During the summer this is what I hear quite often from my customers, “I can’t wear white, I’ll ruin it”. Okay ladies, it’s time to get over that fear and start to wear white. White, cream, or neutral shades always look fresh, cool (from hot temperatures), and sophisticated. White linen, white cotton, white silk, so many choices all intended to give off the feeling that you are as cool as a cucumber and the envy of all your friends. Behind your back they will whisper, “ Why does she always look so fresh?” The answer, my friends, is crisp or flowing white clothing.

I, personally, rarely wear white, except in the summer. It wasn’t always like that though. I wore black throughout 4 seasons a year. I was also afraid I would ruin white, until I discovered these two common ingredients found in most households. Now I wear white 4-5 out of 7 days. I love it!

The first secret weapon is distilled white vinegar, and the second is liquid dishwasher soap (like the kind that goes in the dishwasher). White vinegar mixed with water gets out most anything you can imagine. The trick is to treat the stain immediately. I mix ½ vinegar and ½ water in a spray bottle. I spray the stain until it’s soaking. I must mention here, never spray a stain without a clean WHITE towel underneath the layer of fabric with the stain. I learned the hard way. I soaked that stain so well it transferred right onto the bottom layer of fabric. Same goes if you use a colored towel in between the fabrics. The color from the towel will transfer right onto the bottom layer. Talk about making matters worse.

Let your soaked fabric sit for a while and then rinse under the faucet using cold water. If the stain is not thoroughly gone, you can treat again in the same way or add a couple drops of liquid laundry soap to your spray bottle. Let it sit, rinse, and check. If your stain is gone you are free to wash that garment as usual. 

If your stain is being super stubborn, that’s when you use liquid dishwashing soap. Here’s how…

Layer your clean white towel in between the layers of the garment. Pour a little bit of the soap in a small bowl. Take an old toothbrush, dip it in the soap, and gently apply it to the stain. You never want to rub the fabric with the toothbrush. The dishwashing soap is very strong and can quickly breakdown the fibers of the cloth. Any rubbing with a brush could create pulls in your fabric. Leave the soap on the stain for a few minutes and then rinse under cold water. 

Hopefully, at this point your stain is gone or nearly gone. I don’t recommend using the dishwashing soap to treat the stain a second time.  Best to wash in the machine using your normal laundry detergent and some oxi-clean. I hope this technique works for you. It has never failed me, so I continue to wear white.