From condiments oozing out of a burger and oil spilling on your pants at a restaurant to kids playing in mud and rubbing fruit juice on their new shirt, we all deal with stains on our clothes. If you act fast enough or use the right cleaning solution you can prolong the life of all types of clothing. Here’s a helpful guide to treating the most common stains.

Cleaning Ketchup and Mustard Stains

Classic cookout and ballgame condiments are commonly used together but require different cleaning methods. For mustard, use glycerine or sponge the stain with rubbing alcohol before washing. For ketchup, soak the clothes in cold water, rub with detergent in the cold water and wash.

Cleaning Lipstick Stains

After grandma gives all the kids a kiss, a lipstick stain is often left on clothes but all you need to remove it is a quick rub with detergent until the outline disappears and a regular wash with warm water.

Cleaning Ketchup and Mustard Stains

Classic cookout and ballgame condiments are commonly used together but require different cleaning methods. For mustard, use glycerine or sponge the stain with rubbing alcohol before washing. For ketchup, soak the clothes in cold water, rub with detergent in the cold water and wash.

Cleaning Lipstick Stains

What kid hasn’t played in and then tracked mud throughout your home? We can’t help you with the floors but washing mud is simple, let the stain dry, brush the dried mud off and let the clothes soak before rubbing the stain with rubbing alcohol before washing.

Cleaning Grease Stains

Grease stains are extremely common for people in the restaurant business, thankfully most restaurants have the perfect cleaning solution, club soda. Soak the clothes in club soda for at least a half hour before washing.

Cleaning Rust Stains

Cover the stain with lemon juice and salt and place the clothes in the sun. Once dry, brush off the salt and wash.

Cleaning Grass Stains

Grass stains are a childhood rite of passage but also affect dads and moms reliving the glory days on the field and everyday people enjoying a picnic. Treat grass stains by rubbing detergent on the affected area and then wash using a bleach designed for the specific fabric.

Cleaning Fruit Juice Stains

From oranges and grapefruits shooting citrus every which way to strawberry juice being wiped on clothes, fruit is a top culprit of stained shirts and table clothes. The easiest way to get rid of fruit juice stains is to pour boiling water through the stain from several feet above the garment. Be extremely careful handling boiling water and make sure to be out of the splash zone. Pro Tip: Pour water into a deep sink to avoid splashes.

Cleaning Blood Stains

It’s important to treat blood stains as quick as possible but if the blood has dried, brush off what you can before soaking in a mixture of cold water and detergent before washing. If you are able to treat quickly, submerge the clothing in cold water and let it sit for 30 minutes, then blot the stain using hydrogen peroxide before washing. Pro Tip: Never use hot water to treat a blood stain, this will set the stain.

Cleaning Coffee Stains

There’s no worse way to start a morning than spilling hot coffee all over yourself, well, maybe not having coffee is worse but you understand. There are several ways to combat a coffee stain, soak clothes in warm or cold water, brush the stain with a mixture of detergent and hot water or use a sponge and blot the stain with borax or vinegar.

Cleaning Wine Stains

Don’t let wine stains set you into a panic. The best way to treat the stain is to immediately soak the stained area in a mixture of detergent and cool water, then pour boiling water after roughly 20 minutes, just like cleaning a fruit stain. If the clothes are cotton treat the stain with distilled vinegar before washing.