Getting Out those Tough Stains

I found an article in this week's issue of HX, the local gay men's magazine for what's happening in NYC. Included in the issue, is how to care for your "tighty whitey-ies". Here are a few tips:

1. Our own salivary glands produce an amazing stain remover; the enzymatic action of saliva can remove quite a few unsightly stains in a pinch, most notably, blood. We produce an anzyme in our saliva that can break down our own blood. Unfortunately, only our own saliva will remove our own blood. This works equally well on whites and colors.

2. Unsightly underarm stains are caused by aluminum in most drugstore deodorant products. To avoid the stain, switch to a brand that doesn't contain aluminum. They're more expensive, but your undershirts will tahnk you. You can sometimes remove the ugly blotch by soaking in crushed un-buffered asprin mixed with water.

3. Both lemon juice and the combination of baking soda and water will gently bleach out stains in whites. Try applying one to the stain and letting the garment sit in the sun, providing you'renot averse to airing your dirty laundry in public. ;)