How to remove ketchup stains

Ketchup is something that is universally loved by all kids. It is scrumptious and delicious, yet it looks good in sandwiches, hot dogs and with fries. You definitely wouldn’t want ketchup on your favorite pants and shirts, no matter how much you love it. Ketchup stains can ruin your clothes, upholstery and carpets if left untreated. Are you horrified of that weekend when you accidentally spilled ketchup on your mum’s new carpet or the farewell party when you were all dressed up in your favorite tuxedo and ketchup ruined your white shirt? Fortunately we can provide you with remedies to counter this situation. Following tips will enable to effectively get rid of these stains from your clothes and carpets.

Method One (to remove ketchup stains from clothes)

               

White Vinegar is known to be a universally effective cleanser, therefore if you have ketchup stains spilled all over your clothes, then this method which employs white vinegar and detergent can satisfactorily remove those stains.

Things that you will require:

·      Cold water

·      Liquid Laundry Detergent

·      Sponge/Clean Cloth

·      White vinegar

·      Pre Wash Stain remover

·      Color safe chlorine bleach

Steps that you need to take:

1.   Ketchup Stains have the tendency to become permanent and can damage your clothes a great deal. Obviously you wouldn’t want an unsightly red blot on your outfits, therefore make sure that you clean your ketchup stain as carefully as possible, and as swiftly as possible.

2.   Scrape off the excess ketchup very carefully.

3.   After that place that fabric bearing ketchup under cold water. Rinse it inside out. This is done so that any excess ketchup from the stain can be flushed away as much as possible.

4.   Take some liquid laundry detergent and blot the stain with it.

5.   Let the detergent set in the ketchup stain for some time, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

6.   Afterwards, lightly rub the stain with your thumb and forefinger so that the stain might come off.

7.   Rinse the fabric again with cold water to remove the liquid detergent. Hopefully a proportion of stain will come off along with it.

8.   Ketchup stains are persistent and you can generally not get rid of them very easily. Therefore if the ketchup stain doesn’t get removed by the detergent then blot it with white vinegar, using a sponge or a clean cloth.

9.    Again rinse the cloth with cold water.

10.   To remove all the traces of stain , treat the fabric with a pre wash stain remover before laundering it and at last use color safe chlorine bleach.

11.   After following these steps you will end up with clothes as good as brand new.

Warning:

Make sure that the stain has been entirely removed before you put that fabric into the dryer. Otherwise the heat from the dryer might set the stain further.

For the removal of ketchup stains from carpet, you can adopt the following method.

Method two (to remove ketchup stains from carpet)

Although, this method for the removal of ketchup stains from carpets is easy, yet every step ought to be followed with extreme care; so that the carpet fibers are not frayed or damaged in any way.

Things that you will require:

·      Cold water

·      Dish Washing Detergent

·      Sponge/Clean cloth

·      Warm Water

·      Ammonia

Steps that you need to take:

1.    While cleaning a ketchup stain from the carpet, you have to be very careful because a slight lack of attention at your end can ruin the entire carpet.

2.    Scrape off the excess ketchup from the stain very carefully in such a manner that you do not spread the stain any further.

3.   Once you have removed the excess ketchup from the stain, make a cleaning solution with two cups of cold water and one table spoon of dish washing detergent.

4.   Apply this cleaning solution on the stain and leave it for some time, approximately 15 to 20 minutes so that it might set in.

5.   Afterwards gently rub the stain so that the detergent is agitated. However you have to be very cautious and prevent its spreading further.

6.   Blot the stain until the liquid is absorbed.

7.   Now take some clean water on a sponge or clean cloth and blot the area with the cleaning solution with it.

8.   Once you have removed the cleaning solution, blot it dry.

9.   As it has already been established above that ketchup stains tend to be stubborn, so if it doesn’t come off with the dish washing detergent solution, then you ought to make a stronger one.

10.   For this solution, mix one table spoon of ammonia with half cups of water.

11.   Apply this solution on the stain.

12.   Later on, take some clean water and sponge; clean the solution and then blot it dry.

Warning:

Make sure that you always use warm water while making the ammonia solution.

How to remove Ketchup Stains from Clothes

Children love to have ketchup with everything. Most kids enjoy fast food with ketchup and will not have food without it, but kids are very clumsy when eating food with it especially when eating fried. Not only their face and hands are smeared with it by the time they done eating but their clothes are also a proof of how much they enjoyed their food.

With small children, it is very hard to pay attention to the ketchup stains that are left on the clothes as kids need constant attention. The best way to keep the clothes away from ketchup stains is to treat the stains in the right way, so that the clothes are presentable when worn again. Without the right treatment, ketchup leaves ugly looking red stains which become stubborn with passing time. Here are some methods that will ensure clean clothes for you and your kids. You can adopt anyone of the following methods for the removal of ketchup stains from clothes.

Method 1

Things that you will require:

·      Cleaning towel

·      Butter knife

·      Liquid detergent

·      Stain remover

Steps that you will need to take:

1.   Remove the access ketchup from the surface of the cloth immediately if freshly spilled. The best way to do it is by using a butter knife. Scrape the stain inward and clean the knife with a cleaning towel after every scrape so that it doesn’t get on the surrounding surface.

2.   Once the access ketchup is removed, run cold water and apply it from the back side of the cloth, so that the stain clears up rather than spreading outward on the clean surface.

3.   After the stain has been washed, you will notice that it has dimmed a little but hasn’t completely vanished. Use liquid detergent on the stain and scrub it. This will either completely remove the ketchup stain or lighten it even more.

4.   If you notice that the stain hasn’t completely disappeared, rinse the stain with cold water and repeat step three.

5.   After that apply any stain removing liquid and wash the cloth normally. Your clothes will be free of ketchup stains.

Method 2

Things that you will require:

·      Liquid laundry detergent

·      White vinegar

·      Cleaning towel

Steps that you will need to take:

1.   After removing the access ketchup with a cleaning towel, wash the cloth from the back side with cold water. This will wash off any more ketchup left behind by the cleaning towel.

2.   Pour the liquid laundry detergent on the surface of the stain and let it stay for 7 to 10 minutes.

3.   Wash with cold water and see if the stain has vanished. If it hasn’t, dip a cleaning towel in white vinegar and apply on the surface of the stain. Let it stay for 1 to 2 minutes then wash. By this point, the ketchup stain will have disappeared from your clothing.

Method 3

Things that you will require:

·      Lemon juice

·      Spray bottle

·      Butter knife

·      Liquid detergent

·      Hydrogen peroxide

Steps that you will need to take:

1.   Scrape the access ketchup from the stain with the help of the butter knife and run the cloth under cold water from the back side of the stain.

2.   Pour a few drops of the liquid detergent onto the stain. Let it stay for several minutes then wash it off.

3.   Apply lemon juice on the stain and let it soak for a few minutes and see if the stain has disappeared.

4.   In extreme cases when step two and three don’t work, use hydrogen peroxide, but it is risky since it may discolor the clothes, therefore check the portion of the cloth which is unseen when worn to see if the cloth is color fast by pouring the hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle.

5.   If the cloth is color fast spray the hydrogen peroxide on the ketchup stain and let it stay for about 2 to 3 minutes. This will completely clean the stain from the clothes.

Warning:

·      It is very important to understand that treating a stain is important when it comes to ketchup stains. Putting the stained cloth in laundry and just washing it isn’t a solution, as it will only lead to strengthening the stain making it harder to clean later on because washing it alone makes the stain set deeper.

How to remove Ketchup Stains from a Carpet

Kids love to eat ketchup with snacks but they are not very careful while eating. The floor can be easily cleaned if they drop their food on it but if you have a carpet then that is a big problem. Ketchup may leave an ugly splotch which would make the whole carpet seem dirty. Here are three easy ways which can help you get rid of the ketchup Stains on your carpet without an added expense of hiring a carpet cleaning company.

Method 1

Things that you will require:

·      A butter knife

·      A glass of water

·      A cleaning towel

·      A bowl

·      A neutral detergent

Steps that you will need to take:

1.   Scrap the surface of the stain with the butter knife. If the stain is fresh scrape inwards so that the ketchup doesn’t spread to the sides and stays within the already stained area. After every scrape clean the knife, so the ketchup doesn’t accidently smudge anything else. If the mark is an old one, just scrape the dried off ketchup on the surface.

2.   After that dip three fingers in the glass of water and sprinkle it on the stained area. Dab the cleaning towel on the wet spot. You will start to see that the mark on the carpet has started to lighten up.

3.   After that take the empty bowl and pour the cleaning solution into it. For an antique or very expensive carpet, it is best to first try the product on an area which will go unnoticed. Select such an area and then pour the solution on the cleaning towel and dab this area and leave it in for 2-3 minutes to see if there is any discoloration or any other negative effect on the carpet.

4.   Once it is tested, the solution can be safely applied to the ketchup stain. Pour the solution onto the cleaning towel and dab the stained area with it. Make sure the whole area is covered.

5.   Leave the solution on the stain for 2-3 minutes and then clean it by pouring water onto the cleaning towel and dabbing the spot till it is clean and there isn’t any solution left on the carpet. By doing all this Carpet will be free of Ketchup Stains.

Method 2

Things that you will require:

·      A spray bottle

·      Glass of water

·      Cleaning towels

·      A neutral dish washing liquid

·      Ammonia

·      An empty bowl

·      A butter knife

Steps that you will need to take:

1.   Scrape the surface of the carpet with the butter knife to remove access ketchup. If the stain is fresh scrape inwards from all sides so that the stain doesn’t spread. Also make sure the fresh ketchup is cleaned from the knife with a cleaning towel.

2.   Take the empty bowl pour half glass of water in it and add 1 tea spoon of ammonia to it.

3.   Pour the mixture into the spray bottle and shake to mix it well.

4.   Spray a low profile area of the carpet with the ammonia solution from 2 minutes to test for any adverse effects on the carpet like discoloration before spraying the ketchup stains.

5.   Once you have tested spray the ketchup stain and leave it for 2 minutes.

6.   Take the empty bowl and pour ¼ of the dishwashing liquid into it and add the left over water into it.

7.   Soak a part of the cleaning towel in it and apply till the carpet is soapy.

8.   The Ketchup Stain would have lightened by the ammonia solution and the dishwashing liquid solution will completely clean the stain.

9.   Fill the bowl with water and clean the soapy area with the cleaning towel by dipping it in the water. Clean till you see no soap bubbles on the surface.

10.   Let the carpet will dry up on its own once all the soap and ammonia is removed. Your Carpet will be free of Ketchup Stains.

Method 3

Things that you will require:

·      Butter knife

·      Glass of warm water

·      Glass of cold water

·      Mild or neutral detergent

·      Spoon

·      Heavy weight (a thick book)

·      2 cleaning towels

·      A plastic sheet/bag

·      An empty bowl

·      Spray bottle

Steps that you will need to take:

1.   Scrape the surface of the carpet with the butter knife to remove access ketchup. If the stain is fresh scrape inwards from all sides so that the stain doesn’t spread. Also make sure the fresh ketchup is cleaned from the knife with a cleaning towel.

2.   Pour the warm water into the empty bowl and dip the cleaning towel in it. Dab the stain with the cleaning towel. This will help transfer the access ketchup left on the carpet onto the towel.

3.   Pour the remaining warm water into the spray bottle.

4.   Pour the cold water into the bowl and add ¼ of a teaspoon of the mild detergent into it. Stir with the spoon to make sure the detergent is mixed with water.

5.   Test this solution on the corner of the carpet to make sure there aren’t any adverse effects.

6.   Once the solution is tested, dip the cleaning towel onto the stain and dab till you see a soapy surface being formed on the stain.

7.   Take the other cleaning towel/cloth and spread it on the stain.

8.   Use the spoon to apply pressure on the towel.

9.   Remove the towel and spray the warm water on the stain.

10.   Now place the cleaning towel once again on the stain, put a plastic sheet/bag on it and then place the heavy weight on the top.

11.   Keep it overnight or for a few hours. This will transfer the stain onto the towel leaving your carpet clean and stainless. This will completely remove Ketchup Stains from your Carpet.