Fruit Stain Removal

By Matt Oden | Comments | Food and Drink Stains → Fruit

Fruit stain removal can prove to be a difficult task if left for too long. Fresh fruits are a healthy choice, but the stains can be somewhat difficult to remove from your clothing and upholstery. Never fear there are a few tricks to fruit stain removal.

Fruit Stain Background

Fresh fruit stains can be a very difficult task the longer you allow the fruit to sit. There are some theories out there that will tell you to put a little salt on the stain until you are able to treat the fabric. The salt will absorb some of the acids and water from the fruit stain. The salt should make it so the stain does not set into your fabric.

Fruit Stain Removal from Upholstery

What you will need:

Liquid dishwashing detergent
Cool water
Clean white cloth

When caught early enough fruit stains can be fairly easy to remove from your upholstery. For fruit stain removal you only need one type of cleaning detergents to begin your project.

To begin mix one tablespoon of the liquid dishwashing detergent with two cups of cool water. Liquid dishwashing detergent is a little more powerful than most laundry detergents. Keep this in mind when using it on fabrics and upholstery.
Next, take your clean white cloth and sponge a generous amount of water and detergent mixture on the fruit stain.
Blot the area with the clean white towel until all of the liquid is absorbed.
If the stain remains continue the fruit stain removal steps until the stain is gone.
Once the stain has been removed, you will want to sponge the area with a clean cloth and cool clean water. Blot the area until the upholstery is free of the detergent solution. You don't want to trade one stain for another. You will need to ensure that you get all of the detergent solution from the area as to not leave a ring of soap.
Allow the stain to air dry.
Inspect the area to ensure the stain has been completely removed. There are times when it may seem that you have removed the fruit stain, but once dry you may notice that there is a ring around the area that you just cleaned. If this happens repeat the steps of fruit stain removal until the stain has been removed.

If you are able to start treating the stain right away you should be able to remove the stain with little to no issues. Again remember to use the salt trick if you are unable to treat the stain right away. Make sure you only use the salt if it will not ruin the upholstery you are treating. You can ensure the salt is safe to use by testing a small area of the fabric.

Fruit Stain Removal from Fabric

What you will need:

A dull knife
Cold water
Liquid detergent
Hot water
Stain remover(spray, gel, stick, etc...)
Hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, or lemon

Again the key to easy fruit stain removal is to treat the stain right after it happens. If you are unable to treat the stain right away you can put a little salt on the area. Again the salt should absorb the fruit juices until you are able to properly treat the stain. Here are a few easy steps to fruit stain removal from your clothing:

To begin the fruit stain removal process, you will want to take a spoon or dull knife and scrape any leftover fruit away from the area. Be careful not to scrape too hard or you might damage the fabric.
Next, you will want to rinse the stain with cold water.
Gently rub liquid detergent on the stain. You can do this using your fingers to thoroughly work the detergent into the stain.
Let the detergent sit on the fruit stain for about 5 minutes. You can leave it for more than 5 minutes if it is a stubborn stain.
Next, you will rinse the stain with hot water. You should run the hot water through the back of the stain so that you do not run the stain into other parts of the garment. Tip: try to make the water as hot as possible. This will allow the stain to run from the fabric.
Now you will apply the stain remover, of your choice, to the stain.
Wash the garment normally with liquid detergent.
Inspect your fabric to ensure the stain has been completely removed before you put the clothing in the dryer. If the fruit stain is not gone, before you place the clothing into the dryer, you will set the stain into the fabric making it almost impossible to remove.
If the stain still remains you can choose to use a bleaching agent like hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, or lemon juice. Beware, all are bleaching agents and can cause the discoloring of your fabric. Before using any of these products test them on a small part of the fabric to see if the product is safe to use. If the products are safe to use you can use a sponge to blot the product of choice on the fruit stain.
Again use the stain remover product on the stained area.
Finally, wash the garment again. If the stain still remains you can repeat steps 9 and 10 until the stain has been completely removed.

Some fruit stains can be more difficult to remove than others. Try to choose a stain remover that will assist you in removing the type of stain that you have encountered. This should eliminate a few repeat steps of the fruit stain removal process.