5 St. Patrick's Day Disaster Remedies
St. Patrick's Day is the one time of year where everyone gets to be Irish for a day in the most animated of ways, wearing green clothes adorned with shamrocks, eating green-dyed foods, and enjoying green-tinted beverages.
Even though the holiday may look a little different this year, there are bound to be a few spills and accidents from the festive food and drinks. And when messes get made, all of that green can become a serious problem if the stains aren't handled quickly. Here's how to take care of the worst St. Patrick’s Day stain situations with a green cleaning champion!
If spills do happen on cloth or fabric, here's a quick remedy: dampen the stain with water, spray full-strength Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner on the area and allow a few minutes for the cleaner to penetrate the soil. Then gently rub and blot the area with an absorbent cloth or towel, and air dry.
A staple of any true St. Patrick's Day, beer is often dyed green for the occasion. However, if you simply add green food coloring to a more yellow beer such as a pale ale, you'll find it requires a large amount of the dye to have an effect. Even worse, it will likely turn your teeth green, and stain anything it comes into contact with! Instead, add blue food coloring to your yellow beer. Remember from grade school: yellow and blue make green. With a bit of blue, you'll have your desired result, and use far less food coloring.
Red wine contains chromogens, a substance in colorful plants that is used to make dyes. These dyes easily stain fabric, however, and set quickly. Removing wine stains can be notoriously difficult to remove once they've dried – and thank goodness wine is rarely dyed green for St. Paddy's!
First, place a cloth or napkin under the stained fabric to prevent it from spreading onto anything else. Dab the stain with paper towels to absorb as much wine as possible, but don't rub, as this will push the stain further into the fabric. Then blot the stained area with water to dilute the wine, making it easier to clean.
Next pour table salt on the spot. Let it soak up the moisture for a few minutes, before brushing off gently. Then spray Simple Green on the surface and allow two minutes for it to break down any remaining wine. Then rinse the material, and wash on cold cycle before air drying.
To remove wine stains from upholstery or carpet, head to #4.
What's St. Patrick’s Day without wings, burgers, nachos, or even a corned beef? With all the cooking and greasy food, there's a good chance one of these mess-bomb items will make contact with an article of clothing, leaving you scrambling for a stain remedy for grease, ketchup, sauce and who knows what else!
That's where Simple Green comes in, with unparalleled degreasing, cleaning and degreasing power.
For greasy fabric stains, wipe off or blot the mess, being careful not to spread the stain. Then dampen the stain with water. Next, spray Simple Green onto the stain, and allow a few minutes for the cleaner to penetrate. Then gently blot with a clean, damp towel or absorbent cloth. Air dry.
Carpet stains? Head to #4.
For couch stains, skip to #5.
From tracked-in dirt to pet accidents and spilled food and drinks, the dreaded "party foul" comes in many forms.
To remove stains before they set, first blot up any liquid from the surface, then dampen the affected area with clean water. Next, spray a solution of 1 oz. Simple Green to 1 cup water onto the stain, and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to soak (don't wet the area too heavily, to avoid soaking the padding underneath which can lead to mold or mildew). Then gently rub and blot with a damp clean cloth or towel.
For big spills, you may need a carpet cleaning machine to lift the stain. Here's how.
From dirt and dust, pet stains and odors, spilled food and drinks, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner can spot clean spills on your fabric sofa.
For spot cleaning, start by blotting up any liquid from the sofa with a dry cloth, then dampen the stain with clean water. Next, spray a solution of 1 oz. Simple Green to 1 cup water onto the stain, and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to soak. Don't wet the area too heavily, to avoid soaking the padding underneath which can lead to mold or mildew. Then gently rub and blot with a damp clean cloth or towel. For larger couch stains, follow these directions with a cleaning machine and a brush attachment.
Prior to cleaning, check your affected item for proper care instruction. Always spot test on an inconspicuous area. Do not use Simple Green on leather, suede, velvet or handmade rugs.
You should never drink Simple Green not even on St. Paddy's Day. And if Green isn't your color, Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner is also available in Lemon and Lavender!
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