Garment Alert - Removing mayonnaise stains
Below is some technical advice provided by Howard Duffy, Technical Officer, on removing mayonnaise stains.
I recently had an enquiry from a drycleaner asking how to get a salad cream (mayonnaise) stain out of a mens linen jacket. The jacket had been pre-spotted and cleaned but the stain was still very much visible.
In general, salad creams or mayonnaise, is a product that is made up of a combination of one, some or all of the below:
- oil
- mustard
- vinegar
- lemon juice
Resulting in a stain that is much more complex than first thought.
Unfortunately, just pre-spotting will not remove salad cream/mayonnaise stains as there are several steps that may need to be
followed. Below is a nine-step guide for removing these types of stains.
Step 1
Start with application of Volatile Dry Spotter (“VDS”) and work it into the stain with spatula or spotting brush to break up the stain
and allow VDS to penetrate.
Step 2
Flush with VDS.
Step 3
Apply a little more VDS and a few drops of Oily Type Paint Remover (“OTPR”) or Paint, Oil, Grease Remover (“POGR”), use spatula or brush to work mixture together and into the stained area.
Step 4
Flush with VDS.
Step 5
Repeat if stain is being removed and then dry with gun from outside of stain to the centre to prevent spotting rings.
If Steps 1 – 5 have not worked then you can try the following BUT REMEMBER “the stain belongs to the customer but the damage
from removing the stain will belong to you.
Step 6
Flush with wet steam and apply neutral detergent to the area and brush into fabric, flush and dry.
Step 7
Apply protein or a neutral detergent with ammonia, work into fabric and then flush with water and dry. No steam.
Step 8
Apply tannin with a neutral detergent and a 28% acetic acid, work into fabric, flush the area with water and dry. No steam.
As a last resort you can try a few drops of rust remover, leave 20 seconds and flush and dry. As with most linens test on an inconspicuous area before starting, some linens do not like spotting at all.