzyme solution to soak the entire garment, the technique you choose to use will depend on the amount of urine and the color of the garment. If there is a little urine stain, than apply the enzyme directly to the stain, but if there is a lot of urine or the color bleeds, then soaking the garment is a better choice.

A good enzyme remover will remove all of the visual stain and smell unless it has oxidized, in which case the enzyme will remove the smell but not all the visual stain.

In some cases the yellow oxidized stain can be removed with an oxygenated non chlorine bleach.

Urine Stain:

Enzyme Stain Remove: BioKleen’s Bac-Out or Earth Friendly Product’s Everyday Stain and Odor Remover.

• Apply the enzyme stain remover directly to the cat urine stain or soak the entire cat urine stained garment.
• Let the enzyme stain remover rest on the cat urine stained garment or soak the entire garment for several hours. Keep stained area covered with enzyme, do not let the area dry out.
• Rinse area with fresh water.

Oxidized Yellowed Urine Stain:

Oxygenated Non Chlorine Bleach – Sodium Carbonate & Sodium Percarbonate: Earth Friendly Product’s OXO Bright or Oxiclean.

• Create a cat urine soaking solution with 2 ounces of product per 1 gallon of water.
• Soak entire cat urine stained garment for several hours.
• Launder as normal.

If you are uncertain on how to handle a certain type of material then consult your professional dry cleaner.

Karl

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non-toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today – and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

More Questions?

Email me at kh@eco-drycleaners.com with questions.

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How to Remove a Cottage Cheese Stain.

How to Remove a Ketchup Stain.

How to Remove a Lipstick or Lip Balm Stain.

How to remove a Mustard stain.

How to Remove a Marinara Sauce Stain from a Purse.

It is next to impossible to eat pasta with a marinara sauce and not get some on yourself. No matter how hard I try. When I’m done with my plate and I look down and there it is a few specks on my shirt or pants, some on the placemat not to mention what the napkin look like. Tomato base stains are among some of the more difficult stains to remove. So be patient as it may take several attempts before achieving success. And treat the stains soon that later as it will set over time.

Test the colorfastness of the garment in a hidden area with the spotting solution of choice before attempting any stain removal.

Heinz Distilled White Vinegar and Dawn Dishwashing Liquid:

1.      Create a marinara sauce spotting solution with 1 part Dawn dishwashing liquid, 3 parts Heinz distilled white vinegar, and 3 parts water.

2.      For a small marinara sauce stained area apply the marinara sauce solution directly to the marinara sauce stain. For a large marinara sauce stained area soak the entire marinara sauce stained garment in the solution.

3.      Let the marinara sauce solution penetrate for 15-20 minutes.

4.      Rinse area with fresh water.

If we are not achieving the results desired, then switch to a stronger product.

BioKleen Bac-Out Enzyme Stain Remover:

1.      Apply enzyme stain remover directly to the marinara sauce stain.

2.      Let it penetrate the marinara sauce stain for 1-2 hours, re apply if it starts to dry out.

3.      Rinse area with fresh water.

Soaking the entire garment in the enzyme is a good idea for large stains or to prevent color loss from a specific area. Soak for several hours or overnight.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove a Milk Stain.

How to remove a Oil Stain.

How to Remove Red Wine Stains.

How to Remove a Blueberry Stain.

How to Remove Tea Stains from a Denim Jeans.

From a stain removal aspect tea is tea. Whether it is Fine Asian Green Tea from the herbal tea store, Celestial Seasonings Herbal Tea, Peet’s Spiced Tea, Starbuck’s Chai Tea, or Lipton Black Tea they are all made from tea leaves making the stain a Tannin stain. As with all tannin stains, it is always best to remove the stain as soon as possible, while the stain is wet it is much easier to remove. The longer we wait, the more difficult it will become to remove the stain and the stain will eventually set and oxidize over time.

Vaska Laundry Detergent:

• Create a spotting solution of 1 part Vaska Laundry Detergent, and 10 parts water.
• Apply this solution directly to the tea stain.
• Let the solution penetrate for a few minutes.
• Apply clean water to a white towel and blot stained area.
• Followed by blotting area with a dry towel.
• Repeat steps if necessary.

When done skip to Finishing Up.

Heinz Distilled White Vinegar:

• If the first steps did not achieve adequate results then continue; apply distilled white vinegar to the tea stain directly.
• Tap the stain lightly with a soft brush (toothbrush) to help the vinegar penetrate into the stain.
• Leave the vinegar on for a few minute to penetrate.
• Blot area with a wet white towel followed by a dry white towel.
• Repeat steps if necessary.

When done skip to Finishing Up.

Enzyme Stain Removers: BioKleen Bac-Out

• Apply the enzyme stain remover directly to the tea stain.
• Enzymes take time to work so apply the product a let it rest for 1-2 hours.
• Blot with a wet white towel followed by a dry white towel.
• Repeat steps if necessary.

FINISHING UP!

When done removing the stain always finish by cleaning the entire item per manufacture care instructions. Even benign spotting agents such as these will oxidize and yellow over time.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal and cleaning questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for you and the environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Ink Stains made from a Uniball Pen.

How to Remove Chocolate Stains.

How to remove a Blood Stain.

How to remove a Coffee Stain.

How to Remove Cranberry Juice Stains from a Denim Skirt.

Cranberry juice is a great prevention for avoiding bladder infections. It is not so great when textiles are stained with cranberries.

Fresh Cranberry Juice Stain: Vaska Laundry Detergent

• Blot the cranberry juice stain with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.
• Repeat this step several times to remove the entire cranberry juice stain.
• If necessary create a cranberry juice stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 1 part distilled white vinegar and 10 parts water.
• Apply the cranberry juice stain solution directly on to the cranberry juice stain.
• Tamp (tap) the cranberry juice stain with a brush.
• Blot the cranberry juice stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Dried Cranberry Juice Stain: Heinz Distilled White Vinegar

• Create a cranberry juice stain spotting solution with 1 part laundry detergent, 5 part distilled white vinegar and 5 parts water.

• Apply the cranberry juice stain solution directly to the dried cranberry juice stain.
• Tamp the cranberry juice stained area with a brush.
• Let the cranberry juice stain solution penetrate the cranberry juice stain for 10-15 minutes.
• Blot the cranberry juice stained area with a wet towel followed by a dry towel.

Aged and Oxidized Cranberry Juice Stains: Borax

• Create a cranberry juice soaking solution with 2 ounces of Borax per 1 gallon of water.

• Soak the cranberry juice stained garment in the borax solution for several hours or over night.
• Rinse with clean water.

Test for colorfastness before using any of the spotting solutions. Apply a small amount of the solution on a white towel, blot that part of the towel on a hidden part o the garment. Check for color transfer on to the towel.

When done with the stain removal process, always clean the entire garment as recommended by the care label. Never leave garments unclean after using spotting or cleaning products. Over time the spotting agent can discolor, or yellow, and weaken the material.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito is your non toxic alternative, proudly leading the way in garment care today and into a healthy future.

Service with Pride since 1969

The First Dry Cleaners to be Green Business Certified by San Francisco Environment and Bay Area Green Business Program Marin County. We use the Wet Clean dry cleaning system that is safe for your health and the our environment.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to remove Peanut Oil Stains

How to Remove a Urine Stain.

How to Remove Baby Formula Stains.

How to Remove Jam Stains.

How to Remove Breast Milk Stains from a Couch Cover.

Breast milk is a strong bonding protein that is difficult to remove when it has dried and impossible to remove after it has aged. So as soon as your baby has finished spitting up all over you, quickly attend to the stain.

Fresh Breast Milk Stain.

Spotting Solution: Vaska Laundry Detergent

• Mix 1 part Vaska laundry detergent with 3 parts water to create a breast milk spotting solution.
• Apply the breast milk solution directly to the breast milk stain.
• Tamp (Tap) the breast milk stain with a brush.
• Let the breast milk solution penetrate the breast milk stain for 5-10 minutes.
• Rinse the breast milk stained area thoroughly with fresh water.

Dried Breast Milk Stain.

Enzyme Stain Remover: BioKleen’s Bac-Out

• Apply the Bac-Out directly to the breast milk stain.
• Tamp (Tap) the breast milk stain with a clean brush.
• Let the Bac-Out penetrate the breast milk stain for 1-2 hours. Re-apply if it starts to dry.
• Rinse the breast milk stained area thoroughly with fresh water.
• Enzymes take time to work. Repeat if necessary.

For stubborn breast milk stains soak the entire garment in the Bac-Out overnight.

Test First: in a hidden area apply the product to a white towel and dab in a hidden area of the garment. Check the towel to see if any color has transferred over. If the color is sensitive or the material is delicate, you must modify your technique.

Clean the entire garment per care label.

Seek professional help if necessary. If you have a good relationship with your green dry cleaners, they will be more than happy to help you with stain removal questions.

Karl Huie

Pacific Heights Cleaners in San Francisco and Sausalito

is your resource for cleaning tips and garment care information.

A certified green dry cleaner by the Bay Area Green Business Program and the San Francisco Environment.

Your non toxic dry cleaning alternative serving you with an EPA approved Eco Dry Clean (Wet Clean) System that is safe for your health and is environmentally friendly.

www.eco-drycleaners.com

Other Articles of Interest:

How to Remove Grape Stains.

How to Remove Breast Milk Stains.

How to Remove a Peanut Butter and Jelly Stain.

How to Remove Blood Stains.