A Guide to Your Cleanest Thanksgiving Ever
It’s all fun and games until your favorite sweater is ruined.
With the holidays fast approaching, most people are looking forward to good food, awkward table topics, lots of family time — but mostly good food. For some strange reason, we like to break out our best outfits at the dinner table, leaving them prone to the accidental stain. Whether it’s cranberry sauce sloshed onto your favorite sweater, wine on your favorite dress, or grass stains from your family’s annual Thanksgiving Day football game, we’ve got you covered.
Cranberry sauce
To handle a cranberry sauce stain, you’ll want to move quickly. First, scrape up the excess cranberry sauce with a spoon and blot the spot with a dry cloth. Next, spray the spot with cold water and blot it dry. After that, soak the fabric in a mix of white vinegar, water, and laundry detergent for 15–20 minutes. Finally, add a laundry stain remover to the spot and wash the garment in warm water.
Wine
Whether it was spilled by you or an overexcited relative, when wine is splashed or spilled onto your clothes you’ll want to take action right away to prevent the stain from becoming permanent. First, dab the spot with a sponge and cool water, then blot the spot dry. Next, add laundry stain remover to the spot and wash your item with fabric-safe bleach in warm water.
Grass
Grass stains are pesky any time of the year but can be particularly distressing if they’re on any of your favorite holiday clothing. When you notice a grass stain on your item, the first thing you should do is soak it in cold water. Once the garment has soaked for a few minutes add a little detergent to the spot and scrub it with a sponge or toothbrush. Finally, once the stain is no longer visible, wash your item in the machine on whatever cycle you normally use.
Mud
Removing mud from your clothing might be easier than it looks even if your first step is surprising. First, let the mud dry completely, as trying to remove it when it’s still wet can force the stain deeper into the cloth. Next, scrape away excess mud with a butter knife and then rub laundry detergent into the spot, letting it sit for 15–20 minutes. Next, using a wet toothbrush and just a few drops of water at a time, scrub the mud spot. As a final step, machine wash your item as you normally do!
Butter
Whether you spill while cooking or watch it drip onto you as you eat, a butter stain is no fun. The moment the spill happens, scrape up the excess with a spoon then blot the stain. Next, sprinkle the spot with salt to absorb the grease and then rub in some laundry detergent. Finally, wash the garment in the hottest water it will tolerate. If you follow these steps it’s likely your butter stain won’t stick around!
Gravy
Turkey gravy is delicious but can create quite the stain. To remove a gravy stain, start by scraping off the excess gravy with a spoon while it’s still wet. Next, saturate the area with a heavy-duty stain remover. Finally, launder your item as you typically would. If the stain remains after washing, soak the item in fabric-safe chlorine bleach and then wash it again.
Mac ‘n Cheese
Start getting rid of this stain by pretreating it with a heavy-duty liquid detergent. Next, rinse it out and then soak the item in a diluted solution of all-fabric powdered bleach. After that, you’ll want to wash your item as you typically would.
Pumpkin Pie
Nothing says Thanksgiving like pumpkin pie. As a first step to removing a pumpkin pie stain, pretreat the stain with stain remover and let it sit for at least an hour. Next, use a scrubber to gently scrub the stain. After that, scrub the area with some liquid detergent. Finally, wash your item on the hottest setting the fabric will allow for and lay flat to dry.
