Can I save this shirt?

This shirt has been washed and I spot cleaned it first, but I can’t get the stain off. My hands shake sometimes, so I dropped my food. I haven’t worn it very much and I love this one. So, does anyone have any idea of what to do? The material is rayon.

From wikipedia:

Rayon, also called viscose, is a semi-synthetic fiber made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has the same molecular structure as cellulose

It sounds like it is likely to stain easily... Most of the online advice seems to be to repeat the spot treatment and laundry again (eg wikilaundry). What was the food stuff involved?

Nancy Reading wrote:From wikipedia:

Rayon, also called viscose, is a semi-synthetic fiber made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has the same molecular structure as cellulose

It sounds like it is likely to stain easily... Most of the online advice seems to be to repeat the spot treatment and laundry again (eg wikilaundry). What was the food stuff involved?

A meatball covered in a homemade curry sauce containing turmeric, dropped when I was carrying a plate and my hand gave out (do to my neuropathy).

I've gotten difficult stains out with hydrogen peroxide. Let it sit till it stops bubbling, then work some more. I have not tried it on rayon though.try a test patch first.

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:I've gotten difficult stains out with hydrogen peroxide. Let it sit till it stops bubbling, then work some more. I have not tried it on rayon though.try a test patch first.

Thank you, I will try that.

How would you feel about turmeric dying the whole thing? It's a lovely shade of yellow, and dyes well on almost anything. Unfortunately, it tends to be permanent, even when you don't want it to be, and even without a mordant.

Carla Burke wrote:How would you feel about turmeric dying the whole thing? It's a lovely shade of yellow, and dyes well on almost anything. Unfortunately, it tends to be permanent, even when you don't want it to be, and even without a mordant.

It’s a good suggestion, but the stain also contains fat from the sauce. I have considered dying the whole thing back though.

I'm not very artistic, but can you decorate it with more food spills to make it look intentional? "Rubber stamp" it with a cut-in--half meatball and some sauce, maybe throw in some mustard splashes, etc? That way the stain is integrated into the design AND you can eat in the future without worrying about spills. If you have kids in your life, I bet they would have fun coming up with ideas!

Remember to put something in between the front and back (your body or some thick cardboard, for example), so the "dyeing" does not seep through to the opposite side.

I'm definitely not an expert, but my gut tells me that the stain would still show even if you dye it black. I think a "shadow" would show where the fat has soaked in.

Good luck and have fun!

Ulla Bisgaard wrote:This shirt has been washed and I spot cleaned it first, but I can’t get the stain off. My hands shake sometimes, so I dropped my food. I haven’t worn it very much and I love this one. So, does anyone have any idea of what to do? The material is rayon.

Did the hydrogen peroxide work?

Since it is fat related, I would try rubbing with bar soap and working that into fabric with fingers.

If the garment has been wash there might not be anything that will work except sewing an patch over the stain.  May6be something like the border around the neck.

Oh, I can relate to this.  I've stopped wearing white & light colors completely. It loos lie you've already washed and dried it, am I correct? If so, the stain may be permanently set.
Rayon and turmeric seems sadly unfixable to me, so try any and all of the above!

Tie-dye!

Anne Miller wrote:Did the hydrogen peroxide work?

Since it is fat related, I would try rubbing with bar soap and working that into fabric with fingers.

If the garment has been wash there might not be anything that will work except sewing an patch over the stain.  May6be something like the border around the neck.

It didn’t, but I decided to use it for gardening. I don’t need nice clean clothes doing that, and it’s light and comfortable to work in.