Store Returns: How to Remove Stains From Clothing

Posted by Big Brand Wholesale.com on 25th Mar 2020

If you are buying Liquidations and Store Returns it is very important that you know how to fix stains in clothing so you can sell all of the pieces you get in. In todays guide we are going to discuss stain removal from different fabrics. Let's begin!

If the stain is Dirt or Dust, it can usually be removed from clothing by simply wiping with a soft, damp cloth. Make sure you are using a CLEAN cloth. Never use your dirty dish sponge or used washcloth.

If the stain is not dirt or dust, look at the interior tag to determine what type of fabric it is.

First let's discuss the expensive materials such as Fur, Leather, Suede, Silk, etc.

EXPENSIVE MATERIALS

If the tag says Dry clean it has to be brought to a dry cleaner unless you want to take a gamble on removing the stain. HOWEVER, there are products designed to be used at home on "dry clean only" clothing, such as this (under $9 on Amazon):

Or you can buy the American Home brand version which is a couple cents cheaper:

Alternatively, Dryel offers a full kit that is under $13 that gives you the stain remover plus everything you need to perform a full at-home DIY dry cleaning. In my opinion this is a better deal because you get so much more for only about $3 more:

Acetate - Dry Clean or use the products shown above.

Leather - Leather cleaner is always a fantastic first option. You can also try a damp, clean cloth (purified water) with a small bit of dye-free soap. Facial soap is a good option. If stain will not come out, bring to dry cleaner. If the stain is marker you can try using hair spray to remove it. Following up with Leather Conditioner is always a great idea. There are products online that are absolutely worth the investment because spending $12 to remove a stain from a genuine leather $400 coat is totally worth the $12 spent! This particular cleaner is the best I have found online. It is around twelve bucks on Amazon and has almost 5 stars!

Modacrylic - Dry Clean or use any of the dry clean kits shown above.

Fur - damp, clean cloth (water). NEVER use soap. If stain will not come out, bring to dry cleaner or use the products shown above.

Rayon - Probably should dry clean but you can give it a try if you want. If you do give it a try, use the products shown in this article because we have intentionally found the best products available (highest rated!)

Silk - Real silk should be dry cleaned or cleaned with the dry clean kit. The item is too expensive to ruin. BUT if the silk item has a dry, crusty stain, use tape to try to “lift” the stain off the item. Avoid tapes like duct tape because this can leave residue.

Suede - Kiwi makes a fantastic 5-star $7 product designed specifically to be used on suede apparel:

It's basically like a Mr Clean Magic Eraser, but for Suede. If you don't want to spend $7, you can apply corn startch and allow to sit overnight. Corn flour may also work. Corn starch is absorbent and can gently remove a lot of oil-based stains. Steam cleaning is also another way to remove stains from suede.

Wool - You only have two options here. One is to take it to the dry cleaner, the second option is this $10, 5-star "Stubborn Stain Remover" that is designed for Wool:

OTHER MATERIALS

Stain Remover Pen!!! This is something you should always have on hand if you buy and sell Store Returns or even Liquidations.Two of the top rated products are the Tide To Go Pen (3 for under $7) and Grandmas Secret (3 Bottles for around $11):

Mascara, Lipstick and stains that look like oil - Soak a cloth with some dry cleaning fluid and blot the stain up. For extra stubborn stains, follow up with vinegar. Also, the Tide to Go Pen or Grandmas Secret will likely work.

Coffee and Juice - Usually White Vinegar will work or just use the stain removers we have already discussed.

Ink-based: rubbing alcohol is the "at home DIY" but Grandmas Secret is specifically designed to take on difficult ink stains.

Milk or cream: Dry cleaning fluid or Carbona. Carbona is designed for Blood and Dairy only. A 2-pack of 4oz bottles is only around $7 on Amazon:

Red wine: There's a wonderful 5-star product specifically designed for Wine (12oz Bottle is around $7 on Amazon)

If you don't want to buy Wine Away, you can try rubbing alcohol and white vinegar, or white wine

Tea: Everyone suggests lemon juice however I would be more comfortable using Grandmas Secret because it is also non toxic.

Blood Stain - Hydrogen Peroxide can usually get old blood stains out. Carbona is designed for Blood and costs only around $7 on Amazon for a 2-pack of 4oz Bottles.

If the stain you need to remove is not on this list, do a google search like this:

HOW TO REMOVE (your type of stain) FROM (type of fabric)

So your search will look like this:

HOW TO REMOVE DYE STAIN FROM COTTON

HOW TO REMOVE INK STAIN FROM POLYESTER

THE FINAL OPTIONS

If you absolutely cannot remove a stain, you can dye or tie dye, the item the color of the stain or you can treat the stain like a hole and follow our How to Cover Holes guide.

If you want to dye the garment, here's some great choices:

Giant Tulip kit with all colors is only $14:

There are also Dye Sticks:

If all else fails, Jet Black is usually a safe color to dye because it hides nearly everything. RIT dye is under $3 on Amazon: RIT dye is under $3 on Amazon: