What to Do If You Spill Coffee on Yourself

Quick! Take care of the stain and (literally) save your shirt with these strategies.
Quick! Take care of the stain and (literally) save your shirt with these strategies.

We've all been there. You're right on schedule to get to that big meeting with your boss (or that parent-teacher conference, or brunch with your mom), and just as you're properly caffeinating yourself for your day ahead, it happens: You spill coffee all over your shirt.

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Don't worry. Your day is not lost. Just follow these four steps to right your wrong.

1. Sponge the stain with cold water to remove what you can. (Don't use hot: It'll set the stain.)

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2. Use a Tide To Go pen or Shout Wipe to erase as much of the mark as you can, and get on with your day.

3. As soon as you can, pretreat the spot with a prewash stain remover, even if you're not going to wash the blouse right away. Use a pretreater like Resolve Stain Stick or Shout Advanced Gel to stop the stain from setting, even several days before washing.

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4. When you're ready to wash, choose a laundry detergent with enzymes (they help break down stains). "Most stain-fighting detergents have enzymes," says Carolyn Forte, director of Home Appliances and Cleaning Products at the Good Housekeeping Research Institute. "Check the packaging to make sure your brand does."

Phew! Shirt saved. But there is one caveat: If your blouse is silk (or another dry-clean only fabric), treating the stain with water or other removers might make it worse. Instead, get to a dry cleaner ASAP.

- By Lauren Piro

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