Is this company a household name in your family … like it is in mine?
Carbona has been around “forever” … well, since 1885 … but I only discovered them about a dozen years ago.
I certainly wasn’t around when this ad debuted! (The “cannot explode” was the selling point. Before Carbona, every other form of dry cleaning solution had been highly flammable … and the horror stories were many.)
This is the product that first got my attention…
Carbona Stain Devils
I heard about it on the radio. Apparently, ALL stains fall into one of nine categories …so Carbona offers nine specific formulations to get out specific stains. It made sense to me — but did they really work?
Oh, yeah, they did.
They DO!
I first recognized their value while doing the family laundry. Ketchup, BBQ sauce, mustard, fresh fruit … not easy stains to get out — unless you know about Carbona Stain Devils! After a few near-miraculous saves, I thought I’d really put Stain Devils to the test and see if it would get out the heavy red lipstick that a dinner guest had left all over my vintage white linen napkin … two weeks before! (I just hadn’t known what to do with that stain — so I did nothing!) Guess what? The lipstick virtually disappeared before my eyes … before I ever even washed the napkin!
If you’ve followed this blog for very long — or looked at my Etsy shop — you know that I buy and sell vintage linens. You also know that Restoration Linen Cleaner is my all-time favorite for the general cleaning of vintage linens … yellowing, storage stains, etc. But I’ve found that some stains common to vintage linens require special treatment. Well, since Carbona’s Stain Devils were such a success on the home front, they quickly became my “go to” for those “tricky” stains as well.
Candle wax: Stain Devils #1
Ink: Stain Devils #3
Butter/oil: Stain Devils #5
Lipstick/grass: Stain Devils #6
Mold/mildew/coffee/tea/juice: Stain Devils #8
Rust: Stain Devils #9
One day several years ago I stopped by an estate sale and found the most beautiful white linen roll cover with a fantastic embroidered grape cluster on it. The handwork was very similar to this tablecloth I showed you HERE in a post about family linens.
The gorgeous roll cover was only $1 — because it was yellow. Not yellow from storage. No, it was yellow from butter. It was — I kid you not! — as yellow as the Stain Devils bottles in this post. Nasty, greasy … stunningly gorgeous IF I could get it clean.
That’s when I discovered Carbona’s Stain Wizard product. I actually had gone to the store to purchase Stain Devils #5, but I was a little concerned about how much product my “little experiment” might require — and a 1.7 oz. bottle costs about $3.50. Not a bad price when “a little dab’ll do ya,” but I wondered how many BOTTLES I was going to need. Fortunately, I saw Stain Wizard. It’s a larger bottle (8.4 oz for about $3.75), and it covers a broader range of stains. As I read the label — and hoped — I saw that it covers oily stains. It was worth a try …
When I got home, I put the butter-yellow cloth in a shallow bowl, saturated it with Stain Wizard — and walked away … for a couple of days. Eventually, I rinsed the fabric with hot water … and saw progress. After two or three more times of repeating the process, I had the thrill (about a week later) of seeing an immaculate, white vintage roll cover. No, I did NOT sell it … I kept it for myself!
Surely you understand why …
Now I keep Stain Wizard on hand to use as a laundry pre-wash. It’s nice to have around when I don’t know what a stain is! Chances are pretty good it will come out if I treat it with the Wizard first.
Here’s another tried-and-true Carbona product …
but that’s a story for another day!
Just so you’ll know … I am NOT:
- a Carbona employee
- related to a Carbona employee
- paid by Carbona for using their products
- a recipient of any free products from Carbona
I am, however, a VERY satisfied customer who has enjoyed many nice “saves” through the years thanks to their products … and I’m a nice person — so I’m sharing this info with you!
The pics in this post (well, the obvious ones!) are taken directly from the NEW Carbona.com
Thanks for stopping by!
I’m linking to these fun blog parties …
Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch
Blue Monday at Smiling Sally
Susan, this is wonderful product info. I have never even heard of this product! I’m going to see if anyone carries it locally.
I’ve never heard of this company but it looks great. Happy Monday!
I’ve used this product for decades. Thanks for sharing your blues.
Happy Blue Monday, Susan.
Thanks for informing me about these products. I have never seen them but I will look for them now. Which one would you use for red wine stains? I have a tablecloth that was stained by an overturned glass of wine. I treated it and washed it but I can still see it!
Jane
http://cottageatthecrossroads.com
Jane, Stain Devils #8 is the one for red wine stains. I can almost guarantee this product will work on stains that have never been treated. However, old stains like yours get “a definite MAYBE” from me. I’ve learned that sometimes when a stain is treated with an “incorrect” solution, it changes the composition of the stain — so even the “correct” stain treatment doesn’t work on it. BUT, it’s definitely worth a try! Good luck — and let us all know if you’re successful! Maybe even take some before/after pics and use them for Met Monday!
I might find this one i need it. Happy blue Monday.
Mine is up
Very interesting post
My Blue Monday|I Spy
Seems like it worked great for you. I have been working for a couple of weeks on stains on some of my napkins and tablecloths from Spain that are around 35 years old. I will have to find this and try it. Blessings