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          Tips for stain removal
        
        
          
            Milk:
          
        
        
          A drop of milk on clothing is easily dealt
        
        
          with if the stain is first treated with cold water
        
        
          before being rinsed out in hot water. Use
        
        
          lukewarm water for velvet and silk.
        
        
          Cocoa
        
        
          ▶▶
        
        
          Coffee
        
        
          ▶▶
        
        
          
            Mustard:
          
        
        
          To eradicate mustard stains, take
        
        
          your grandmother’s advice and sponge
        
        
          with warm soapy water first. If this does not
        
        
          shift the stain, apply a solution of ammonia
        
        
          or glycerine (except on velvet and silk).
        
        
          For velvet and silk, dab gently with eau de
        
        
          Cologne or a drop of spirits. Mustard stains
        
        
          can also be bleached.
        
        
          Mayonnaise
        
        
          ▶▶
        
        
          Tomato ketchup
        
        
          ▶▶
        
        
          
            Nail varnish:
          
        
        
          Remove nail varnish from
        
        
          clothing carefully using nail varnish remover,
        
        
          then wash in the usual way. Do not use on
        
        
          acetate, triacetate or modacrylic fabrics as it
        
        
          will dissolve the fabric.
        
        
          
            Paint:
          
        
        
          Getting paint on your clothes is no
        
        
          reason to see red. First establish what type of
        
        
          paint you are dealing with.
        
        
          Water soluble paints are best treated first by
        
        
          rinsing under cold running water and then
        
        
          pre-treating with an aerosol stain remover or
        
        
          liquid detergent before being washed in the
        
        
          usual way.
        
        
          For oil-based paints, soak the area in
        
        
          turpentine or paintbrush cleaner to loosen the
        
        
          stain, then wash in the usual way.
        
        
          For acrylic paint the treatment is more
        
        
          complicated: mix some spirits with a few
        
        
          drops of ammonia, and dab the spot several
        
        
          times before washing in the usual way.