The blackberry Kool-Aid dotted my white dining chair where my nephew, then around four, was sitting. I whipped out the rug cleaner and a cloth and daubed up the spots.

“You’re a good cleaner, Aunt Janice,” my nephew declared.

Ah, sweetie, with you around, I have to be.

Your nieces and nephews are just so cute, so adorable, so…messy.

Let’s face facts, Savvy Aunties. Children, who are figuring out that coordination thing, can and will spill, drop, drool, poop, throw up, smear and paint on anything. Your white dining chair is a magnet for all of it.

It’s easy for Savvy Aunties to become Savvy Stain Fighters!

The Supply Kit
Anti-bacterial wipes or cleaners, glass cleaner, Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, rug cleaner, dish soap, a pre-treatment stain remover for laundry and rubber gloves are the absolute basics for general stain fighting. A nice stack of white towels and paper towels are a must, too.

Clothes
-Make sure any stain is gone before putting clothes into the dryer. Otherwise, the heat will make it set. The fresher the stain, the more likely you can get it out.

-For chewing gum stuck on clothes, use ice to harden it and then scrape it away. To make the gum harden faster, stick the clothing item into the freezer and then it should break off easier. Pre-treat before washing.

-For protein stains, soak in cold water and then rub under running water to dislodge the stain. Once the stain is removed, launder with heavy-duty detergent. Protein stains include: eggs, baby food and formula, blood, dairy products (milk, ice cream, cheese), gelatin, vomit, mud, glue and feces. The protein portion of the stain must be removed with cool water first or it will “cook” into the clothes if you use hot water first.

-With oil-based stains, pre-treat, rub heavy-duty detergent into the stain and wash in warm to hot water. Oil-based stains are: mayonnaise, salad dressing, butter, grease, hand and face lotions, and general grease and oil.

Bodily Fluids
Yep, it’s amazing what comes out of those little bodies. When cleaning up, make sure to wear rubber gloves. If you’re as squeamish as me, have your brother clean it up.

-Bodily fluid clean-ups are better with paper towels since you can toss them and not risk contamination.

-If you use towels to clean up, wash them separately from children’s clothes – unless it was all contaminated. Wash diapers and anything with bodily fluids as the last load. After the load is finished, pour some bleach into your washer and run a cycle on the hot water setting to remove pesky bacteria.

-Use cleaners with bleach or anti-bacterial to clean up bodily fluids, especially the poo and vomit.

-On mattresses, soak up urine with paper towels. Dampen paper towels with water and keep dabbing until there is no more urine stain on the towel. Sprinkle borax detergent and scrub the area. After the spot is dry, vacuum up the detergent. If you don’t have borax, mix equal parts vinegar and water and blot the stain.

-Use the same tip above for dealing with feces on mattresses or rugs. Use a spoon or spatula (one that you never want to use again!) to remove solid matter.

The “What Did You Do?” Stains
-Baby seat or car seat - Wipe down the seat with warm water and dish soap. If the pull out part of the seat is washable, run it through the washer by following the manufacturer’s directions. For a crumbly food mishap, wipe off the sticky parts and vacuum out the crevices of the car seat.

-Lipstick, eye liner, eye shadow and mascara – Treat with a stain stick, rub heavy-duty laundry detergent into the stain, and then rub under hot water until the stain is removed.

-Foundation, Powder and Blush – Rub heavy-duty laundry detergent into the stain before washing.

-Fingernail polish – This is a tough one. Remove the stain with polish remover. If it’s on clothes, place the stain facedown on clean paper towels, apply the remover on the back of the stain and keep replacing the paper towels to soak up the liquid. If it does come off, then you can launder it. Do not use remover on clothes made from acetate, triacetate, or mod-acrylic fabrics. Fingernail polish remover will dissolve them - take these fabrics to the dry cleaners. For rugs, apply remover and blot the remover up – several times. This takes patience.

-Crayons and Markers – Use the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to wipe off crayon and marker scrawls. Just note if you have flat paint, the paint may come off no matter how you clean it. Glossy paint makes clean-ups easier.

-Rugs – Spray rug cleaner on the spot and let it set according to manufacturer’s directions. Blot several times and then vacuum.

A Little Prevention
An ounce of Savvy prevention is worth its weight in gold - and you don’t have to put tarps down.

-For the very young children, make sure you have sippy cups on hand to cut down on spills. As they get a little older, switch to fun glasses that come with lids and straws.

-For elementary age kids who want to pour their own milk or juice, pour it into a small pitcher or creamer or a container with a spigot on the bottom – the kind that stays in refrigerator but children can easily access it without lifting.

-Put towels down on chairs when they’re eating. Then shake out crumbs or toss it into the wash.

-When using fingernail polish, put down a towel on the floor. Don’t do it on the couch. Trust me. Several nail polish companies have a quick-dry product. Use your hair dryer on the coolest setting to help those tootsies dry.
Have waterproof mattress covers on the beds in case of accidents.

With a little prevention and an army of cleaning supplies, the Savvy Auntie can conquer any stain that comes her way!

Janice Marie Simon, MA, CPO

Published: June 17. 2010