the stain is gone

I've been thinking I should post about this, which is something I very happily learned about several months ago.

I was going through some of our (my late mother's) linens, and there was a square linen tablecloth which had a stain on it ever since I can remember. It looked like coffee - grayish brownish - a was of roughly circular shape. My mother had this cloth as far back as my memory goes, and I don't know if she got it that way - at the thrift store, maybe? But that stain was always there. It got washed multitudinous times, without affecting anything. I was looking at it with a mind to cutting around the stain and getting some little cafe curtains out of it.

Here it is.  (excuse my camera strap in the photo!)

I've been accumulating sewing books lately, and was reading my Amy Butler's In Stitches - in fact, I was actually reading the introduction, which I rarely bother with - and Amy recommends Biz for soaking your vintage linens. She said you can safely soak things for a week, and if it needs more, another week!

Well, I finally found it at K-Mart. There were two types - I just picked one.  Excitedly, I put a cup of it into two gallons of water, and swished it whenever I passed by.  You can well imagine my anticipation after a week!

It's wet here, but can you see the fainter, yellowish stain? I soaked it another week (well, I could only stand it six days) and looked at it. It was barely visible. I made a paste, rubbed it in the area, put it through the wash, and that thing is gone!!

None of the design is lighter in any way - apparently it's an enzyme cleaner and it doesn't work on anything but nasty stains. I knew nothing of such substances before.

Just wanted to share!  It's great stuff.