For us, as importers and dealers of textile clothing of Marks & Spencer brand, this obligation means to ensure for you the access to information referred to on the textile strips, tags and packages, all of them in Czech language. Since it is not possible for us to change in any way the feature of any textile product, we enclose a leaflet to all goods sold, containing basic information on the textile materials and their maintenance which are in accordance with the legislation in force.
When buying any textile product, we recommend you to pay a thorough attention to the maintenance symbols and maintenance instructions enclosed, so that you can imagine in advance the way of taking care of the product. By respecting the recommended procedures you can reach that the clothing will wear longer. Despite the maximum maintenance information on the tags as well as in the enclosed instructions, you ask us very often, how to remove unintentional stains. Accordingly, we have addressed to an expert in this branch, the manager of the dry cleaning shop DAJA and you can find below some basic information on ways of removal o certain specific stains.

Generally, it is difficult to remove absolutely the stains on the home conditions without a good knowledge of composition of materials, colours, cleaning means and their concentration. Some of cleaning procedures of our grandmothers may lead to a permanent damage of the clothing which could sure wear longer, should a professional cleaning method have been used. Where you do not know how to remove a stain, you rather consult a dry cleaning shop instead of trying at home so called cheaper methods (by means of bought chemicals). Never do wash at home any woolen materials and their mixtures, napped materials, jackets with bonded interlining, satin lined clothing and materials based on viscose, flax and natural silk unless they are marked MASHINE WASHABLE, since the material may shrink.

 

REMOVAL OF IDENTIFIED STAINS
Blood: Put the object for a certain time into lukewarm or cold water. In case of a more soaked material, the water should be changed several times. If you wish to have the piece of clothing dry cleaned immediately, wipe the stain with a wet sponge and do not let it dry for long. Removal of old blood stains is difficult.

Adhesives: in case of water soluble adhesives just put the object for a short time into water and wash it. Be careful when wiping the stains. Latex disappears after being wiped with a wet cloth when still wet. If the stain is dry, wipe it with technical gasoline and rub. Sticky spots after removal of stickers need to be wiped with wet cloth or gasoline. Quick drying adhesives cannot be removed at all, even by chemical cleaning.

Ball-point pencil ink, chalks, colour crayons stains (indelible), grass, metal cleaning means: Wipe the spot with an absorption swab soaked with methylalcohol.

Bicycle oil, heavy oil stains, cooking fat, nicotine (tobacco), sun-tanning protection oil: Use an absorption swab soaked with technical gasoline. For removal of fat stains also the gel-based washing powders proved to be effective. Before washing just cover the stain with the powder a wash the object. Get the other materials which must not be water washed, cleaned in a dry cleaning shop.

Candle stearin: Allow the speck hardened and peal the stearin carefully off (do not use much force). Be careful when removing such stains from rubber coated fabrics which can be damaged by pealing the pieces of stearin. Cover the residual stearin with blotting paper and iron it with a lukewarm iron. Warning: Ironing the residual stearin without the blotting paper leaves a fat stain removable by a dry cleaning procedure only. Then wash the clothing and get it dry cleaned.

Chalk and colour crayons: Rub the fabric as much as possible when dry. Then rub same in soap solution with water (one tea spoon in 0.3 liter of water) and wash in a normal way.

Chewing gum: Wipe the spot concerned with a absorption swab soaked with methylalcohol. An other possibility is to wipe the chewing gum with a piece of ice to allow it harden. Then it can be removed by your hand. Wash as usually. Despite of this effort, a microscopic sticky layer remains on the fabric enabling dirt to get stuck on that spot. The last traces can be removed in a dry cleaning shop.

Chocolate: First wipe the stain with soap, then wash as usually. Where the stain has not vanished after the first trial, use a swab soaked with methylalcohol and wash again. Thus the last traces will be removed.

Skvrny od fixy: Nejdříve skvrnu pomažte mýdlem, poté vyperte jako obvykle. Pro skvrny, které napoprvé nezmizely použijte absorbční tampón namočený v methylalkoholu. Znovu vyperte, odstraníte tím poslední stopy.

Hair spray and nail polish: Wipe the stain with an absorption swab soaked with acetone, but be very careful since acetone is a decolorant. Quick drying enamels cannot be removed on the home conditions and their removal is very difficult even in a dry cleaning shop.

Ice cream: Ice cream itself is fat and contains colouring ingredients. Wash the stain with a sponge soaked with lukewarm water and rub it with an absorption swab soaked with the technical gasoline. Wash it or get it dry cleaned.

Rust, indelible ink and vergidris (green stains,caused by copper objects, e. g. copper pipes and the like): Wipe the stain with lemon juice and allow to affect for 10 or 15 minutes. Then cover the stain with a moist cloth and iron it. Repeat this procedure as needed. Rinse and wash as usually.

Lipstick, make-up, light stains: dip in water and wash as usually.
Heavy stains: Wipe with an absorption swab soaked with methylalcohol.

Mould: Mould is a result of storing moist goods. Often it does not vanish even after using special chemical means. By boiling it is vanishing very slowly, never disappears completely and the fabric is permanently damaged on the moulded spot. Mould stains on coloured textiles - an only way of remedy is a regularly repeated dipping in water and consequent washing in a strong soap dilution in water. The traces will vanish gradually.

White cotton and linen fabrics: Dip repeatedly in a whitening solution in the proportion of 1:100 and add one spoonfull of vinegar. Rinse thoroughly and wash.

Non-iron white fabrics: Dip the fabric into a solution of hydrogen peroxide (20 %) diluted with water in the proportion of 1:9 until the stain disappear. Rinse thoroughly and wash as usually.

Paint, emulsion: Wipe the stain immediately a swab with a sponge soaked in cold water. Dried stains are permanent.

Oil paint: Wipe with an absorption swab soaked with technical gasoline or acetone.

Sweat, fresh stains: Wipe with water, then lay the dirty spot over an opened bottle of ammonia.

Dry stains: Wipe them with vinegar, rinse thoroughly and wash as usually.

Plasticine, modelling clay: If the mass is still soft, remove it with your fingers and remove the rest by swabbing the spot, i. e. pressing the swab repeatedly onto the stain. The mass sticks slowly onto the swab and disappears. Use a fat solvent or a light gasoline (INF). Wipe it as much as possible. To remove the last rests use an absorption swab soaked in technical gasoline or acetone or get the object dry cleaned.

Burn spots: The brown spots cannot be removed. When rubbed, they fall out. Light stains can be sometimes cleaned like other washable stains. Where the stain remains on the spot, wet it with water, rub glycerin in it and wash.
Heavily burn spots - where the fibres have been damaged cannot be successfully removed.

Shoe polish: If the clothing is washable, you can wash it. The other possible way is to wipe the stain with glycerin and apply technical gasoline by means of an absorption swab. The last traces can be removed by washing. Where the clothing concerned must not be washed, contact a dry cleaning shop - for pre-cleaning they use both water and chemical bath.

Asphalt: Scrape-off the piece of asphalt as much as possible, then use an absorption swab soaked with technical gasoline. Rinse and wash as soon as possible.

 

CAUTION!
You should consider before using:
Acetone: Risk of decolourization of certain fabrics. May cause permanent damages (acetates - e. g. nail polish).

Glycerin: Caution: it is fat. Even after washing some fat stains may remain. The stained clothing needs to be chemically treated.

Technical gasoline: This preparation leaves contours on sensitive fabrics in spite of its careful application. This effect is difficult to remove even by chemical cleaning.

Hydrogen peroxide: Ammonia causes permanent damages - makes the treated spots lighter. Cannot be used without a good knowledge. On silk fabrics ammonia causes permanent damages by dissolving colours. Try hard to remove the stain as soon as possible after they appear to prevent its getting dry. Where the stain cannot be removed by yourself, contact the professionals!.

 

Where the origin of stains is unknown, do not wash the fabric and if getting it cleaned draw the personnel´s attention to the stain. First try to remove the stain on a hidden part of the clothing (e. g. under the seam of the clothing or, in case of a carpet, at its selvage). When applying stain removing preparations, always proceed from the margin of the stain to its centre to prevent forming a circle. For swabs use only white (not coloured) absorption materials of cotton or wool. After removal of the stain, wash the whole product or get it cleaned. Products with large stains should be cleaned by professionals.
Always give the origin of the stain, if known to you. Do not use both acetone and nail polish remover on materials made of acetate silk or triacetate. Caution: methanol is inflammable and poisonous.  

Remark: Although the information above is given in good faith, the firms Marks & Spencer and DAJA dry cleaning shop are not liable for any damage that could occur by using the chemicals referred to. Further, no liability can be accepted for damages occurred by respecting any of the recommended procedures, since the materials and origin of stains could differ.