HELOISE Attack clothing stains with homemade spray

Dear Readers: Has this happened to you? You find that perfect outfit ... you wear it one time, and ... it's stained! So, what can you do?
Most importantly, read the care label. Then, what caused the stain -- grease (butter, candle wax, chocolate), protein (baby formula, blood, cheese, grass) or sugar (fruit, juice, candy)? Each type of stain has a different cleaning approach, so before you take it to the professionals, with a little help from Heloise's Handy Stain Guide for Clothing, you might be able to remove the stain yourself.
As long as a garment does not say "dry clean only," then the perfect "cleaner" could be sitting in your cabinet right now. For a list of both commercial and homemade products that can tackle each of the different types of stains, order my Stain Guide pamphlet by sending $4 and a long, self-addressed, stamped (60 cents) envelope to: Heloise/Stains, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, TX 78279-5001. Not only will you save tons of money by using these formulas, but you will also find other laundering hints and recipes, including this recipe for Heloise's Homemade Prewash Spray. Just mix equal parts of water, household ammonia and dishwashing (not dishwasher) liquid. Put the mixture into a clean spray bottle and label it. To use, spray the prewash on the stained area, let sit for a few minutes and then wash. Don't let the item sit for a long time or toss it in the hamper. Do not use the mixture with chlorine bleach or any other cleaning product that contains bleach. Heloise
Dear Heloise: Use a straw to hull a strawberry. Push the straw into the bottom (pointed end) of the berry and push it through. It pushes the leaves and the core right out. B. Kukielka, via e-mail
Dear Heloise: I use the shoe-polishing cloth that hotels give you to clean my eyeglasses. It doesn't leave lint on my glasses, and when it is dirty, I can toss it in the wash. Elizabeth in Rochester, N.Y.
Dear Heloise: I use one of the floor-cleaning products that has the pretreated pads that you attach to the mop. I have found a way to get extra use from the pad once I have used it on the floor. I just remove it, turn it inside out and wipe the baseboards, etc. This gets more mileage out of these expensive products! Lisa Smith, Charleston, Tenn.
And here's another floor-cleaning hint, from Carolyn Allen of Fort Worth, Texas: "An idea I've found useful: When scrubbing my kitchen floor, I sit on a plant stand (low to the floor) that has rollers/casters on it. A small pillow/cushion on top of that is even more comfortable. Makes for ease in moving from square to square. Heloise
Dear Heloise: I use extra photos to make birthday cards for my grandkids. I use scrapbooking products, decorative scissors, corner cutters, stickers, blank cards, etc., when making them. They love them, especially photos of their parents and grandparents. Dorrain Petron, Rice, Minn.
XSend a great hint to: Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000, Fax: (210) HELOISE or E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com.
King Features Syndicate