Alcohol
Blot up all you can and sponge the spot with water. Sponge with detergent solution; blot. Sponge with vinegar; blot; rinse. Bleach with hydrogen peroxide if necessary.

Blood
Blot or scrape up all you can; soak old blood stains in salt water or digestant. Blot with cool water. Blot with ammonia; rinse. Bleach with hydrogen peroxide if necessary. If stain remains, try rust remover from a janitorial-supply store.

Candle Wax
Scrape off all you can first with a scraper or butter knife. Put a clean absorbent cloth over the spot and iron with a warm iron to melt and absorb wax the into the blotting cloth. Remove remaining residue with dry-cleaning fluid.

Chocolate
Scrape off all you can first. Sponge with dry-cleaning fluid. Sponge with detergent solution; blot; rinse. If stain remains, bleach with hydrogen peroxide.

Cigarette Burn
For slight discoloration, rub with dry steel wool, vacuum up the debris, then apply detergent solution. Trim off blackened tufts with scissors. For bad burns, have a repairperson "doughnut cut" the damaged area out and plug a new piece in.

Coffee
Blot with detergent solution; rinse. Blot with vinegar; rinse; air dry. If stain remains, sponge with dry cleaning fluid. Bleach any remaining stain with hydrogen peroxide.

Grass
Sponge with water. Sponge with alcohol (except wool, silk, or acetate). If stain remain, use digestant, then sponge with detergent solution; rinse. Bleach with hydrogen peroxide if necessary.

Greasy Foods
Gently scrape off all you can. Sponge with dry-cleaning fluid. Sponge with detergent solution. If stain remains, use digestant, then sponge with detergent solution; rinse. Bleach any remaining stain with hydrogen peroxide.

Gum
Use aerosol gum freeze from a janitorial supply store or dry ice to harden the gum and make it brittle. Strike and break into pieces, scrape them up with a dull butter knife. Remove residue with dry-cleaning fluid.

Ice-Cream / Milk / Cream
Sponge with detergent solution, then with ammonia; rinse and air dry. Sponge any remaining stain with dry cleaning fluid. If stain remain, use digestant, then sponge with detergent solution and rinse.

Ink (Ballpoint)
Sponge with detergent solution; rinse. If stain remains, saturate with cheap hair spray and blot. If still there, try alcohol, acetone, or non-oily nail polish remover and a bleach safe for the fabric, in that order. If yellow stain remains, try rust remover.

Mildew
Dry-brush to remove as much as possible. Sponge with disinfectant solution; blot. Sponge with ammonia; rinse. Bleach with chlorine bleach if safe for fabric; if not, use hydrogen peroxide.

Mustard
Scrape and blot to remove all you can. Sponge with detergent solution, then with vinegar; rinse. If stain remains, bleach with hydrogen peroxide.

Nail Polish
Blot acetone or non-oily nail polish remover through the stain into a clean absorbent pad, test first. No acetone or acetate, modacrylic, silk, or wool, use amyl acetate (banana oil), from a pharmacy. Flush with dry-cleaning fluid; air dry. If stain remains, try alcohol, then hydrogen peroxide.

Oil
Absorb fresh oil with cornmeal, (kitty litter, or sawdust on concrete) then blot with paint thinner or dry-cleaning fluid. Feather edges. If stain remains, sponge with detergent solution; rinse and feather.

Paint
If fresh, flush with either mineral spirits for oil-base paint or detergent solution for latex. If dry, carefully soften with lacquer thinner or paint stripper (test first for fabric damage) then flush with appropriate solvent.

Pet Stains
Scrape up all the solid matter you can and blot out all liquid possible by placing a clean towel on the spot and standing on it. Apply bacteria/enzyme digester according to directions. When dry, remove any remaining stain with detergent solution; rinse.

Rust
Use commercial rust remover carefully observing all safety precautions. Home remedies like salt and lemon juice are slow and not always effective.

Shoe Polish (paste) / Lipstick
Gently scrape off all you can, being extra careful not to spread the stain. Blot dry-cleaning fluid through the stain into a clean absorbent pad. Sponge with detergent solution; blot. Sponge with ammonia; rinse. If stain remains, try alcohol, then hydrogen peroxide.

Soft Drinks
Blot up all you can. Blot with detergent solution; rinse; air dry. If stain remains, soak with glycerin for 30 minutes and rinse.

Tar / Grease
Scrape up all you can, then remove residue by blotting with paint thinner or dry-cleaning fluid. Blot with detergent solution; rinse.

Vomit
Scrape up as much as possible, then rinse the spot with water. Blot with detergent solution. Blot with ammonia; rinse. If stain remains, use digestant, then sponge with detergent solution; rinse.

* For complete stain removal instructions for everything - even the toughest stains -consult the book titled "Stainbuster's Bible" by Don Aslett, P.O. Box 39, Pocatello, Idaho 83204, (208) 232-6212.