On Sat, 09 Sep 2017 09:44:17 -0500, Ignoramus21254
wrote:

Some of my clothes, not surprisingly, have dark spots from used oil
and carbon. I am not sure if it is the oil itself, or the carbon works
as a dye, but they do NOT clean up with regular clothes detergent. I
want to clean them out properly.

Timing really helps. 2 tips: The quicker you wash the clothing after
the stain, the better. And never put a stained piece of clothing into
the dryer, as it can 'set' the stain. Pull the stained clothing out
of the washer and see if the stain is gone. If not, don't dry it. Try
other stain removers while it's spin-dried.

If you spill latex paint on good clothes, soak the painted area in DNA
or isopropyl (weaker) alcohol, then brush with stiff plastic bristle
or fine bristle brass/bronze brush to remove the thicker portion. Now
wash as usual while still wet with the alcohol.

Things like powdered graphite and sooty dust will blow off with a
narrow, OSHA-disapproved tip and high pressure, so try blowing first,
preferably BEFORE you wipe it in. OSHA-approved goggles recommended.


Would anyone have a suggestion as to what to do with these dark stains.

Some of the old standards help: borax, washing soda, and fels naptha
soap. When I want to whiten my whites, I put half the amount of
liquid soap, half a cup of borax, and half a cup of washing soda in
the wash. If there's a grease/grass stain on clothes, I rub it with
naptha soap before washing.

Newer helps: Orange oil, EasyWash, cleaning enzymes, purple degreaser.

Some spray enzymatic cleaner my sister gave to me is from her MLM herb
company, Nature's Sunshine. It took out grease stains which were set
in by the dryer when nothing else worked for me, which really and
pleasantly surprised me.
https://www.naturessunshine.com/us/p...-spray/P95044/
If you sign up to get the member price ($40 min order) please use her
name: Cheri Jaques. They bombard with email until you unsubscribe,
then they don't bother you. The products are great, but $$$$ to me.

-


A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion,
butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet,
balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying,
take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations,
analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a
tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is
for insects.

-Robert A. Heinlein