A few months ago my son spilt red kool-aid all over a white t-shirt he was wearing.  I was for sure it would never come out.  I threw it in the dirty clothes pile (meaning to try and get the stain out when I had the time) and forgot about it.  I only have to wash whites about once a week so it sat there for probably 4 or 5 days.  I went to wash my whites and I found the shirt.  I thought, ok I'll try to soak it in cold water and see what comes out.  I ran some cold (as cold as I could get it) water into the bath tub and let the shirt soak.  I came back that evening and the stain was completely gone.  I didn't use any stain removers or anything just some really cold water and time. 

I had a friend of mine get red frosting on a white dress of hers.  I told her to soak the dress overnight, in the bath tub, in really cold water, no soap no sprays and the next morning she said it was completely gone.

Mind that the shirt and dress were made of cotton.  I know it works on polyester too.  I had mustard on a polyester shirt and it came all the way out.  Rayon and silk are about the same as polyester so it should work just fine.  If it doesn't work then try a spray and use your fingernail to scrub.  That usually works for me.

So basically all those stain removers (that can be bad for some fabrics) aren't needed for most stains.  Just some cold water and time. Chocolate, blood, diaper leakage, baby food all of that will come out.   

Give it a try next time you have a stain or spill something.  You'll be surprised.  I certainly was.

If this helped read my other guide Does it Have to be Dry Cleaned?

Thanks for reading

Val