Let’s face it — doing laundry is a chore.  What can make laundry worse than normal? Trying to get out stains from your favorite articles of clothing. Learning a few stain-busting techniques will help make laundry time a normal chore rather than a depressing chore.

Here are 5 techniques for removing stains from clothing:

Fast Action with Emergency Spot Remover

If you’re out to dinner or at work and you spill your meal on your pants, don’t panic. Keeping a bottle of club soda nearby will do the trick. Straight from the bottle, apply it to the stain with a clean cloth, and watch it disappear.

Grass Stains and Toothpaste

While adults may not see grass stains on a regular basis, anyone with children who play sports are quite friendly with the green monster. One quick way to get rid of a grass stain is to use toothpaste and a toothbrush. Simply put a small ball of toothpaste on the stain and use the toothbrush to rub it away. Then rinse the area and throw it in the wash as usual.

Food Stains

If your household is known for making donuts and eating fried chicken without putting a napkin in you lap, then learning how to get rid of grease stains will be like Christmas for you. One trick is to sprinkle the grease spot with cornstarch, leave it for a few minutes, and then sweep it off. The spot should go away immediately.

Ink Stains

Unless you wear a pocket protector, most shirts and pants will experience an ink explosion at one time or another. One solution to the inky problem is to soak the stain with rubbing alcohol. Sometimes it may be beyond repair, but it may be worth a try.

Red, Red Wine

While this isn’t technically a laundry tip, who hasn’t had a glass of red wine spilled during a party? If you’re lucky, it landed on wood floors, or a surface that is easy to mop up. But if you have carpet or upholstered furniture, red wine can be your worst enemy. Next time your guests leave behind a stain, try sprinkling it with baking soda or pouring salt on the spill.

You can also try mixing 1 cup water with ½ cup hydrogen peroxide and a little bit of soap. Put the mixture in a spray bottle and apply it to the stain.

Or just only serve white wine!

I hope these tips will help you get rid of those pesky stains and keep laundry time stain-free. Do you have any tips you’d like to share?