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The Stain Files

Triage

Open a stain file

Choose the stain and the surface. The file opens below with the method, the never list and the kit; the full file has the chemistry and questions.

A The stain

Drinks

Red wine Coffee Tea Cola and soda Orange juice Beer Matcha Grape and cranberry juice

Food

Tomato sauce and ketchup Turmeric and curry Mustard Grease and cooking oil Butter Chocolate Berries Beetroot Gravy Salad dressing Egg Ice cream Soy sauce BBQ sauce Avocado Peanut butter

Beauty

Foundation and concealer Lipstick Mascara and eyeliner Nail polish Self-tanner and fake tan Hair dye Sunscreen Deodorant marks Bronzer, blush and eyeshadow Perfume Hair and body oil Benzoyl peroxide bleach marks

Body

Sweat and yellow underarm stains Blood Urine (pets and people)Vomit (pets and people)Breast milk Drool and yellow pillow stains Baby poop Baby formula and spit-up Baby food purée

Kids and craft

Crayon Slime Play dough Washable marker Permanent marker Ballpoint ink Highlighter Acrylic paint Wall paint (latex/emulsion)School glue (PVA)Super glue Chewing gum Sticker and tape residue Candle wax

Outdoor

Grass Mud and dirt Tree sap Lily pollen Bird droppings Rust Bike chain and motor grease Mildew and mould spots Scorch marks Water stains and rings Bleach spots

B The surface

Clothes

Clothes White shirt Jeans Linen Baby clothes Polyester Leggings and activewear Wool and cashmere Silk Rayon and viscose

Home textiles

Sheets and bedding Towels Mattress

Carpet and rugs

Carpet Wool rug

Upholstery

Fabric couch Microfiber couch Velvet upholstery Car seats

Leather and suede

Leather Suede and nubuck

Shoes

Hard surfaces

Marble Granite Quartz countertop Wood furniture and floors Tile grout Painted walls Plastic containers

?? Not sure?

What if my stain is not listed?

Pick the closest match by what it is made of. A smoothie behaves like berries; a protein shake like baby formula; a fruit tea like tea; a vegetable oil spray like grease. The stain dossiers explain what each one is made of.

What if I do not know the fabric?

Check the care label, including linings and trims. If the material or care method is unknown, do not assume even cool water is suitable. Ask the manufacturer or a professional cleaner before treatment.

Does the triage work offline?

Once the page has loaded, the tool runs entirely in your browser with no further network requests and nothing is stored or sent.

Triage covers 70 stains and 29 materials. Combinations that are not on file yet (for example, nail polish on a silk scarf) still produce a method: the same engine that wrote every file works out the steps from what the stain is made of and what the material can take, and flags anything to test first.