Enjoy dinner and tackle stains later with this helpful guide to removing common Thanksgiving Day stains.
Red wine, chocolate, candle wax, and gravy are all common holiday culprits.
But don’t fret just yet if one of them takes a tumble.
Credit: Karla Conrad
The following Thanksgiving stains can be fixed with a little effort and on-hand ingredients.
This easy stain guide will keep you and your home stain-free.
Food Grease
Putdish soapon the stain and let it sit for 10 minutes before laundering with cold water.
Credit: Marty Baldwin; Stylist: Lauren McAnelly
Repeat if there are still traces of the stain.
Remember: You should always confirm a stain is completely gone before using the dryer.
Pretreat with alaundry stain remover, then wash the fabric on hot.
Cranberry Sauce
Rinse the stain with cool water.
Add 1 Tbsp.white vinegarand 1/2 tsp.
liquid laundry detergent to 1-quart cool water.
Blot the mixture on the stain with a clean cloth until the spot has disappeared.
Red Wine
Red wine stainscan be tricky to get out.
Saturate the area in white vinegar, then rub in liquid detergent.
Next, run under hot water to lift the stain.
Remember to have your water very hot, not just warm, for the optimal stain-removing power.
Launder the item as usual.
Gravy
Add 1/4 tsp.dishwashing liquidand 3 drops ammonia to 1/2 cup warm water.
Using a clean cloth, press the solution into the stain; do not rub.
If the spill is on wool or silk, use club soda instead of ammonia.
Chocolate
Remove any crumbs or hardened chocolate with a dry, clean toothbrush.
Do not rub, which can work the stain deeper into the fabric.
Repeat a few times before soaking up the solution with a clean towel.
Pour several drops of dish soap directly on the stain, making sure it’s completely covered.
To treat the stain, wipe away any potato residue and then spot treat the area with dish soap.
Coffee
An after-dinner coffee spill is easy to treat.
Lipstick
Pretreat with liquid laundry detergent, working it in with a toothbrush.
Allow the detergent to sit for at least 15 minutes, then wash the fabric on hot.
If necessary, repeat before drying.
