Ice cream

Scrape and blot as much as possible first. Sponge with cool water, until no more stain comes out. Washables: For washable garments, apply a laundry pretreatment aid and wash in cool water, then air dry. If the stain is still there, sponge with a 50:50 mix of water and ammonia (except for silk and wool garments) apply laundry pretreatment aid, and wash again. Air dry. If the stain still remains, soak washable garments in a digestant. Dry-clean only: Scrape and blot as much as possible, then sponge with cool water until no more stain comes out. If stain remains, sponge with a 50:50 mix of ammonia and water (except for silk and wool).

Ink

Some ballpoint ink stains can be sponged clean using alcohol. If this doesn’t completely remove the stain, try acetone (except on acetate). If acetone doesn’t work, try amyl acetate. The other alternative is to use a bleach which is safe for the fabric. To remove ballpoint ink stains from leather garments, rub petroleum jelly on the stain. Leave for several days, then wipe clean.Caution: don’t put the item in the dryer or hot iron, as this can set the stain.