Consumers Report put out a little book entitled, How to Clean Practically Anything. The book tells you what solvent to use for nearly every kind of stain. Here are a few.
Glycerin will remove the stain from a ball point pen.
Boiling water will remove berry stains.
Vinegar will remove crayon stains.
To remove a rust stain from your cotton work clothes, moisten the spot with some full-strength vinegar and then rub in a bit of salt. Ammonia will remove blood stains.
Alcohol will remove grass stains.
Hydrogen peroxide is good for magic marker stains. Mix a teaspoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide with a little cream of tartar or a dab of non-gel toothpaste. Rub the paste on the stain with a soft cloth. Rinse. The stain, whatever it was, should be gone.
Try a little meat tenderizer to remove protein-based stains like milk, chocolate, and blood from clothes.
Use bleach on mildew stains.
Lemon juice works well on rust stains. — But you know what?
The book lists absolutely nothing for the stain of sin. And the reason it doesn’t is because there is only One Person Who can do that. Only Jesus Christ, the Incarnation of Divine Mercy, as described in today’s Gospel, can forgive us our sins when we repent, confess our sins, and ask God’s pardon and forgiveness.
Submitted by Fr. Joseph Dovari