Q: My daughter has a grease stain on her new ski coat. The grease stain came from the ski’s chair lift. The shell of the coat is 100% nylon. Any suggestions?

A: The best bet for grease on nylon jacket include: Pre-treating using good liquid detergent or stain and soil remover like Shout; rub into stain and let it set for 5-10 minutes before washing in hottest water recommended for the jacket. Make sure you check for total stain removal before drying in dryer. The extra heat from the dryer can spread the stain and make subsequent removal more difficult. If you aren't successful, then repeat the process again.

So in keeping with things to avoid for the holidays, I’ve talked about those tough holiday stains and how you can find some great solutions on my toll-free Holiday Stain Hotline: 1-877-STAIN-411 (877-782-4641). Then, I talked about avoiding cold and flu germs. Today, it’s another thought provoking item that came to my attention in an e-mail: the carry-all that is the HANDBAG.

Women carry handbags everywhere: from the office to public toilets to the floor of the car. Most women won't be caught without their handbags, but did you ever stop to think about where your handbag goes during the day? Have you ever noticed women who sit their handbags on public toilet floors, then go directly to their dining tables and set it on the table? Happens a lot! It's not always the “restaurant food” that causes stomach distress. Sometimes, what you don't know will hurt you! Mom got so upset when guests came in the door and plopped their handbags down on the counter where she was cooking or setting up food. She always said that handbags are really dirty, because of where they have been. It turns out handbags are so surprisingly dirty, even the microbiologist who tested them was shocked.

The microbiologist said nearly all of the handbags tested were not only high in bacteria, but high in harmful kinds of bacteria:

• Pseudomonas that can cause eye infections,


• Staphylococcus aurous that can cause serious skin infections,


• Salmonella and E.coli were also found on the handbags and these could make people very sick.

In one sampling, four of five handbags tested positive for salmonella.

Leather or vinyl handbags tended to be cleaner than cloth handbags, and lifestyle seemed to play a role. People with kids tended to have dirtier handbags than those without, with one exception. The handbag of one single woman who frequented nightclubs had one of the worst contaminations of all. Some type of feces, or possibly vomit was involved.

So the moral of this story - your handbag won't kill you, but it does have the potential to make you very sick if you keep it on places where you eat. Use hooks to hang your handbag at home and in toilets, and don't put it on your desk, a restaurant table, or on your kitchen countertop.

Experts say you should think of your handbag the same way you would a pair of shoes. If you think about putting a pair of shoes onto your countertops, that's the same thing, you're doing when you put your handbag on the countertops.

Finally, periodically consider cleaning your handbag using a washcloth, disinfectant wipe or use leather cleaner to clean the bottom of leather handbags for your peace of mind and everybody’s good health.

So, I talked about those tough holiday stains in my last blog and how you can find some great solutions on my toll-free Holiday Stain Hotline is 1-877-STAIN-411 (1-877-782-4641). Today I’d like for you to think a little about the other kind of giving that goes on during the holiday season.

From the elbow-to-elbow holiday mall crowds to home entertaining with family and friends, the bustling activities during the holidays and winter months leaves us all vulnerable to potential cold and flu exposure. Nothing can ruin a good holiday faster than sneezing and coughing your way through those gatherings.

So after getting your flu shot, (you have gotten yours, right?) here are some practical preventative tips from WebMD.com:

• Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands!!!


• Don’t cover your mouth with your hands when sneezing and then touch other items or people


• Get fresh air, exercise regularly


• Drink plenty of fluids, eat dark green & yellow vegetables/fruits and yogurt


• Don’t smoke, don’t drink alcohol too heavily


• RELAX

Surely you know by now that cold and flu viruses are tough little critters. They are spread by direct contact from a contagious person and you. This ranges from being sneezed on to touched. It’s the indirect contact or calling cards they left on surfaces that the contagious person handled up to two hours or so ago that scare me most. I can avoid the wheezing and coughing person, but it’s really hard to know for sure whether Mr. /Ms. Virus person has been in the neighborhood. So here are some tips for those situations:

• Elevator or ATM buttons: use your knuckle instead of fingertip, or use a tissue


• Carry a personal size packet of Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes for wiping grocery carts and other public handles


• Carry and use your own pen when signing credit card statements in stores and restaurants


• At buffets, use your own spoon or utensils to take your food rather than the community spoon


• Carry a personal hand sanitizer to wipe your hands before eating or before getting back in your car


• Wash your hands; WASH YOUR HANDS!! 20 seconds of rubbing with soap and warm water is still your best defense

Following these tips and practices will reduce your risk of catching a cold or flu bug. Unfortunately, I can’t guarantee neither you nor I will catch one of those stray bugs and put a damper on our holiday season.

For tough holiday stains, that is. From elbow-to-elbow holiday party crowds to home entertaining with family and friends, the bustling activities during the holidays and winter months seem to be magnets for stain mishaps. And, wouldn’t luck have it you stained your favorite shirt. Bah Humbug!

Don’t let holiday spills and stains turn you into a Grinch this holiday season. I have provided solutions for treating some of the most common holiday stains like red wine and eggnog on my holiday hotline. I am also happy to entertain your questions here; just submit your question as a comment. My toll-free Holiday Stain Hotline is 1-877-STAIN-411 (1-877-782-4641).

Here are a couple examples from my Holiday Stain Hotline.

Red wine

Tannins help make great red wines, but really add difficulty to their removal. Quickly blot up excess red wine with a paper towel or cloth. Now use Club Soda to help bubble the wine off the fabric (pour on from back of the stain); blot away excess. If possible, wash any remaining stain before it has a chance to set/dry.

If your stained item is white, wet the stain with cool water then rub stain gently with Clorox® Bleach Pen™ Gel and let set for 3-5 minutes. Then wash immediately in hot water with detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach. Always inspect the item after washing. If the stain remains, repeat the steps above prior to drying.

If your stained item has color, wet the stain with cool water, then apply Liquid Clorox2® for Colors and rub into stain. Let it set 3-5 minutes immediately before washing, but do not allow it to dry. Wash immediately in warmest water recommended on the care label using detergent and the recommended amount of Liquid Clorox2® for Colors. Inspect the item. If stain remains, repeat steps above prior to drying item.

Eggnog

This has lots of dairy products, eggs and sugars that make eggnog stains complex to get out. First, blot away the excess. Submerge and pre-soak the item in cold water and good liquid detergent for about 30 minutes to help soften and loosen the stain. Eggnog is a protein based stain and hot water will "cook" the stain into the fabric fibers.

If your stained item is white, wash immediately in warm water using detergent and ¾ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach. Always inspect the item after washing. If the stain remains, repeat the steps above prior to drying.

If your stained item has color, apply Liquid Clorox2® for Colors and rub into stain. Wash immediately in warm water using detergent and Clorox2® for Colors. Always inspect the item after washing. If the stain remains, repeat the steps above prior to drying.