Curry is a wonderful unique spice that is typically found in Indian dishes. More and more it is becoming a widely used spice throughout the Western World also. An enticing combination of sweet and spicy, curry has an unmistakable taste that people either love or hate. The more curry you use in your cooking the spicier the taste becomes. It also turns dishes an unmistakable shade of yellow. In addition, if you happen to drop some curry spiced food onto clothing, it leaves a distinct yellow stain. Make sure you act quickly if you want to prevent that curry stain from becoming a permanent one.

Immediately rinse the stain in lukewarm running water to minimize the damage. You will see the stain rinsing through. Keep the stained fabric in the running water until no more stain reduction can be observed. The next step is the pre-treatment of the stain itself. If you have an item which can be washed in chlorine bleach, apply some of the bleach directly to the stain and wash the item in a protein-based detergent as usual and the stain should be gone.

For clothing that cannot be treated with chlorine bleach, alternate methods must be used. Delicate fabrics and colored clothing that have curry stains should be treated with a half and half mixture of glycerin and warm water. Put the mixture on the stain and work it in. Let it sit for 10 to 30 minutes before you wash it in an enzyme-based laundry detergent.

For stubborn stains, big stains, set in ones or stains on rugged fabrics, a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water is just what is needed. You can dilute the peroxide in water in a 1 to 6 proportion to a 1 to 9 proportion. Try the solution on a hidden part of the garment before using it on the stain to check for color fastness. Once you are satisfied that this bleaching solution will not harm your article of clothing, soak the article in the solution for several hours. Check on the progress of the stain regularly and when you see that it is dissolved, remove the item from the solution and rinse it before washing it in an enzyme based detergent.

As you are working at removing a curry stain one thing to keep in mind is to never dry the item before the stain is completely gone. If you pre-treat the stain and wash it in the washer, be sure to check that the stain is actually out before you proceed with drying it. If not, you will have set the stain into the fabric. However if you catch it while the item is still wet you can do a second treatment and wash using the same method or a different one.

If worse comes to worse and you find that you cannot remove a curry stain from an item of clothing, don’t be too disheartened. Just designate that item as your official curry making and eating clothes and be sure to wear it whenever you are at risk for further curry stains.