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As if bugs weren’t enough trouble, sometimes the insecticide we use to keep our many-legged friends away finds its way onto a household surface. Learn how to keep both our creepy-crawly friends and insecticide stains at bay. Contents

  1. How to Remove Insecticide Stains From
  2. How to Remove Insecticide Stains From
  3. How to Remove Insecticide Stains From
  4. How to Remove Insecticide Stains From
  5. How to Remove Insecticide Stains From
  6. How to Remove Insecticide Stains From

How to Remove Insecticide Stains From: Acetate, Carpet (synthetic or wool), Fiberglass, Rayon, Silk, Triacetate, Wool Sponge (the method of using a dampened pad to apply light strokes, moving outward from the center of the stain) the area with a dry-cleaning solvent, K2r Spot Lifter (except on acetate blends) or Afta Cleaning Fluid. Then apply a dry spotter to the stain and cover with an absorbent pad moistened with dry spotter. Let it stand as long as any stain is being removed. Change the pad as it picks up the stain. Keep the stain and pad moist with dry spotter. Flush (the method of applying stain remover to loosen staining material and residue from stain removers) with one of the liquid dry-cleaning solvents. If any stain persists, sponge it with water and apply wet spotter and a few drops of ammonia. Cover with a pad dampened with wet spotter. Let stand as long as any stain is being removed. Change the pad as it picks up the stain. Keep the stain and pad moist with wet spotter and ammonia — do not use ammonia on silk or wool. Flush with water and allow to dry. How to Remove Insecticide Stains From: Acrylic Fabric, Cotton, Linen, Nylon, Olefin, Polyester, Spandex Sponge the area with a dry-cleaning solvent, K2r Spot Lifter, or Afta Dry Cleaning Fluid. Apply a dry spotter to the stain and cover with an absorbent pad moistened with dry spotter. Let it stand as long as any stain is being removed. Change the pad as it picks up the stain. Keep the stain and pad moist with dry spotter. Flush with one of the liquid dry-cleaning solvents. If any stain remains, sponge it with water and apply a wet spotter and a few drops of ammonia. Cover with a pad dampened with wet spotter. Let stand as long as any stain is being removed. Change the pad as it picks up the stain. Keep the stain and pad moist with wet spotter and ammonia. Flush with water and allow to dry. How to Remove Insecticide Stains From: Acrylic Plastic, Aluminum, Bamboo, Cane, Cork, Glass, Linoleum, Paint (flat or gloss), Plexiglas, Polyurethane, Porcelain Dishes, Porcelain Fixtures, Stainless Steel, Vinyl Clothing, Vinyl Tile, Vinyl Wallcovering Wipe surface with a cloth or sponge dipped in warm sudsy water to which a few drops of ammonia have been added. Rinse well and wipe dry. How to Remove Insecticide Stains From: Asphalt, Bluestone, Brick, Concrete, Flagstone, Granite, Masonry Tile, Sandstone, Slate, Terrazzo Wash stain with a solution of washing soda or detergent (never soap) and water. Use a cloth or soft-bristled brush. Rinse thoroughly with clear water and allow to dry. How to Remove Insecticide Stains From: Leather, Suede Mix a solution of mild soap in lukewarm water. Swish to create a great volume of suds. Apply only the foam with a sponge or cloth. Wipe with a clean dry cloth. If a grease stain remains, powder the area with an absorbent such as cornmeal. Give it plenty of time to work, then gently brush it off. Repeat if necessary. On leather only, follow with Tannery Vintage Leather Cleaner & Conditioner or Fiebing’s Saddle Soap to condition the leather. How to Remove Insecticide Stains From: Wallpaper Wipe the area with a cloth or sponge moistened with cool clear water. Overlap the strokes to prevent streaking. With a clean cloth, gently pat area dry. How to Remove Insecticide Stains From: Wood Mix dishwashing detergent in hot water and swish to make a great volume of suds. Dip a cloth in only the foam and apply to the stain. Rinse with a clean cloth moistened with clear water. Polish or wax as soon as possible. Nothing breaks up a picnic like a parade of ants, but thanks to these stain removal tips you needn’t be bugged by insecticide stains. °Publications International, Ltd. We all know that some insects can cause quite a bit of damage if they use your clothes, carpet, or upholstery as a food source. Moths, carpet beetles, and silverfish are just a few of the clothes damaging insects that may come your way. Whether you choose to get rid of them using chemical insecticides or more eco-friendly methods, they must be removed to protect your clothing and household furnishings. If you caught the problem in time, you might have dodged the permanent damage of holes. But what about those hard-to-remove brown spots? This isn’t pretty, but the spots are insect excrement or digestive waste. This can happen in pest-infected closets, storage containers, or even on clothes dried on outdoor clotheslines. For some reason, flies love the moisture and brightness of clean white bedsheets. Insects like grasshoppers and locusts can stain outdoor furniture and umbrellas. Fortunately, insect stains can be removed from clothing, carpets, and upholstery with household products and some patience on your part. Simply follow these easy steps below.

Stain type Protein-based
Detergent type Oxygen-based bleach
Water temperature Cool
Cycle type Varies depending on the type of fabric

Before You Begin

Check the care label on the tag in the clothing so you know how it should be cleaned. If the garment is labeled as dry clean only and you aren’t sure if you should wash it at home, head to the dry cleaner. Point out and identify the stains to your professional cleaner. If the insects have caused damage like holes, the cleaner may be able to offer repair surfaces or direct you to a tailor who can do reweaving. If you are using a home dry cleaning kit, be sure to treat the stain with the provided stain remover before putting the garment in the dryer bag.

Materials

Removing Insect Stains From Washable Clothes

  • Oxygen-based bleach
  • Heavy-duty laundry detergent
  • Cool water

Removing Insect Stains From Carpet and Upholstery

  • Liquid dishwashing detergent
  • Warm water
  • Oxygen-based bleach (optional)

How to Remove Insect Stains From Washable Clothes

  1. Sort Clothing

    Sort the insect execrement stained clothes by color and fabric.

  2. Mix a Soaking Solution

    Mix a solution of oxygen-based bleach (brand names are: OxiClean, Nellie’s All Natural Oxygen Brightener, or OXO Brite) and cool water. Follow the package directions as to how much product per gallon of water.

    Warning

    This mixing solution is safe to use on both white and colored fabrics but not on silk, wool, and leather-trimmed items.

  3. Soak the Clothes

    Completely submerge the stained garments and allow them to soak for at least eight hours.

  4. Check the Stained Areas

    Check the stains. If they are gone, wash as recommended on the fabric care labels. If they remain, mix up a fresh solution and repeat. It may take several soakings to remove the stains, but they should come out.

How to Remove Insect Stains on Carpet and Upholstery

If you have squashed a bug on the carpet or have had problems with an infestation, it is important to treat the stains on the carpet as soon as possible. The same cleaning solutions and techniques recommended for carpet can be used for upholstery. Take care not to oversaturate the upholstery fabric because excess moisture in the cushions can cause mildew problems. If the fabric is silk or vintage, consult a professional upholstery cleaner especially if you need more stain removal tips. Before cleaning any furniture, always follow the manufacturer’s care label on cleaning upholstery. This tag can be found under the sofa cushions or fabric skirt with letter codes that indicate how to clean the furniture.

  1. Remove Solids

    Lift any solid insect matter with an old spoon or spatula. You can also use a vacuum to lift the matter out of the fibers. Just be sure to empty the bag or vacuum cup outside to avoid additional problems.

    Warning

    Do not wipe with a rag because that can drive the stains deeper into the carpet.

  2. Mix a Cleaning Solution

    Mix a solution of 2 teaspoons of dishwashing detergent with 2 cups of warm water in a small bowl.

  3. Apply the Cleaning Solution to the Stain

    Dip a clean white cloth, sponge, or soft bristle brush in the solution. Working from the outside edge of the stain toward the center to keep it from spreading, work the cleaning solution into the stain. Blot with a dry cloth to absorb the solution. Keep moving to a clean area of the cloth as the stain is transferred.

  4. Rinse the Stained Area

    Finish by dipping a clean cloth in plain water to «rinse» the spot.

    Warning

    Rinse well, as any soapy residue left in the carpet will actually attract more soil.

  5. Air Dry and Vacuum

    Allow the stain to air dry away from direct heat. Vacuum to lift the carpet fibers.

Additional Tips for Handling Insect Stains

If the insect stain is older on the carpet or upholstery, you may find it is still there. At this point, you need the extra muscle of oxygen-based bleach.

  • Mix a solution of oxygen-based bleach in cool water following package directions.
  • Dip a clean cloth into the solution and working from the outside edge of the stain toward the center, work the solution into the carpet. Do not over-wet.
  • Allow the solution to remain on the stain for at least 30 minutes.
  • Dip a clean white cloth in plain water and blot the area to rinse.
  • Use a dry clean white cloth to blot away moisture.
  • Allow to dry completely and vacuum to restore the pile of the carpet.

Our garments are subject to insect damage. We usually think of moths as the insects and wool as the fiber, but there are many different insects that can damage your garments, and it is not limited to wool. You see that closets where garments are stored are prime living spaces for moths and other insects. Insects include silverfish, roaches, carpet beetles and crickets. Can any fiber be effected? Yes! We usually just think of wool but any fiber including polyester can be effected. You see, the insects are after the protein, whether it be in the fiber (such as wool) or in a food stain. Some insects are attracted to the starch found in some garments. And when an insect eats at a stain, they also “chew” some of the fiber. Some insects are attracted to the cholesterol in “ring around the collar” and body oils, etc. So “moth” damage is not limited to wool fibers. Wool of course comes from animal hair (such as sheep, camels, rabbits and goats) and is a protein. Moths will find their protein not only in wool fibers but in fabrics that have wool blended in (rayon/wool blend for example) or stained with food, perspiration, body oils, or other proteins. And in the process of digesting the protein, the larvae can eat through the other fibers. So if you had a polyester suit that had a wool interfacing or wool shoulder pads, the insects can damage the outer fabric to get to the “food” inside. And it is not only the fiber itself they eat, they go after lint, salt, dead insects, perspiration, body oils and food. We have to remember that insect damage can weaken fibers and there can be no evidence of it with the naked eye. But upon drycleaning or laundering or even handwashing a garment, the simple mechanical action will break and wash away the weakened fibers leaving the “moth” holes behind. It is a surprise when you get back from the cleaners, a garment that has moth holes all over it, but you don’t recall seeing anything wrong with it when you dropped it off. The damage was already done, the cleaning simply exposed the damage. It is kind of like when you put a pair of blue jeans in the washer and you take them out and they have holes. No, the washer did not do that, but the fibers had been weakened or damaged, and the mechanical action of the cleaning exposed the damaged fibers, resulting in holes. O.K., I now understand that it is more than just moths who can damage my clothes, and that any garment can be effected, what can I do about it? First, never store clothes that have been worn, even if only once since their last drycleaning or laundering. Always have your sweaters cleaned before storing them. Drycleaning is very effective in killing moths in all stages of their development cycle. You see, in the case of some insects, they can infest a garment with eggs/larvae that are in the garment, but haven’t yet started to “eat”. There is another advantage to cleaning your garments before storing. Tests by the International Fabricare Institute have show that the longer a stain is in a garment, the more difficult it is to remove. Some stains may be invisible but with heat and age, they will become visible. They found in testing, that after about 3 weeks, stains became increasingly difficult to impossible to remove. As a youngster growing up during the Cold War, one of the things we used to do in our “playing” was write with invisible ink. It was lemon juice. You could write on a piece of paper with it, and give it to a friend and for them to read it, they had to either hold it up to a light bulb (heat) or use their mom’s good iron over it, and all of a sudden words would appear. What caused this? Lemon Juice of course contains sugar, and the heat will cause the sugar to caramelize just like when you take a bite out of an apple and let it sit a bit, it turns brown. Same thing, the sugars are caramelizing. So if you spill a drink that contains sugar on your garments, it may at first appear like no stain but over time, it will turn yellow. The other sort of stain is one that contains oils, and over time, the oils will oxidize, turning brown also. So storing clean garments is your best bet. You might say, I have a cedar chest or closet and that will protect my garments. Cedar contains aromatic oils that can repel somel larvae but not all. You need to be sure that you occasionally sand the cedar wood to allow it to continue to release the cedar oil. While it is true that insects don’t like the scent of cedar, if garments have food based stains, they will still attract insects. Another problem with like a cedar chest is that wood is naturally acidic, and when garments are left in direct contact with the wood, it can cause them to be weakened. If you use a cedar chest, you should be sure that garments do not come in direct contact with the wood, using like unbleached muslin for a barrier. Do not use plastics, which also can be acidic in nature. What about mothballs? Mothballs these days are not recommended. They do not kill the moths. Second for them to be totally effective they need to be in a sealed environment which is not really possible in our homes. Mothballs may be toxic to children and pets and can effect folks who have asthma or other breathing problems. And getting rid of the mothball odors can be difficult. Also some moth balls and flakes or crystals contain chemicals that if they are placed in contact with plastic buttons or other plastic trim, may cause the plastic to soften and melt into the fabric. Well, what if I seal my garments up in a plastic container? This too is not recommended because that can cause condensation which can result in mold and mildew which also can be harmful to your garments. Now, wait a second, I remember years ago, mom taking all our garments to the drycleaner and the drycleaner went and “mothproofed” them and one didn’t have to worry. Don’t they still do that now? The simple answer is no. What was done years ago, was that they were treated in the cleaning process with an insecticide. These products are no longer available to drycleaners. But drycleaning alone is an effect way to help prevent insect damage. What if you find you have a problem, what should you do? All your garments in your closet should be drycleaned or laundered (in temperatures over 120 degrees) which will kill the larvae. They should be immediately removed from the house to avoid spreading the infestation to other areas of the house. The whole house, not just the closet should be swept well and the vacuum bags disposed of promptly. You may also need to clean the bristles/brushes on your sweeper. All surfaces (baseboard, walls, ceilings, drawers) in the infested area wiped down with a mixture of bleach and water. Remember, insects go through many stages in their lives and just because you do not see them active, they could be in a larvae state. While moths typically do not migrate over large areas of your home, carpet beetles can go room to room. While moths get all the blame, there are several insects that can cause damage to your garments. How do I get these insects in my home? Well, they can come in from infestations in old clothing or furniture that you have purchased at yard sales and the like or given to you. Inspect garments and furniture before bringing them into your home. Moths of course can fly in through an open door or window. And carpet beetles feed on pollen of common outside plants and so they may be already close to your house. Someone told me once that if I install a light in my closet, that this will solve my problem. Not necessarily true and the light if left on all the time could effect the dyes and optical brighteners found on your garments (causing fading for example). Museums who display garments many times will now have them in special cases and will use very limited because light can bleach out the color in the garments. We also have to realize that larvae can live without food for some time and that insect damage can happen any time of the year, not just the summer months. A single moth can lay as many as a few hundred eggs and the life cycle can be nearly a year, which means that there is much opportunity for serious damage once an infestation takes root. If the amount of infestation is small, then the suggested method of having all your garments cleaned, the closet well vacuumed and wiped down with bleach water may be effective. However if the infestation is large, not only will all your garments need to be cleaned, but the services of a professional pesticide firm (exterminator) will be necessary. A few more tips include frequent vacuuming to remove pet and human hair, lint and other debris, paying close attention to corners and underneath furniture. You want to be very thorough around baseboard and other hard to reach areas. The area behind the sofa can be a breeding ground since it is seldom moved. Years ago, more folks did a spring and fall cleaning where everything got moved and swept and cleaned and this is a good practice. Sweeping out the inside of your drawers, and the closets are very helpful. Remember, just because you don’t see an active insect does not mean that there are not eggs or larvae present. For pictures of insects and more information visit: https://www.thespruce.com/insects-that-eat-holes-in-clothes-2146424 Chris Birk, is a Certified Garment Care Professional on the staff of One Hour Cleaners, 52 West Third, Peru, Indiana. He has attended numerous fabricare courses, has written technical articles for the state and national drycleaning association, and has served as president of the state drycleaning association.


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