Stain removal by surface
The same stain needs a different approach on a different material. Clothes can soak, carpet has padding that wicks, a mattress can't get wet, and leather and stone react to chemicals that fabric shrugs off. Pick the surface to see what it can take and every stain guide for it.
Surfaces
Clothes
Most stains on clothes come out if you treat them before heat touches them: blot off the excess, flush with cold water from the back, rub in liquid detergent and wash in the warmest water the care label allows.
Hair
Most stains on hair are sticky substances like gum, sap, glue or wax, and they come out with oil, not solvents.
Leather
Stains on leather come out best when you act fast and stay gentle: blot the spill right away with a dry soft cloth, then wipe with a cloth barely dampened in a mild soap solution and dry it with a clean one.
Sheets
Most stains on sheets are body oils, sweat, saliva, blood and skin-care products that build up night after night.
Shoes
Stains on white shoes come out when you clean each material its own way: scrub canvas and mesh with a soft brush and mild laundry detergent in warm water, wipe smooth leather with a damp cloth and mild soap, and dry-brush suede and nubuck.
White clothes
Stains on white clothes come out with the usual first steps (blot, flush with cold water from the back, rub in liquid detergent) followed by a bleach that suits the fiber.
