Some stains can seem impossible to remove. Things like mustard, oil, tar, and coffee are a nightmare to get rid of and can threaten to ruin your favorite garments.
The worst thing about these difficult stains is that even the most powerful cleaning products seem to make no difference at all. You can buy special stain removers and powerful chemical detergents that just do nothing at all when it comes to certain blemishes.
When it comes to removing tough, dried-in dirt and persistent stains, sometimes traditional remedies can be the best. For some stains like tannins, berry stains, make-up, and oil and grease (particularly tar), glycerin can work wonders.
So, let’s take a look at how to use this brilliant home remedy and which stains it can get rid of.
But first, what exactly is glycerin?
What is Glycerin?
Glycerin is created naturally during the process of soap making and is derived from vegetable oils or animal fats. It is a clear, odorless, syrupy liquid (often referred to as a ‘sugar alcohol’) that is non-toxic and sweet to taste—although consuming it is not recommended!
When it comes to cleaning products, we tend to talk about glycerin from vegetable oils rather than animal fats, but both types can work.
What Can Glycerin be Used For?
Glycerin has a vast range of uses around the house and is not just limited to stain removal. You can make handmade soaps, which can be a lovely Christmas gift for the family with a dash of scent from an essential oil or two. If you mix glycerin and the slivers of soap leftover at the end of the bar, you’ll have yourself a DIY liquid soap. It can even be used to clean up annoying spills and messes at the bottom of your freezer, as it is a natural solvent.
What Stains Can Glycerin Remove?
As a natural solvent, glycerin works best on stains that need to be broken down before being removed.
Mustard
Glycerin loosens mustard stains (which can be surprisingly tough) from fabric and makes them easier to wash away. The best way to do this is to dab glycerin onto the blemish, then let it sit for one hour. Blot the excess liquid off with a clean cloth, then wash normally.
Tar
Tar is a real doozy of a stain and can be downright impossible to remove using traditional methods. Glycerin breaks down the bonds and makes it easy to remove. You might need to apply glycerin a few times to get results, but just follow the same process as for mustard until the stain is gone.
Coffee
Coffee stains are easy to remove with glycerin. Just soak the garment in cold water and glycerin, then wash normally. This method also works well for berry stains and other tannins.
What are the Best Glycerin Stain Removers?
It is best to use vegetable oil-based glycerin when removing stains from clothes. Essential Depot makes an excellent kosher vegetable-based glycerin, while Now Solutions offers a great range of sizes if you don’t need industrial quantities!
If you have any concerns about washing your clothes or don’t feel comfortable attacking tough stains on your own, WaveMAX Laundry can help! We are a laundromat near Thornton, Colorado, and we offer a range of laundry services—making us experts at dealing with the most stubborn laundry problems.
