Caring for Cotton Tablecloths:
Cotton is a material that few of our premium tablecloths are made of. Like our polyester tablecloths, they are made to be heavy duty, and can take a lot of wear and tear. Cotton can also take heat better than all our other materials, but it is also more absorbent and stains easier as well. Because of this, extra precaution should be taken with spot stains before laundering. Here are some tips to remove some common stains.
Red Wine Stains:
The dreaded red wine stain is every party host’s worst nightmare. It’s bright, obvious, and extremely hard to wash off. The secret to removing this type of stain is to treat it as early as possible as the stain can set as soon as 24 hours. First you would want to soak the area of the stain with water for about 10 minutes, and then use a mixture of mild dish soap and some hydrogen peroxide. If you are spot treating a colored tablecloth, you may want to try this mixture on an inconspicuous spot to make sure it does not bleach your material. This should remove the red wine stain, and just rinse and launder normally.
Candle Wax Stains:
What’s a lovely event without some mood candle lighting? Unfortunately, that might call for some wax stains on tablecloths that are difficult to remove. An easy way to remove this type of stain is to chip off as much extra wax as you can on the spot, and grab a brown paper bag and an iron. You would want to set the iron to a medium heat setting. Place the paper from the bag on the bottom and the top of the stain and begin ironing the wax. The paper will absorb any wax that the iron has melted. Replace the paper if necessary and keep ironing until no more wax comes off on the paper.
Oil Stains:
Oil stains is one of the toughest stains to get out of fabric, but a remedy that might work includes dusting dry corn starch on the stain and letting it sit there for a couple minutes. Dust off the excess, and if there is any oil stain remaining, try using baking soda mixed with a little water. Rub it in with a toothbrush, and rinse it off.
After all these spot treatments, feel free to put the tablecloths into the washing machine. Set your machine for warm water, in a regular spin cycle with your normal detergent and it’s good to go. Bleach is not recommended, however you can use some hydrogen peroxide for brighter whites. For drying the cotton linens, set the dryer on a permanent press with low heat. Wrinkly when they come out of the dryer? Feel free to use a medium to medium high heat for pressing these tablecloths.
Caring for Spandex Chair Covers and Sashes:
Spandex is a material that is somewhat difficult to care for, however the positive side when it comes to spandex products is that it is not very absorbent, so the stains will usually come off with a little hand washing and water. It’s important to care for spandex products properly or they may lose their elasticity. It’s recommended to hand wash our spandex items with some mild detergent and cold water, but it is possible to machine wash if using cold water and a mesh bag to prevent the items from warping in the wash. The spandex is heat sensitive, so it’s not recommended for use in the dryer. Hang dry them, and keep them away from direct heat or sun.
