Stain removal filter: can I fix this?

November 5, 2015 5:53 AM

I bought a shirt. I ruined the shirt the minute I decided to return it. Can I fix this or have I just bought a £30 cleaning rag?

I picked up a shirt on the way out of a shop a couple of days ago and didn't have time to try it on. I decided to try it yesterday morning before I put makeup on, but crucially after I'd applied my skincare including a lip balm with a pink tint (can you see what's coming?) I decided I didn't like it so I'd return it, especially considering I couldn't really afford it in the first place. As I took it off the Law of Attraction did its thing and I ended up with two bright pink marks on the front of it. I futilely rubbed it with a damp towel, and then in my wisdom used a makeup removing wipe. I left it to dry while I was at work, and on coming home I found it to look like this. The lip balm mark is basically gone - yay! - and instead there's a large patch where I used the wipe - oh ffs. It's a pale pink colour and 100% polyester.

I can't really afford to keep it, especially if it's not wearable because of the mark. But clearly I can't return it like this. Have I any options? I can't machine wash it as I'd have to remove the tags, and I don't know if that would work. Ideally there's some magical way to remove all trace of stain without washing it so I can get my money back. Second best would be to get rid of the stain so I could sell it on eBay or something. Third option seems to be to resign myself to the fact that I'm a moron who's now even more broke than a few days ago with nothing to show for it.

Anyone have any advice? Thanks.

posted by billiebee to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (12 answers total)

OxiClean is basically a miracle--it's a non-chlorine bleach and it's safe for polyester. Here are their instructions for lipstick stains on polyester. You can lift the tags out of the way (maybe tie them loosely to a yardstick or dowel that you sit on the edge of the sink/bucket you use to soak) and soak the rest of the blouse, then do the same to hand wash/rinse.
posted by mama casserole at 5:59 AM on November 5, 2015

I would try hand-washing the area with the stain gently in cold water, using towels to blot/soak up the excess, and then hanging it to dry. I don't know the ingredients of the wipes but I would think that they are water-soluble. Be careful to not damage the tags, etc. Good luck.
posted by methroach at 5:59 AM on November 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

Some people might just return it saying they didn't notice the stain until they got home....
posted by melissasaurus at 8:22 AM on November 5, 2015 [3 favorites]

You could wrap the tags in some plastic wrap or aluminum foil while you soak it in the sink, which might help keep them dry.
posted by cabingirl at 8:31 AM on November 5, 2015

If I understand correctly, you no longer have a pink stain, just a water stain now? If so, I would use a slightly damp (not dripping wet!) Q-tip to try to blend in the edges of the stain. When they are faint enough you'll be able to return it and nobody will be any the wiser. I would not use any further products on this, as washing will remove the sizing on the shirt and instantly make it look used.
posted by Dragonness at 9:02 AM on November 5, 2015

Some people might just return it saying they didn't notice the stain until they got home....

I think that's unethical. I'd do multiple sessions of OxiClean and hand washing (typically I find three to be the magic number) and, this is crucial, let each application of OxiClean really sit for a few hours before washing.
posted by vegartanipla at 9:03 AM on November 5, 2015

The stain you're seeing right now is the dried residue of the chemicals that were on the makeup remover wipe. Most likely they're water soluble, unlike lip gloss. So you should just be able to run it under some water, maybe use some oxiclean or dish soap, and it should be fine.
posted by FirstMateKate at 11:43 AM on November 5, 2015

Response by poster: Thanks for the answers. I tried soaking the area in cold water and blotting it with a dry towel. I thought it worked but as it's drying the stain is showing through plus now there's also a watermark... I'll try another couple of goes, this time soaking the whole thing, before I put any more products on it. If that doesn't work I'll hunt for some Oxiclean tomorrow. I haven't given up yet!
posted by billiebee at 12:08 PM on November 5, 2015

I think that's unethical. I'd do multiple sessions of OxiClean and hand washing (typically I find three to be the magic number) and, this is crucial, let each application of OxiClean really sit for a few hours before washing.

I'm sorry but I think it's unethical to return this, period. I wouldn't want to buy an expensive (you said yourself you can't afford it) that had been lipbalm-stained and then oxicleaned. That's really not fair to the future buyer. If you're willing to go through all this trouble you may as well go SUPER unethical and just try to return it without saying anything and hoping they don't notice. Or, to say "I bought this but it seems to have a stain on it!"

Conversely, and the ethical choice, would be to just keep it and get it professionally cleaned.
posted by masquesoporfavor at 2:29 PM on November 5, 2015

Response by poster: Ok, that's a fair point. I was trying to fix it because I didn't want to return something that the shop couldn't re-sell but I wasn't thinking about the future buyer. I was just so gutted at wasting money I can't spare (especially as I initially bought it for an interview today that went horribly so I feel doubly cross at the waste). I'll keep trying to make it good as new and aim to sell it on eBay with a disclaimer that it was stained but cleaned, so at least someone can make a choice about it. Thanks for all the answers anyway.
posted by billiebee at 3:37 PM on November 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

I'm sorry but I think it's unethical to return this, period. I wouldn't want to buy an expensive (you said yourself you can't afford it) that had been lipbalm-stained and then oxicleaned. That's really not fair to the future buyer.

Well, I suppose everyone has differing standards, but if you actually fixed it I'd have no issues buying it from the retailer myself. New clothing at a retailer has been tried on by other people at the store prior to your purchase and in the process accumulated perfume, deodorant, and sweat residue, possibly been purchased and returned, and so on. If it's not perceptibly damaged when you return it, what's the impact on the future buyer? It's not like they'll know the saga and have psychological trauma/paranoid fears from it. The unethical bit to me is if you try to return it damaged (when you're the one who damaged it).
posted by vegartanipla at 7:30 PM on November 5, 2015 [1 favorite]

You can try blotting the water stain with ammonia which dries without leaving a ring. Make a wad of something absorbent to hold underneath and dab it with a cloth dipped in ammonia (damp, not dripping wet) and use a brush-away motion.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 1:30 AM on November 6, 2015