Let’s face it: spilling coffee on our lap, splashing spaghetti on our favorite white shirt and finding an exploded ballpoint pen in our pocket are all everyday occurrences.

We can’t avoid stains, even if we practice living an eco-lifestyle, but we can avoid the toxic chemicals that are used in most stain removers. There are plenty of natural ingredients we can use to zap those stains beyond oblivion, and they’re also much cheaper than splurging on a big name brand product.

Removing Stubborn Stains

Here are some of the most common and pesky stains that we encounter everyday, and the natural, organic ingredients you can use to make them disappear:

Coffee Stains

For coffee stains on clothes, gently blot the stain away with a damp paper towel. Then mix 1/3 cup vinegar with 2/3 cup warm water and blot out the stain.

You can also use moist salt to remove stains from coffee cups.

For stains on carpets, mix ¼ cup of salt with ¾ cup of rubbing alcohol and rub the stain gently.

For grease and oil stains on clothes you can try borax on a damp cloth, or cornstarch rubbed into the stain.

Wine

For wine stains and other red stains, you can rub salt directly into the stain and rinse away. You can also pour boiling water or white distilled vinegar directly onto the stain and rub away.

Perspiration

Gently rub baking soda or vinegar into the troubled area and voila, no sweat stains!

Tomato Sauce

Rub cornstarch into the stain, let it stay for 20 minutes, and then rub off with cloth or a brush.

Ballpoint Pens

Soak the stain in milk for at least 15 minutes and then rub away.

Blood

Soak the fabric in cold salty water. Do NOT use hot water because it will allow the stain to set.

Gum and Wax

If you get wax or chewing bum on your clothing, rub it with ice until it freezes, and then break it off.

Evenly spread a layer of salt and lemon juice over the rust and rub away.

It’s nice to know that there are regular household products that we can use to get rid of pesky stains.

If only there was a natural remover for people that litter…