Wash with Wally

By Wally Makowsky | May 13, 2009

I am having trouble with very heavily soiled perspiration stains. I have tried ammonia and vinegar, but with little success. Do you have any ideas?

First of all, perspiration stains, if they are set in for a long period of time and in a consistent manner, are very difficult – and sometimes they cannot be removed at all. The acid and oil in perspiration can actually discolor the molecules in the fabric.

Your best bet is to purchase a gallon of spray spotter for drycleaners. Most laundry suppliers carry this product, which features the necessary chemicals to disburse most perspiration stains.

Typically, spray the spotter directly on the stain, and then run the garment through a normal wash cycle. If you are using bleach as well, use a non-chlorine bleach.

I am a new store owner who does a fair amount of drop-off work. One of my customers is a massage therapist; she brings me sheets and pillow cases that are stained with a heavy, very fragrant massage oil.

Unfortunately, the products we are using just do not remove the oily feel or the smell. The client hasn’t complained, but I would like to do a better job. Any suggestions?

The detergent you need to remove that oily feel and odor should be a di-limonene-based liquid detergent. Of course, you can’t use anything harsh on some of the garments or materials that you’re washing, and, in general, this product is gentle and environmentally safe.

When using this product, you shouldn’t be washing in temperatures beyond 150 degrees, because di-limonene has a tendency to turn into a gas before the actual washing job is done if there is too much heat. Also, don’t wash with this product in cold water, because you’ll only get partial efficiency. This type of detergent generally does the best job at about 120 to 125 degrees.

I have new dryers with stainless steel drums, which my customers love. The only problem that I have noticed is the rear of the drums have developed some burn marks and other blemishes in the stainless steel. How can I clean these off?

As you know, there aren’t any “miracle cleaners” on the market. The problem with such scorch marks is that they probably have been caused by a number of different materials, such as vinyl, rubber, polyester, plastic and others. These materials literally have been baked into the stainless steel, making it quite difficult to dissolve.

In addition, many of the chemicals that might prove effective in removing those scorch marks are flammable and dangerous. Unfortunately, others that would be successful in removing the stains might permanently discolor the stainless steel.

Therefore, I would recommend using a cordless drill with a buffer pad attachment. Be sure to use a synthetic pad with an extra-fine coarseness to it. Use this in place of sandpaper. Wet the buffing pad and then buff the stains off the back of your dryer drums. This process should work well at eliminating those marks.

You can buy buffing pads at any hardware store. Be sure to remember to get ones with an extra-fine grain. If you use a pad that’s too coarse, you may end up putting large marks on the stainless steel. However, with an extra-fine or even a fine grain pad, you should leave a clean, smooth surface

By using any type of buffing pad, you are creating a new grain within the stainless steel. Be forewarned that the backs of the dryer drums may lose some of their luster, but the stains should definitely be gone.