So, I wanted to be a loyal reader and bought one of Gwen4s shirts - even though they are white. I don4t have a good history with white, I4m too uncoordinated. Sure enough, I got tomato juice on it. How do I get it off? It says, wash only in cold water, it4s hard enough to keep it clean as it is. I4m very bad at house hold stuff.

-- Anonymous, October 14, 2000

Answers

Well Anne, you could try Tide liquid. Haven't you seen those commercials where the woman holds up a soiled t-shirt and says "Tide can even get the bloodstains out of this t-shirt!" Although, quite frankly, if MY t-shirt was that bloody, the last thing on my mind would be clean clothes.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2000

Woolite has these wonderful new products out that work miracles. They are called "Stain Solutions". They are carpet cleaner but are also used for fabrics. One is for protein and liquid stains and the other for oil and grease stains. When in doubt, you can use them both. They've saved clothes of my daughter's that I thought were hopeless for sure. They are in blue bottles. Wash it in Tide with bleach alternative. Cold water is fine. Another thing I've done for white clothes is to take a Q-Tip, put bleach on it, and directly target the stain. I'd try the other first. If the stain doesn't come out, don't put it in the dryer, it will set it for sure, just try again wet. Good luck. It's a bummer getting something on one of Gwen's T-shirts, but if the T-shirt depicted something relating to Trailer-Trash, a ketchup stain would certainly add to it :). Oh, also I've started not putting my silk-screened T-shirts in the dryer, the design lasts longer and I turn them inside out to wash them to protect the design. Something Gwen would surely appreciate. Although perhaps she'd hope for a quick wear-out so we'd buy more :)

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2000

Well, thanks that sounds great. Except that I live in Denmark and I4m not sure we have those products here. I have to get off my lazy ass and go hunting for some stain remover I guess.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2000

Okay, Anne...here's something you can buy that will work. Get some of those denture cleaning tablets, the kind that fizz in water. Put several in a small bowl of warm water and immediately put just that portion of the t-shirt with stains on it in the fizzing liquid. Pre- wet the stain for better results. It works when few other things will. Old trick I learned from my mother.

-- Anonymous, October 15, 2000

Hairspray is also really good at removing stains.

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2000

You're right, Joanne. Hairspray is good for removing stains, too. Especially if you use a Bic lighter at the same time.

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2000

That is the first laugh I've had all day. Thank you!

-- Anonymous, October 16, 2000

Anne, good luck with the stain. And thanks for buying the shirt! Was it of decent quality? I haven't yet gotten around to ordering one for myself.

-- Anonymous, October 17, 2000

Thanks Bubba, just what I was looking for. And Gwen the shirts are great, but for heavens sake WHITE! What were you thinking??

-- Anonymous, October 18, 2000

Maybe we should wear Tomato Nation swag when eating tomato products. Gwen, I'm glad you didn't do black shirts...it's way too hot to wear them in FL.

-- Anonymous, October 18, 2000

This worked for me once on a stain that I thought was never going to come out of a white sweater.

You need two people. Boil a kettle of water. One person stretches the shirt where the stain is over a sink or tub, the other person carefully pours the boiling water over the stain.

It took a whole kettle of water but the stain did come out.

-- Anonymous, October 18, 2000

Actually, Cafe Press didn't give me a choice. They only make the shirts in white. All I did was supply the jpg for the t-shirt image.

-- Anonymous, October 18, 2000

I bought one for my b.f. but I'd like to have one I can wear. I look too frumpy in regular sized tee shirts, do they make baby tees?

-- Anonymous, October 18, 2000