Glitter’s ever-so-pretty – but if you don’t like your home looking like a fairy warren, here’s how to remove those sparkles from clothing and furnishings.

Removing glitter stains from clothes or fabric

• If your clothes look like a fairy’s exploded on them don’t try to shake them to remove excess glitter – this will just spread the glitter.
• Lay them out on on a towel, glitter outwards.
• Using a regular can of aerosol hairspray spray over all the glitter, making sure you cover every bit of glitter.
• Allow the hairspray to dry until it’s hard.
• Now wash clothing as usual, by itself, in the machine.
• A regular wash should remove all glitter.
• If not, repeat these steps.

Removing glitter from unwashable fabrics

A lint roller is your best bet for removing glitter from fabrics that can’t be washed – particularly good are the sticky rollers designed for removing pet hair. If you don’t have one handy, try the sticky tape method described below.

Removing glitter from carpet or furniture

You have a couple of options with glitter on carpet or furniture: embrace it as a style statement, or try this:

• Start by vacuuming, but expect to have to go over and over the same area – the edges on glitter make it a sticky little sucker.
• For concentrated areas, wrap some sticky or masking tape around your hand, sticky side out. Then start to methodically pat the glitter with your hand.
• For timber or tiled floors you’re best to sweep up the glitter with a broom and then try removing any stubborn glitter with sticky tape.

Stain remover notes

• The quicker you deal with a stain, the more likely you are to remove it.
• Unless it’s a fat stain, cold water is best for rinsing a stain, so as not to set it and make it harder to remove later.
• Before using a cleaning solution, test on an inconspicuous section, such as the inside of a sleeve, to check it won’t ruin the fabric.
• Always rinse out one cleaning solution before trying another to remove a stain as certain chemicals are not supposed to be mixed.
• Read the care instructions on the item of clothing before attempting vigorous stain removal. Some clothing may be too delicate to attempt stain removal and are better taken straight to the drycleaners.
• Don’t rub fabric harshly to remove stains as this can abrade fibres and cause fading.
• The white towel blotting method is often recommended for stain removal. Simply fold a clean white towel and, once you have treated the stain with water, gently dab it with the towel and check to see how much of the stain has transferred to the white towel.
• If using commercial stain removers and detergents, always follow the product label to understand the proper use and safety precautions you may need to take.
• It’s always easier to treat a stain on a washable fabric.

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