How to clean stains on clothing or fabric and the tools you need to do it

Minor grass strains will probably just wash out, but should you want to be sure you save those pants (or shirt, if things got more dramatic outside today), there are two great ways to do so.

First, you can use vinegar. Just make sure to use white vinegar — balsamic will make things so much worse.

1. Soak the stained portion of the garment (usually the knee) in undiluted vinegar for at least a half hour.
2. Launder as usual, but, of course, don't use the dryer!
3. If stains persist, let the garment to air dry, then try again with vinegar, or use our next approach.

Clean grass stains with toothpaste. Just make sure it's a white paste.

1. Spread a thin layer of white toothpaste over the stain
2. Soak a toothbrush in clean water, and then gently scrub at the stains. Yes, this does contradict the earlier admonition not to scrub. It's the only time I'll do so, but the fact is, that stain is already worked deep into the cloth.
3. Launder as usual.

Believe it or not, the treatment for most beverages stains is the same, whether you're dealing with coffee, cola, or the dreaded red wine.

1. Soak the stained area in cool water for a half hour. If you can't do that, continually moisten with an ice cube or a dampened cloth or napkin
2. Treat the stain with a product like Shout or apply a thin layer of liquid laundry detergent directly to it
3. Launder as usual, and then check to see if the stain is gone

First, consider whether or not the blood at hand is a criminal matter. If it is, work on your alibi or call the cops, depending on where you stand in the situation. Then...

1. Soak the stained portion of the garment in white vinegar for 15 minutes. If you don't have vinegar, use club soda. If you don't have that, use water, just make sure it's cold.
2. Launder the garment, and do so on its own if the stain was large.
3. If the stain persists, you will need to wash the piece again with color safe bleach.

Sauces come in a wide variety, from BBQ sauce to ketchup to pasta sauce to mustard. These stains can be complicated to clean up because a sauce is made from a variety of ingredients, each of which might on its own merit a different cleaning approach. But when you go step by step, you'll do just fine.

1. Scrape away as much sauce as you can with a clean spoon or butter knife, and don't dab at the rest, as it will only spread and/or be worked into the fabric.
2. Run cool water over the affected area for a minute or soak the stain in cool water for ten minutes.
3. Treat stain with a spot treatment product or apply liquid laundry detergent and let sit for 15 minutes.
4. Launder as usual, and you know the deal about the dryer by now.

For the record, I mean like olive oil, not crankcase oil. You get that stuff on your chinos, and buddy ... you're going shopping. Oil stains are pernicious and require a unique pretreatment wherein you remove as much of the stuff as possible.

1. Gently dab at the stain on both sides of the garment, lifting as much oil as you can.
2. Apply a generous dose of salt to the oil stain and let it sit for a quarter of an hour; the salt will draw out even more oil.
3. Apply a thin layer of liquid dish soap like Dawn, not detergent, and let sit for a few minutes.
4. Launder as usual.

And just like that, you're in the clear. Or the clean, rather.