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How to remove stubborn mustard stains from fabric
How to remove stubborn mustard stains from fabric and clothing.
How one:
- The problem with mustard, especially yellow mustard, is turmeric. Most people know turmeric as the bright orange-yellow spice commonly used in Indian cuisine, but it is also commonly used to give mustard its bright yellow color. Turmeric is one of those stains that I can't make an absolute promise to remove. Removal can be trial and error.
- If you drop a large lump of mustard on your clothes, start by lifting as much as you can with a knife or spoon.
- Then squeeze lemon juice directly on the stain and rub it into the fabric with your fingers. This can result in the stain being completely eliminated, especially if it's smaller. At the very least, however, it will help pre-treat the stain so that it is more likely to leak when you wash it. No lemon? Rinse the stain with cold running water from the back to the outside, which will push the mustard off the fabric rather than back through the fibers.
- What Not To Do: Don't use bleach, detergent, or hand soap. It will set the stain.
- What to do later:
- Spray the stain with a laundry pretreatment product. Work the spray into the stain by rubbing the fabric against yourself. If you notice the stain lighten immediately, soak it in cold water for about 15 minutes, remove it, wring it out, and then repeat the process. The stain can come out completely before the shirt even goes into the wash.
- If you're not lucky with that, try Fels Naptha Laundry Bar Soap. It's a laundry seeker on steroids. Just get the rod wet and rub it on the stain.
- Wash as usual. Make sure the stain is gone before you put it in the dryer.
Warnings and Precautions:
Do not put the fabric in the dryer until the stain is gone. The heat sets the stain and it is not removable.
