If you have ever had to throw a favourite blouse away because of a nasty stain that just wouldn't wash out, help is at hand.  Most stains can be removed by treating before washing.  In most cases you can achieve the best results if you deal with it straight away - do not let it soak in and dry on.

• Blood - Pour hydrogen peroxide over the stain. Rub it then rinse with cold water. Add more peroxide if necessary. This works on coloured or white clothes. Also, you can sprinkle unseasoned meat tenderizer on a blood stain. This will digest the protein in the blood, which helps eliminate it. In addition, you can soak the garment in lukewarm ammonia water, 3 Tbs. per gallon, then rinse.
• Ball-Point Pen - Spray the stain with hairspray then blot with a clean cloth. Nail polish remover will work on some fabrics to remove ink, but first check to see if it's safe.
• Candle Wax  - Scrape off as much as possible, first. Place a paper towel or white cloth on either side of the material around the stain. Iron it on low to medium setting. The wax should lift off on to the towel. Rub a mixture of liquid detergent and water on any remaining stain, rinse, then wash as usual.
  To remove Wax from carpet – Use an electric iron and an old (clean) cloth.  Put the rag over the wax and iron on top of it, the rag will absorb the melted wax…repeat until you have removed most of the wax then shampoo as normal to remove any residue.
• Chewing Gum - Rub with ice, then scrape off as much as possible. The ice hardens the gum. You can also put the garment in the freezer then scrape. Rub a little prewash or liquid detergent on area, after gum is removed, wash as usual.
• Chocolate - Use a little ammonia or prewash, then rinse well with cold water.
• Coffee - Soak stain in cold water as soon as possible. Depending on the fabric you can use a non-chlorine bleach to remove it in the wash.